Año Nuevo Island Climate-Resilient Seabird Habitat

The Año Nuevo Island Climate-Resilient Seabird Habitat project, managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, focuses on maintaining and expanding nesting habitats at Año Nuevo State Park to protect burrow and ground-nesting seabirds from California Sea Lions. The scope of work includes the construction of a redwood conservation fence within an existing footprint to protect approximately one acre of fragile nesting areas, representing 20 percent of the island's seabird habitat. This construction is designed to maintain a low visual and ecological impact and requires no significant excavation. Additionally, the project involves the installation of 75 durable, non-toxic ceramic nest modules in strategic above-ground locations to mitigate erosion risks, with an expected service life of over 50 years. The project also includes retrofitting 45 existing ceramic nests with new sunshields to facilitate above-ground placement. The project is categorized as exempt under CEQA Guidelines 15301, 15302, 15303, and 15304. Primary coordination is handled by Linda Hitchcock of the Santa Cruz District and James Croft of the Wildlife Conservation Board.