The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has released its draft report exploring options for achieving recreation, ecosystem, water quality and other community benefits at Franks Tract, a 3,000-acre flooded island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The public draft of the Franks Tract Futures Report, titled “Franks Tract Futures 2020 reimagined,” is now available for public review and can be accessed at franks-tract-futures-ucdavis.hub.arcgis.com.

Comments can be emailed to [email protected] or submitted online. All comments must be received by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2.

“For this report we worked with the local community to come up with concepts for restoration that address not only biological objectives but also recreation, navigation, flood concerns and economic concerns,” said Carl Wilcox, CDFW’s Delta policy advisor.

The new report identifies three restoration concepts and a no-action alternative. The preferred restoration design resulting from the stakeholder-driven planning process would restore about 1,000 acres of tidal marsh habitat while deepening other areas to provide fill for the marsh creation. It would also address community concerns regarding navigation and recreation.

Franks Tract is a nexus point of many Delta uses ranging from duck hunting and bass fishing to fresh water supply for California cities and farms. However, Franks Tract is also a hot spot for invasive plants and predatory fish, as well as a conduit for saltwater intrusion during dry conditions into waterways used to convey freshwater supplies to cities and agriculture in the Delta and other parts of California. For these reasons, Franks Tract is a strong candidate for restoration.