2025/August

Russ Ranch restoration

In a unanimous decision in August 2025, the California Coastal Commission approved one of the most ambitious tidal restoration projects ever proposed on private land in California: the Russ Creek & Centerville Slough Restoration Project. This decision marks a major victory for habitat restoration, flood resilience, fish and wildlife recovery, and public access along the mouth of the Eel River in Humboldt County. 

Historically, the Eel River estuary was crisscrossed with sloughs, marshes, tidal channels, and a dynamic connection to the river and ocean. But over more than a century, as settlers tried to forcibly remove indigenous tribes from their land, the longstanding stewardship of the Wiyot was replaced with destructive levees, the land was drained and diked for agriculture, waterways were modified, and many wetland habitats degraded or disappeared. 

Under the approved plan, the project partners, including the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Wildlands Conservancy, Russ Ranch & Timber, LLC, will:

• Remove or lower levees and berms, repair tide gates, expand/restore slough channels, and reestablish tidal flow across over 500 acres of wetlands. 
• Construct a setback berm and an access road & trail on top of it, designed to accommodate natural dune migration and avoid armoring the shoreline. 
• Improve public access: new kayak launches, trails (including about three miles atop berms/roads), signage, and an approximately five-mile beachfront easement between the mouth of the Eel River and Centerville Beach.
• Demolish old, dilapidated barn structures and restore abandoned agricultural infrastructure. 

To ensure the project delivers on its promise while protecting coastal resources, the Coastal Commission imposed a series of special conditions, including:

• Strict monitoring and reporting of how the restored habitats, setback berms, tides, and dune overwash perform over time. 
• Limit on the term of the permit aligned with the term of a lease of public trust lands (anticipated through 2045), with possible amendments depending on future dynamics. 
• Measures to avoid and minimize impacts on sensitive species and preserve environmentally sensitive habitat areas.
• Ongoing consultation with the Wiyot to ensure traditional ecological knowledge and tribal rights are embedded in this effort.

As the project moves into implementation (expected over the next few years), its success will hinge on careful execution, dialogue with local tribes and communities, and adaptive management. 

Additional items of interest

• Rancho Palos Verdes Housing Amendment (L.A. Co.) – Commissioners approved a local coastal program amendment allowing higher density on a single parcel, a modest but meaningful step toward integrating housing needs with coastal protections.
• Bluff Violation Restoration (Torrance, L.A. Co.) – After-the-fact permits addressed unpermitted bluff pathways and structures. The resolution included habitat restoration and measures to protect the El Segundo blue butterfly.‍
• Venice Mixed-Use Project (City of Los Angeles) – The Commission approved a new residential/retail development conditioned with public access, climate-smart transportation, and affordable housing requirements. Features include bike infrastructure and a car-share program to reduce car dependence