EPIC Urges Stronger Mitigation Package for the Last Chance Grade Project
- Tom Wheeler
- Jun 17
- 2 min read
ARCATA, Calif.—The Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) urges Caltrans to
adopt a more robust mitigation package for the Last Chance Grade Project. The project, which
would bypass the notorious slide at Last Chance Grade on Highway 101 by tunneling under the
active landslide area, will remove 144 mature trees, including 16 old-growth redwood trees in
Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP).
Old-growth redwoods are irreplaceable. The trees likely to be removed are centuries-old, up to
8.9 feet in diameter. Removal of any individual tree is itself a great loss. But removal also
impacts the wider forest ecosystem by, among other things, creating new edge effects on more
interior forest and impacting the vigor and health of remaining trees, thereby affecting the
habitat value of the larger forest.
The initial mitigation package, presented in the Final Environmental Impact Statement, offers
two potential strategies: (1) funding for 335 acres of both land acquisition and restoration,
totalling 670 acres, or (2) if land acquisition is impossible or otherwise infeasible, to exclusively
fund redwood restoration, totalling 670 acres. In consultation with redwood experts, EPIC does
not believe that these values will compensate for the impacts from the project, and the package
is thus inadequate.
EPIC is hopeful that the final mitigation strategy will adequately address the impacts from this
project. It is useful to remember that this is only the initial mitigation proposal; Caltrans
maintains that the acreage identified to be restored or preserved represents the minimum
values. EPIC, together with other stakeholders, has held productive dialogues with the agency.
In conversation, Caltrans has indicated that this package is subject to change and is actively
soliciting feedback from the public. (To learn more about the project, check out the project
website here.) This willingness to work with the public in project development has been
characteristic of the project and has drawn praise from EPIC.
While EPIC is disappointed, this is tempered by the good work the agency has done to minimize
impacts to the maximum extent possible. There is no good solution to the challenges of Last
Chance Grade. Caltrans has thoroughly studied the problem, and the proposed tunnel is not only
the safest and most reliable solution to keep Highway 101 open, but it is also the least impactful of
the alternatives studied. EPIC thus remains confident that Caltrans will deliver a project that can
draw consensus support.
Caltrans is currently soliciting comments on its final environmental impact statement. Comments
on The Final Environmental Impact Statement are due July 7, 2026, and may be submitted at
Comments