Prisoners Harbor on Santa Cruz Island is the principal gateway to the largest of the Channel Islands. The harbor sits at the mouth of Cañada del Puerto, an ephemeral creek that drains 13 square miles of the island's interior, including the island's Central Valley. Historically, the Prisoners area was one of the largest backbarrier coastal wetlands on the Channel Islands. This rare habitat, comprised of a fresh water stream, coastal lagoon/wetland, and riparian woodland, provided respite from the long dry summers for a diverse array of species including the island fox and bald eagle. The wetland most likely served as a resting and feeding stop for migratory birds traveling the Pacific flyway, as well as nesting and foraging habitat for resident waterfowl.
Prisoners Harbor also has an extensive legacy of human occupation: Chumash people occupied a village at the harbor for at least 5,000 years. Nineteenth- and twentieth-century landowners constructed a pier, buildings, and other structures at Prisoners Harbor. To facilitate the island ranching operations and protect their investments at the harbor, ranchers channelized the creek and filled in the adjacent wetland with gravels from the surrounding hills and creekbed. This effectively eliminated the ecological value of the coastal wetland system, its floodplain functions, and much of its biological diversity.
Public Scoping
The public scoping period for this project ended on July 27, 2008. Click on the link below to download the public scoping report.
Proposed Environmental Impact Statement
Channel Islands National Park has drafted an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Prisoners Harbor Coastal Wetland Restoration Project. This EIS analyzes alternative methods for restoring ecosystem function to the Channel Islands’ largest coastal floodplain wetland and the riparian corridor in the lower Cañada del Puerto.
Click on the link below to view or download the EIS:
The project extends over 59.7 acres of land owned by Channel Islands National Park and The Nature Conservancy. Action is needed because prior modifications to the site degraded the ecosystem function of coastal wetlands and the riparian corridor.
The “action” alternatives analyzed in the Draft EIS contain a varying mix of four main components: 1) ecological restoration, including removing fill and controlling invasive species; 2) restoring hydraulic function by reconnecting the creek to the floodplain; 3) protecting sensitive archeological resources; and 4) improving the visitor experience.
Alternative B offered the best combination of project benefits. Key components of the agency-preferred alternative include: remove about 17,000 yds3 fill, remove 8 historic cattle corrals, relocate a scale house to its pre-1960’s location, remove eucalyptus from 20 acres in the lower Cañada del Puerto, control invasive fennel and kikuyu grass, remove 250 feet of berm to reconnect the creek with its floodplain, construct a protective barrier around a portion of sensitive archeological material, and improve visitor experience.
In addition to the agency-preferred alternative (Alt. B), the Draft EIS evaluates one No Action alternative and one other restoration alternative: 1/3 wetland restoration (Alt. C). Alternative C would remove 11,000 yds3 fill, retain 2 cattle corrals, and retain the scale house in its current location.
Public Comment on the EIS
The Public Review of the Draft EIS and Public Comment period will end July 21, 2009. Interested individuals, organizations, and agencies may submit written comments online at www.parkplanning.nps.gov or by U.S. Postal Service to:
Prisoners Harbor Coastal Wetland Restoration Plan
Channel Islands National Park
1901 Spinnaker Drive
Ventura, CA 93001
Additional Information
Please visit the the web page for more information on this project or email to Prisoners Harbor Restoration Information
