Funding alert!
Napa RCD has been awarded a Priority Conservation Area Grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to advance restoration planning along lower Suscol Creek.
Photo Credit: Andrew Lincoln
This collaborative planning effort will establish the foundation for restoring nearly 100 acres of wetland, riparian, and floodplain habitat along lower Suscol Creek near the Napa River. Working in partnership with the Napa Sanitation District, the Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition, the Suscol Intertribal Council, and the Mishewal Wappo Tribe, Napa RCD will develop a shared vision for a landscape that supports healthy ecosystems, improves climate resilience, and provides benefits for surrounding communities.
Lower Suscol Creek serves as a critical freshwater-to-tidal transition zone, connecting upland watersheds with the Napa River and San Pablo Bay. These habitats provide essential wildlife corridors, improve water quality, store floodwaters, and support native fish and wildlife. However, decades of historic channelization, floodplain disconnection, and other land-use changes have significantly altered the creek’s natural function. These impacts are now being compounded by the growing effects of sea level rise and more frequent extreme weather events, increasing the urgency for coordinated restoration planning.
The grant-funded planning process will evaluate opportunities to reconnect floodplains, restore tidal and freshwater wetlands, enhance riparian habitat, and improve long-term ecosystem resilience. The project also emphasizes collaboration with Tribal partners and local stakeholders to ensure restoration strategies reflect cultural values, ecological priorities, and community needs.
By bringing together public agencies, conservation organizations, and Tribal governments, this effort represents an important milestone toward restoring one of Napa Valley’s most dynamic and vulnerable landscapes. The resulting plans will position the partnership to pursue future funding for implementation, helping transform years of collaborative vision into on-the-ground restoration.
Napa RCD is grateful to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, and all project partners for their support and shared commitment to protecting and restoring the Napa River watershed for future generations.