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Commission approves CDFW Cannonball Island restoration project with road‑condition caveat
Summary
The commission approved a conditional‑use permit for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to restore tidal marsh and connected habitats at Cannonball Island, requiring the agency to leave the access road in equal or better condition after construction; nearby landowners expressed concerns about pasture loss and flood routing.
The Planning Commission granted a conditional‑use permit to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for a large restoration project at Cannonball Island in the Eel River estuary, roughly 3 miles west of the nearest town. Staff said the project will restore tidal marsh, reconnect muted tidal areas and build intertidal channels and lagoons across roughly 795 acres and 21 parcels.
“Primary goal of the Cannonball Island restoration project is to restore and expand the natural estuarine functions and processes that promote recovery of habitat for native fish, invertebrates, wildlife, plant species, compatible with surrounding working lands and public access,” Planner Portia Salcedo said during the staff presentation. Salcedo summarized the work as including removal of an abandoned dwelling, deepening about 5,000 linear feet of existing dikes, construction of approximately 6,000 linear feet of setback levee with gated culverts, reconstruction or raising of about 2,500 feet of road, and installation of up to four graded culverts.
A local landowner, Peter Baer, who said he has farmed and lived in the area, registered concerns at the public hearing about loss of pasture, the potential for levees to impede flood conveyance to the ocean and the condition of Cannonball Island Road during construction. The CDFW representative said the agency had met with adjacent landowners, plans additional community meetings during design and has considered levee and gating designs intended to maintain tidal exchange and reduce saltwater intrusion into pasture. CDFW said some privately owned parcels are not suited to productive pasture today and that the project’s levee setbacks and gating are intended to protect and improve remaining pasture where feasible.
Commissioners asked about community outreach and the project’s potential road impacts; CDFW acknowledged further design work is needed, said it will continue neighbor consultations and acknowledged the county’s role on road repair obligations. During motion discussion a commissioner proposed explicitly requiring that Cannonball Island Road be returned to a condition equal to or better than its preconstruction condition at project completion; the commission added that language to the approval.
Staff recommended and the commission found the project eligible for a statutory CEQA exemption for restoration projects (SERP) and made the required findings for the conditional use permit. The commission adopted the resolution approving the CDFW Conditional Use Permit subject to staff’s conditions and the added road‑condition language. The vote was recorded by roll call as unanimous in favor.
The permit includes standard conditions on construction timing, best management practices, and mitigation measures identified in the staff report; final designs for levees, culverts and road improvements will be subject to later engineering review and any additional permits required by state or federal agencies.
