MALIBU, Calif., -- California State Parks announced today the start of the pre-construction, engineering, and design (PED) phase of the Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project, located within Malibu Creek State Park in the Santa Monica Mountains, Los Angeles County. The department, along with a team of consultants and partners from McMillen, LLC, Stillwater Sciences, California Trout (CalTrout) and others will conduct baseline biological surveys, hydrology/hydraulic modeling and flood risk assessment, engineering plans, environmental permitting, public outreach, and other project studies to advance the project to a 90% level of design.

California State Parks has reopened several parks in Southern California that were closed due to the devastating Hill and Woolsey fires. Some parts of Point Mugu and Leo Carrillo state parks reopened, while other areas of the parks remain closed due to the damage caused by the Woolsey Fire. Meanwhile Malibu Lagoon and Robert H. Meyers Memorial state beaches and Topanga State Park have completely reopened.

California State Parks closed a number of state parks as a result of the Camp, Hill and Woolsey fires. Some parks were closed out of precaution, while others were impacted such as Lake Oroville State Recreation Area, and Leo Carrillo and Malibu Creek state parks. All department employees are accounted for and safe. 

California State Parks and The Bay Foundation, supported by local fish and wildlife experts, are assessing the cause of death for an estimated 2,000 striped mullet (Mugil cephalus) over the last week within Malibu Lagoon and lower Malibu Creek. Fish death has largely been limited to the striped mullet, no impacts to the special-status southern California steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus) or tidewater goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi) have been observed.