PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: FLOODPLAIN RECONNECTION
The Estuary Program is partnering with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to restore a naturally functioning and dynamic floodplain at the base of Hollister Peak, called Chorro Creek Ecological Reserve (CCER). With funding from the California Coastal Conservancy and Trust for Public Land, the Estuary Program and CDFW acquired this site to restore creek habitat and reduce the amount of sediment that enters Morro Bay. In the past, farmers grew crops on the land and built up the creek banks to reduce natural flooding of nearby fields. These changes have allowed more sediment to enter the creek and reduced the quality of habitat on the floodplain. With funding from the CDFW, the Estuary Program completed floodplain restoration engineering designs in the spring of 2017. We anticipate construction on the site will begin in 2019.