The Mendocino County Coastal Permit Administrator approved a coastal development permit Dec. 17 for California State Parks to remove a failed 1951 bridge across Little River in Van Damme State Park and replace it with a fabricated bridge in the same area, with habitat restoration and monitoring requirements.

Liam Crowley, planner with Mendocino County Planning and Building Services, said the original bridge failed in 2018 and a temporary single-lane structure has been in place since. “This project would involve the removal of an existing failed bridge across Little River in Van Damme State Park and its replacement with a new fabricated bridge in the same general area,” Crowley said. He told the administrator the project would remove existing bridge abutments that block fish passage and include revegetation, riverbank restoration and pre-construction surveys for sensitive wildlife, followed by monitoring.

State Parks, as the CEQA lead agency for the project, obtained Section 401 coverage from the regional water board and consulted with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. A biological resources assessment and restoration plan accompanied the application; the assessment did not identify special-status species during surveys. A cultural resources assessment concluded the existing bridge was not eligible for listing on the California register. Crowley said the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians’ tribal historic preservation officer participated in the archaeological commission meeting, identified errors in the draft assessment and requested clarifications; State Parks revised the assessment and will continue coordination with the tribe. Staff said condition of approval number 10 addresses ongoing correspondence and potential tribal monitoring.

No public comments were received at the hearing and the Coastal Permit Administrator approved the project on the record, subject to the staff report’s findings and conditions. The administrator’s name is not provided in the transcript.

Next steps include compliance with the conditions of approval, pre-construction surveys and annual monitoring reports to be submitted to Planning and Building Services as specified in the staff report.