Arroyo Burro Estuary and Mesa Creek Restoration

Status Completed County Santa Barbara
Project Type Non-mitigation Location 34.40471° N, -119.73977° W Map
Project Area (Acres) 0.64 Last Updated 5 April 2022
Project Abstract Not provided
Project Groups Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project
Administrative Region Southern California Wetland Recovery Project - Katie Nichols, State Coastal Conservancy

Project Identification

IDType
4-04-0008 CCC - Coastal Development Permit
1600-2004-0229-R5 CDFW - Streambed Alteration Agreement
not recorded-SCC RES SCC - Project Number (Restoration)
not recorded-401Cert SWRCB - 401 Certification Letter (e.g., Site Number or WDID)
200301218-JCM USACE - Nationwide General Permit

Habitat Plan

Site NamePhaseActivitySubActivitiesHabitatSubHabitatAcresActivity StatusWater Regime
Arroyo Burro Estuary None Enhancement Unspecified Buffer area None 0.50 Construction completed
Arroyo Burro Estuary None Creation/Establishment Unspecified Estuarine Wetland Marsh 0.14 Construction completed

Related Habitat Impacts

Impact Project NameHabitatAcres LostType of Loss
No Data

Sites

NameStatusAcres
Arroyo Burro Estuary Construction completed 0.64

Events

DateTypeDescriptionSite Name
2012-11-01 Monitoring end Estimated date Arroyo Burro Estuary
2008-06-01 Project entered Project entered into database
2007-11-01 Monitoring start Estimated date Arroyo Burro Estuary
2006-12-01 Groundwork end Estimated date Arroyo Burro Estuary
2006-06-01 Groundwork start Estimated date Arroyo Burro Estuary
2005-03-09 Permit USACE permit issued
2004-12-09 Permit CDP permit issued
2004-09-29 Permit CDFG SAA permit issued
2004-09-03 Project start date Estimated date
2004-09-03 Permit RWQCB permit issued

People

TypeNameOrganizationDepartment
Contact George Johnson City of Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation, City Creeks Division

Funding

PhaseActivityFunderAmount
None Enhancement SCC State Coastal Conservancy
None Enhancement USFWS Coastal Program at San Francisco Bay
None Enhancement WCB California Riparian Habitat Conservation Program

Related CRAM Assessments

Visit DateVersionSite NameWetland TypeIndex Score
2012-04-19 6.1 Arroyo Burro bar-built estuarine 63
2010-09-01 5.0.2 Mesa Creek revisit riverine confined 79
2010-09-01 5.0.2 Arroyo Burro/Mesa Creek(revisit) estuarine perennial non-saline 64
2008-08-18 5.0.1 Arroyo Burro riverine confined 65
2008-08-18 5.0.1 Arroyo Burro riverine confined 63
2007-07-19 4.6 Arroyo Burro Estuary estuarine perennial non-saline 63
2007-07-19 4.6 Mesa Creek riverine non-confined 62

Performance Criteria

StatusDetailsEvaluation Date
All criteria met See the Year 1 Status Report for this project. 2008-06-01
Name File Type Submitted On Submitted By
Aerial Photos of Project Site Photo 2008-06-30 Christopher Solek, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
April 2007 Planting List Data Set 2008-06-30 Christopher Solek, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
Arroyo Burro Preliminary Restoration Plans Plan Or Permit 2008-06-30 Christopher Solek, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
Arroyo Burro and Mesa Creek ribbon cutting ceremony announcement Other 2008-06-30 Christopher Solek, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
December 18, 2006 Photopoint Photographs Photo 2008-06-30 Christopher Solek, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
December 2006 Planting List Data Set 2008-06-30 Christopher Solek, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
Existing Topography at the Project Site Other 2008-06-30 Christopher Solek, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
Final Year 1 Annual Report Monitoring Report 2008-06-30 Christopher Solek, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
Location of Project Site Other 2008-06-30 Christopher Solek, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
March 8, 2007 Photopoint Photographs Photo 2008-06-30 Christopher Solek, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
October 2007 Planting List Data Set 2008-06-30 Christopher Solek, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
Project Site Native Plant Species List Data Set 2008-06-30 Christopher Solek, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
Project Site Non-native Plant Species List Data Set 2008-06-30 Christopher Solek, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
Restoration Landscape Plan Plan Or Permit 2008-06-30 Christopher Solek, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project

How to Use the Habitat Development Curve

Habitat Development Curves (HDCs) are used to determine the developmental status and trajectory of on-the-ground projects to create, restore, or enhance California wetland and stream habitats. Each HDC is based on assessments of habitat condition for different age areas of one habitat type that in aggregate represent the full spectrum of habitat development. The assessments of condition are provided by expert applications of the California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM). Visit the CRAM website for more information about CRAM.

For each HDC, reference condition is represented by areas of a habitat that consistently get very high CRAM scores, have not been subject to disruptive management practices, and exist within landscapes that are protected and managed for their natural conditions. The horizontal lines intersecting the top of an HDC represent the mean CRAM score and standard deviation of scores for 25 qualifying reference areas.

The age of a project is estimated as the elapsed time in years between the groundwork end date for the project and the date of the CRAM assessment. To add or update a groundwork end date, use the Project Events form in Project Tracker (ptrack.ecoatlas.org). The minimum age in years of a non-project area, including any natural reference area, is estimated from all available local information, including historical maps and imagery, historical written accounts, and place-specific scientific studies of habitat development.

An HDC can be used to address the following questions:

  1. At what time in the future will the area of assessed habitat achieve the reference condition or other milestones in habitat development? The HDC can answer this question if the CRAM score for the assessed area is within the confidence interval of the HDC. The answer is the time in years along the HDC between the current age of the assessed area and the future date corresponding to the intersection of the HDC and the reference condition or other milestone.
  2. Is the area of assessed habitat likely to develop faster, slower, or at the same pace as most other areas of the same habitat type? The habitat area is likely to develop faster, slower, or at the same pace if the CRAM score for the area is above, below, or within the confidence interval of the HDC, respectively.
  3. What can be done to improve the condition of the habitat area or to increase its rate of development? HDCs by themselves cannot answer this question. Possible answers can be inferred by the following analysis that involves HDCs:
    1. Examine the HDC for each of the four CRAM Attributes;
    2. Identify the Attribute(s) scoring below the HDC;
    3. For any low-scoring Attribute, examine the component Metric Scores (note: the Metric Scores for any public CRAM assessment in the CRAM database can be obtained through EcoAtlas);
    4. Assume the low score of an Attribute is due to its low-scoring Metric(s);
    5. Consider modifying the design or management of the habitat area in ways that will sustainably increase its score(s) for the low-scoring Metric(s).

For more information about CRAM Attributes and Metrics, including their scientific rationale, see the CRAM Manual.

Display Habitat Development Curves For Wetland Type:

CRAM Site Scores