The project will implement the restoration of a large, degraded riparian wetland system along the santa clara river SCR in fillmore, CA the project is located within an ecologically productive reach…

The University of California, Santa Barbara will receive $100,000 through a cooperative agreement with the Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 8 under the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration program (CFDA 15.658) to implement restoration of a degraded riparian wetland system along the Santa Clara River in Fillmore, California from July 7, 2022 to June 30, 2027. As part of a broader Santa Clara River restoration program involving multiple partners, the university will restore the ecologically productive Sespe Cienega floodplain area, which once supported extensive wetlands but was degraded by previous agricultural activities. Project activities will aim to improve local hydrology and soil properties to revive emergent marshes, vernal wetlands, riparian forests and oak woodlands historically present at this site.

The project will implement the restoration of a large, degraded riparian wetland system along the santa clara river SCR in fillmore, CA the project is located within an ecologically productive reach of the SCR floodplain which supports emergent marshes, vernal wetlands, riparian forests and extensive OAK woodlands local hydrology and soil properties are also influenced by previous and adjacent upland agriculture historically, artesian flows in this reach of the SCR supported one of most extensive wetlands in the floodplain referred to as the cienega and sespe cienega this effort is part of a SCR program, including university of california, santa barbara, the nature conservancy, and the santa clara river conservancy to implement restoration and ecosystem monitoring of the sespe cienega and surrounding floodplain