Establishing a baseline census and ecological monitoring program for Zostera pacifica habitats in coastal southern California
Summary
SCH Number
2024010078
Public Agency
State Water Resources Control Board, Divison of Financial Assistance
Document Title
Establishing a baseline census and ecological monitoring program for Zostera pacifica habitats in coastal southern California
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
1/5/2024
Document Description
Seagrasses provide myriad ecosystem services but are experiencing staggering rates of loss through cumulative impacts. This project takes a multifaceted approach to develop and establish a comprehensive contemporary census of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), focusing on Z. pacifica, within Santa Monica Bay (SMB), and create a biophysical baseline characterization of the ecological conditions within extant Z. pacifica habitat. This project will fill important gaps in the understanding of general habitat conditions for Z. pacifica persistence and yield environmental time series measurements important for gathering valuable baseline characterization and ecological conditions within Z. pacifica habitats. These data will inform the efficacy of successful seagrass restoration efforts in the coastal ecosystems of southern California. Continuous in situ time series measurements of temperature, light regimes, near-bottom wave characterization, and discrete sampling to support and augment on-going biological monitoring will be taken. Project partners will deploy sensors at nine sites (2 in Malibu, 4 on Catalina Island, 2 in SMB transplant sites, and 1 in La Jolla, San Diego) to acquire a suite of environmental data metrics. This strategic data acquisition program will address the central scientific problem of determining key physical environmental drivers influencing the realized niche of Z. pacifica and enhance applied restoration efforts from local to regional scales with significant potential benefits for southern California coastal shelf habitats.
Contact Information
Name
Luke Ginger
Agency Name
SWRCB
Job Title
Senior Environmental Scientist
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Counties
Los Angeles
Regions
Southern California
Other Location Info
Santa Monica Bay, Catalina Island, Malibu,
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 6 - Information Collection
Reasons for Exemption
Basic data collection and research with no disturbance to an environmental resource.
County Clerk
Los Angeles
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
Disclaimer: The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. To obtain an attachment in a different format, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. You may also contact the OPR via email at state.clearinghouse@opr.ca.gov or via phone at (916) 445-0613. For more information, please visit OPR’s Accessibility Site.