ENVIRONMENTAL PERMITTING

Fugro West - Ventura, CA
Santa Clara Riverbank Protection Project - Oxnard, CA
Wildscape obtained permits from respective regulatory agencies for Fugro West to perform geotechnical investigation of the underlying soil structure in the Santa Clara River on behalf of the Ventura County Watershed Protection District (VCWPD). The VCWPD is planning to fortify the existing bank protection structures with four additional bendway weir structures which will assist in protecting a vulnerable section of riverbank.

Leavens Ranches - Moorpark, CA
Channel Debris Removal Project - Moorpark, CA
Wildscape obtained permits from respective regulatory agencies for the removal of large amounts of debris from a small barranca on Leavens Ranches property. Formerly unknown to the landowner, the debris was revealed after a wildfire swept through the area in December 2006. Excavation work and hydroseeding with a native seed mix was completed in October 2007. The site will be monitored for five years to fulfill regulatory agency requirements.

The following list highlights selected examples of our projects.

Consulting Division Project Experience

WATERSHED PLANNING

Ventura County Resource Conservation District (VCRCD) - Somis, CA
Upper Santa Clara River Watershed Arundo/Tamarisk Removal Plan, Environmental Impact Report, and Programmatic Permits - Los Angeles County, CA
The Upper Santa Clara River Arundo/Tamarisk Removal Plan (SCARP) and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was prepared for the VCRCD. This project focused the portion of the Santa Clara River watershed that is upstream of the Ventura/Los Angeles county line. It was funded by a $1.5 million Proposition 13 Grant from the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). A long-term implementation plan was also developed for the 500-year floodplain of the upper Santa Clara River watershed (approximately 16,300 acres). This project also included vegetation mapping, which was performed with a modified Sawyer Keeler-Wolf classification system. An EIR was prepared simultaneously with the long-term plan and approved in February 2006. The project was managed by Noreen Cabanting while employed with the VCRCD. Wildscape obtained the associated programmatic permits for the VCRCD under a $67,000 grant from the Santa Clara River Trustee Council.

Ventura County Resource Conservation District (VCRCD) - Somis, CA
Santa Clara River Invasive Plant Removal Plan, Environmental Impact Report, and Programmatic Permits
Wildscape is preparing the Santa Clara River Invasive Plant Removal (SCIPR) Plan, Environmental Impact Report (EIR), and Programmatic Permits for the VCRCD. This project will encompass the entire Santa Clara River watershed, which is the largest watershed in Ventura County. The project’s first phase has been funded by the Santa Clara River Trustee Council in the amount of $259,000. Wildscape will prepare the SCIPR by incorporating the data that was previously assembled for the SCARP project, along with vegetation maps of the lower watershed (downstream of the Ventura/Los Angeles county line) that were prepared for the Coastal Conservancy by URS and Stillwater Sciences.

Ventura County Resource Conservation District (VCRCD) - Somis, CA
San Antonio Creek Watershed Vegetation Community and Invasive Plant Survey - Ojai, CA
Wildscape performed the San Antonio Creek Watershed Vegetation Community and Invasive Plant Survey for the VCRCD. This project was performed in collaboration with the Matilija Dam Ecosystem Restoration project which is sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Ventura County Watershed Protection District (VCWPD). The vegetation was mapped using a modified Sawyer Keeler-Wolf classification system. Wildscape provided the survey data to the VCWPD to promote a watershed-level planning effort for arundo (Arundo donax) removal and to initiate site specific removal efforts in conjunction with the Ventura River Watershed Protection Project.

San Gabriel Mountains Regional Conservancy (SGMRC) - Glendora, CA
Walnut Creek Invasive Plant Removal and Habitat Restoration Plan - Glendora, CA
Wildscape is preparing the Walnut Creek Invasive Plant Removal and Habitat Restoration Plan for the San Gabriel Mountains Regional Conservancy. This project is funded by in-lieu fees in coordination with the California Department of Transportation. Wildscape surveyed and mapped the general vegetation types and invasive plant infestations in Walnut Creek for a long-term removal program. In addition to the plan and vegetation maps, Wildscape will also prepare a site-specific implementation plan for an initial invasive plant removal project.

Contracting Division Project Experience

HABITAT RESTORATION IMPLEMENTATION

Mitigation Site Installation

RiverPark Legacy, LLC (Shea Homes) - Westlake Village, CA
RiverPark Mitigation Site - Saticoy, CA
Wildscape is currently implementing this mitigation installation and maintenance project for Shea Homes. This project initially required the removal of extensive amounts of arundo (Arundo donax) and other non-native plant species from a 4.7 acre site in Fall 2006. In January 2007, container plants and cuttings were installed, and in March 2007, hydroseeding was performed. The site is irrigated with a combination of overhead sprinklers and drip irrigation. The site will be maintained by Wildscape for five years to fulfill regulatory agency requirements.

Continuing Life Communities (CLC) - Thousand Oaks, CA
University Village Retirement Community, Thousand Oaks, CA
Wildscape is currently implementing this mitigation installation and maintenance project for CLC, based on a habitat mitigation and native revegetation implementation plan Wildscape prepared. Native vegetation has been installed on approximately 13.0 acres (7.45 for mitigation implementation) of open space within the project development. The mitigation area features areas of freshwater wetland, riparian terrace, and riparian woodland, while the remaining open space consists of riparian transitional and upland transitional habitat types. All areas were planted with a combination of container plants, cuttings, and seed. The irrigation is a combination of overhead sprinklers and drip. For the planting, Wildscape collected 7,500 cuttings of two willow species (Salix sp.) and mule fat (Baccharis salicifolia). The site will be maintained for five years to fulfill regulatory agency requirements.

VEGETATION MANAGEMENT

Periwinkle and Cape Ivy Removal

Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC) - Ojai, CA
Confluence Preserve - Casitas Springs, CA
Wildscape coordinated the removal of extensive amounts of periwinkle (Vinca major) and cape ivy (Delairea odorata) from this 11-acre habitat preserve area for OVLC. This project included the use of a rubber-tracked crawler with a fixed-tooth cutting head to grind/mulch the target vegetation onsite. Native vegetation was left intact to the extent possible, and the area was further treated with herbicide to control any periwinkle and cape ivy resprouts. Once the target vegetation is controlled, OVLC will begin habitat restoration activities.

Orange Grove Removal

Ojai Valley Land Conservancy - Ojai, CA
El Nido Ventura River Preserve - Ojai, CA
Wildscape coordinated the removal of orange trees from the site of a former orchard that OVLC plans to restore. This project included the use of an excavator to remove more than 400 trees. After the trees were removed, the site was graded to facilitate stream channel realignment. Restoration activities as conceived by Coastal Restoration Consultants, Inc. are scheduled for the future.

Artichoke Thistle Removal

Mariano Rancho - Ventura, CA
Ventura Foothills - Ventura, CA
Wildscape coordinated this project to test Milestone™ (aminopyralid), a new herbicide formulated by Dow AgroSciences, on a one-acre test site. Milestone™ is formulated to target specific broadleaf species such as thistles and knapweeds, with little or no injury to desirable cool- and warm-season grasses. The test site is located in a 7,000-acre management area where 350 acres have been infested by artichoke thistle (Cynara cardunculus). Removal and maintenance activities are ongoing.

Arundo Removal

RiverPark Legacy, LLC (Shea Homes) - Westlake Village, CA
RiverPark Mitigation Site - Saticoy, CA
Wildscape coordinated manual removal with herbicide application to arundo (Arundo donax) from a three-acre area within the 4.7-acre mitigation site in the Fall of 2006. A biological monitor ensured that native vegetation was left intact and existing native trees were protected in place. The cut biomass was chipped for beneficical reuse at the project site. Work continues at this site with a five-year habitat restoration and mitigation project.

Tree Spurge Removal

Lloyd Properties - Ventura, CA
Foothill Road at Sexton Canyon - Ventura, CA
Wildscape coordinated the removal of 2.5 acres of tree spurge (Euphorbia dendroides), an invasive non-native plant. The plant material was mulched in place through the use of a steel-tracked crawler with a fixed-tooth cutting head. The site is being treated with herbicide on an ‘as needed’ basis to eliminate resprouts and exhaust the non-native seed bank. Erosion control measures will be used as needed during the treatment process. Once control of the target vegetation is achieved, Wildscape will revegetate the site with a native seed mix.

PUBLIC OUTREACH

Ecosystems Restoration Associates (ERA) - San Diego, CA
Matilija Dam Ecosystem Restoration Project, Arundo Removal - Ojai, CA
Wildscape is working with ERA, a division of P&D Consultants, to perform public outreach for the arundo (Arundo donax) removal component of the Matilija Dam Ecosystem Restoration Project, which is being implemented by the Ventura County Watershed Protection District (VCWPD). Approximately 150 acres of arundo will be removed from a 1,274-acre project site along Matilija Creek and the Ventura River. To date, Wildscape has coordinated the placement of newspaper articles in the Ventura County Star, the Ventura County Reporter, and the Ojai Valley News. Wildscape has also coordinated two very successful community meetings in Ojai, which informed area residents about many of the project’s features, progress, and timeline.

BIOLOGICAL SERVICES

Post, Buckley, Schuh & Jernigan (PBS&J) - San Diego, CA
Santa Clara River Bendway Wiers Upgrade Project, Phase II - Oxnard, CA
Wildscape conducted protocol surveys for the federally endangered Least Bell's Vireo (Vireo belli pusillus) along the Santa Clara River for PBS&J on behalf of the Ventura County Watershed Protection District (VCWPD). The VCWPD is planning future construction of four additional bendway weir structures to prevent bank erosion.

MITIGATION/RESTORATION PLANS

Wood-Claeyssens Foundation - Santa Barbara, CA
Taylor Ranch Arundo Removal Project Implementation Plan - Ventura, CA
Wildscape has prepared the Taylor Ranch Arundo Removal Project Implementation Plan on behalf of the Wood-Claeyssens Foundation. The Plan establishes guidelines for removing arundo from an area of approximately 74 acres, where the Ventura River crosses the Taylor Ranch property.