Waddell Adaptive Management Plan

Project consists of creating a vegetated foredune at the mouth of Waddell Creek in the Rancho del Oso subunit of Big Basin Redwoods State Park to guide the creek mouth away from public infrastructure, reduce erosion, restore previous lagoon dynamics and alleviate the need for additional hard armoring. Work will occur as follows: •Biologists will survey and clear the work area of any target animal species; •Biological monitors will guide State Park equipment operators tracking onto the beach from the parking lot and begin lowering the sandbar to the south of the current river mouth; •Generated sand will be stockpiled towards the parking lot; •Operators will create a southerly aligned outlet channel with a similar rise and run to the existing northerly channel; •While being shaped, the southern channel will be hydrologically disconnected from the system by a fill plug left in place at the upstream end; •Upon completion of the channel, the upstream sand plug will be removed, allowing water to flow through the southern outlet channel; •Stockpiled sand will then be moved north to construct a foredune between the embayment and the parking lot; •Woody debris will be buried beneath the dune for added support and will remain lower than the parking lot and will mimic previous foredune; and •Seed and plant dune with native plants and water into the dry season as necessary.