National Park Service LogoU.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNational Park Service
National Park Service:  U.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park Service Arrowhead
Point Reyes National SeashoreHarbor Seals on the beach
view map
text size:largestlargernormal
printer friendly
Point Reyes National Seashore
Giacomini Wetland Restoration Project
Giacomini Wetland © Robert Campbell
 

In this section, you will find a variety of Management Plans and other documents pertaining to the planning, management and operation of the Giacomini Wetland Restoration Project. Click on a link below to find out more.

NEW - Construction Updates

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Public Notice - Background Information

Scoping Documents

Draft Environmental Impact Statement / Environmental Impact Report (2006)

FINAL Environmental Impact Statement / Environmental Impact Report (2007)

Technical Background Reports


Since the early 1900s, levees constructed at the southern end of Tomales Bay for roads and dairy farms have served to hydrologically disconnect Lagunitas Creek and its tributaries from their floodplains. As a result, wetland conditions within the Waldo Giacomini Ranch and Olema Marsh (Project Area) have been degraded, and hydrologic and ecological functionality of what was once of the largest integrated tidal marsh complexes in Tomales Bay has been substantially reduced. Natural wetlands provide many important functions for humans and wildlife, including floodwater retention, water quality improvement, wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities. Because two-thirds of the Bay’s freshwater inflow passes through the Project Area, these wetlands may have once played an integral role in maintaining health of Tomales Bay, which has deteriorated over the last century because of excessive sedimentation, water and sediment quality problems, non-native species invasions, and other issues.

In 2000, the National Park Service acquired the Waldo Giacomini Ranch for the purpose of wetland restoration using a combination of Congressional appropriations and mitigation monies from the California Department of Transportation. Because the Project Area is in the northern district of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, it is managed by Point Reyes National Seashore.

Top of Page

Humpback whale spout  

Did You Know?
Marine biologists have identified nearly a third of all known marine mammal species in the waters surrounding Point Reyes. Blue whales and humpback whales feed here during spring and summer months. Gray whales migrate past our shores twice a year on their round trip from Alaska to Baja.
more...

Last Updated: June 21, 2008 at 14:45 EST