2024 Year in Review
This year, the Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project (MCERP) progressed at an exciting pace in the planning, design and engineering of opening up a key aquatic corridor in the Santa Monica Mountains. Here are some of the highlights:
Surveys:
Soil investigations are a key component of this project phase to determine the best methods for sediment distribution.
In late summer after bird breeding season, the Geotech team hit the ground drilling behind Rindge Dam to obtain soil samples at varying depths, up to 100 feet down to the stream bed. The soil characteristics are currently being analyzed for grain size and other important material properties to determine redistribution options for the sediment. Key areas for distribution include the beach, in the near-shore coast, or upland disposal. The soil analysis sampling is scheduled for completion by spring 2025. Read about the full Geotech investigation here https://restoremalibucreek.org/blog-posts/geotech-studies-underway
During the year the project team continued the search for endangered Southern California Steelhead in Malibu Creek to help track the species’ populations and distribution throughout southern California. “These surveys are conducted in the streams where southern California steelhead might travel and are a key restoration component of the MCERP,” said Project Manager and Senior Environmental Scientist R.J. Van Sant. Read what snorkel surveys reveal here https://restoremalibucreek.org/blog-posts/snorkel-surveys-what-stream-hunts-can-reveal
We launched a community science program inviting the public to help us monitor this landscape scale restoration project.
Community Science Program
In May, the MCERP launched a community science program with four of seven sites up and operating to help monitor the transformation of Malibu Creek. The program invites the public to take pictures at strategic monitoring locations and upload them to a database that will help document the changing physical conditions along the aquatic corridor. About 500 images have been captured in different aquatic zones to show the varying conditions during the landscape-scale restoration effort. "These photos will tell an amazing story about new beginnings," said CalTrout Program Manager Russell Marlow, Ventura office. Learn how to participate in the program here https://restoremalibucreek.org/community-science
Our outreach team participated in over 40 events throughout the year to discuss dam removal and connecting wildlife corridors to all ages.
Public Outreach and Education
A key part of the Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project’s success is outreach and education on dam removal and the need to reconnect migration corridors for both land and water wildlife. Our outreach team participated in over 40 events throughout the year to discuss the project at conferences, festivals, and community events. We led several youth and educational programs at schools and universities around the region and on location at Malibu Creek State Park. Toddlers to teens learned about aquatic ecosystems and endangered species, biodiversity and fish lifecycles within our local streams. We also led site tours for groups to witness Rindge Dam’s impact on the Malibu Creek watershed and the importance of migration for species’ survival. If you have a group that would like more information about our educational and outreach programs, and tours please email restoremalibucreek@caltrout.org.