Rep. Panetta Joins Federal, State, and Local Partners at Rancho Cañada Floodplain Restoration Project

Carmel,  CA – Today, United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) joined the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District, California State Coastal Conservancy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the California Wildlife Conservation Board to celebrate the successful funding of the Rancho Cañada Floodplain Restoration Project on the Carmel River. 

After years dedicated to acquiring the former golf course property for conservation, funding has now been secured to begin construction of the restoration project in summer 2025. The project has received grant funding from several federal and state sources including:

• $10 million from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s National Coastal Resilience Fund
• $6 million from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Office for Coastal Management
• $13 million from the Wildlife Conservation Board
• $6 million from the California State Coastal Conservancy

The current estimated cost of the project is $35 million. 

The project will restore a one-mile section of the Carmel River so that natural processes will reconnect the river with historic floodplain habitat and create a mosaic of self-sustaining riparian habitat types and instream complexity, benefitting the federally threatened South-Central California Coast steelhead and other species. The project will also increase climate-resilience, enhance multiple wildlife corridors, and create new opportunities for public access and recreation. 

“Every level of government needs to play its part in the stewardship, conservation, and protection of natural wonders here in California’s 19th Congressional District,” said Rep. Panetta.  “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, I’m proud to ensure the federal government is investing $6 million in local efforts like the Rancho Cañada Floodplain Restoration Project to help restore the Carmel River’s watershed, ensure local water resiliency, and bolster flood-risk mitigation.  This project is a testament to the close collaboration and partnership here in Monterey County to ensure future generations can continue to enjoy the beauty of our home.”

The project spans both sides of the Carmel River and sits on a portion of the former Rancho Cañada Golf Club property. The Carmel River watershed contains over one hundred stream miles of high-quality salmonid spawning grounds, but virtually no floodplain. The river is disconnected from its former floodplains by near-vertical banks that rise as high as 15 feet above the river channel, which prevents recruitment of new riparian vegetation on the historic floodplain, limits the ability of the river to create and sustain habitats, and lowers the water table. When completed, the reconnected, lowered floodplains will create a self-sustaining, climate-resilient river system that can respond to a changing climate.  The floodplain provides a slow-water refuge during flood events; it can help recharge the groundwater and reduce flooding in adjacent areas.  

“The Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District is extremely grateful for the ongoing support from our Federal, State, and Regional partners. Their help has made it possible to transform this former private golf course into a rewilded refuge for both people and wildlife. We’re excited to begin this important restoration project and believe it will become a model of how to create strong, resilient landscapes that offer enduring benefits to the local community and beyond.” said Kevin Raskoff, Board President of the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District.

“This project shows the importance of partnership between the Carmel community, nonprofits, local agencies, state agencies, and federal partners to see the restoration potential of this site, to develop that vision into a plan, and to secure the funding to bring that plan into reality.” said Amy Hutzel, Executive Officer of the State Coastal Conservancy, “Today is the culmination of many years of hard work from all of these partners, working together towards a shared aim of restoring the Carmel River floodplain.” 

"Restoring the historic Carmel River floodplain at Rancho Canada is critical, both as an important milestone in the NOAA Fisheries South-Central California Coast Steelhead Recovery Plan, and also helping assure the long term resilience of both the river and the communities around it.” said Becky Smyth, NOAA Office for Coastal Management West Coast Director, “Funding provided under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to the NOAA Office for Coastal Management has been important in providing the resources needed by our state and local partners to implement the essential restoration work here."

“WCB is proud to help fund the restoration and reconnection of the Carmel River to the Rancho Cañada floodplain,” said Jennifer Norris, Wildlife Conservation Board Executive Director. “Healthy floodplains are vital for the survival of salmonids, serving as nursery areas for young fish. This multi-benefit project advances so many important WCB priorities including climate-resilience, wildlife connectivity and public access. We are thrilled to see it come to fruition!”

The project consists of restoring a 1-mile section of the Carmel River by resetting the river conditions and allowing natural processes to resume. In addition, three existing bridges will be removed, eliminating a safety hazard and providing additional space for the Carmel River to migrate. The project’s design approach is to restore the underlying processes that allow the river to “heal itself.”

New public trails and one new pedestrian bridge will be constructed as part of the project. The new bridge will be rated for emergency vehicle access, supporting safe public access to 4,500 acres of Palo Corona Regional Park front ranch and backcountry areas. 

Project partners include the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District, California State Coastal Conservancy, US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries (NOAA Fisheries), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Regional Water Quality Control Board, California State University Monterey Bay, Trust for Public Land, Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, Trout Unlimited, the Carmel River Watershed Task Force, and local tribes.

More information on the project can be found here:

https://scc.ca.gov/projects/central-coast/rcf/

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