Tuesday June 9, 2026
Times Standard —
A project to restore habitat on the Cannibal Island unit of the lower Eel River estuary has received a financial boost from the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB). At its May 28 meeting in Sacramento, the WCB awarded the project a $4 million grant under Proposition 4, the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness and Clean Air Bond Act, passed by California voters in 2024.
The property in question is owned by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the grant was awarded to CalTrout.
“CalTrout and our partners are working to restore important estuary habitat on the 950-acre Cannibal Island Unit of the lower Eel River estuary,” CalTrout North Coast Regional Manager Christine Davis said in an email sent by Assistant Director of Communications Kara Glenwright. “The project aims to reconnect the landscape with natural tidal flows, creating healthier conditions for coho salmon and many other fish and wildlife species that depend on estuarine habitats.”
CalTrout is working with researchers and state and federal agency partners to collect scientific data and develop restoration plans to transform the area from a largely diked and drained salt marsh into a diverse mix of working agricultural lands and thriving natural habitats.