NORTH COAST, Calif. – Caltrans and the California Farm Bureau Federation have reached an agreement in a case relating to the Willits Bypass project, with the federation dismissing its federal lawsuit against Caltrans and the US Army Corps of Engineers.

“We are very pleased that we have come to this agreement with the Farm Bureau,” said Matt Brady, Caltrans District 1 Deputy District Director for Program/Project Management. “These discussions have increased our understanding of each other’s needs, and we now have a stronger relationship as we move forward with the Willits Bypass Project, and with other projects in the future.”

“The discussions between Caltrans and farmers in the Willits area should solidify the foundation for agriculture to remain in the area for decades to come,” CFBF President Paul Wenger said, “and the study should help advance the understanding of how to achieve overlapping agricultural and ecological objectives.”

In July 2012, Farm Bureau intervened in a lawsuit filed in federal court, because of concern about how the project would impact farmland in the Little Lake Valley.

Specifically, Farm Bureau was concerned about the amount of farmland the US Army Corps of Engineers mitigation strategy required to be removed from production in order to mitigate for wetlands affected by the bypass, and with assuring the effects on farmland received the appropriate level of review required by the National Environmental Policy Act.

Under the settlement terms, Caltrans has agreed to cooperate with the University of California, Davis, and UC Cooperative Extension on a long-term UC study of how rangeland practices interrelate with wetland function, which Farm Bureau officials said will result in improved understanding of the ecological and agricultural benefits of retaining farmland in production.

The study will center on the Caltrans properties that will be managed and monitored for environmental mitigation purposes.

Caltrans also will meet with farmers and ranchers with lands adjacent to the Willits Bypass mitigation properties to address any questions or concerns they may have about neighboring State mitigation properties, and will provide California Farm Bureau with information regarding Caltrans’ processes and protocols for evaluating farmland impacts under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Caltrans said the Willits Bypass Project will relieve congestion, reduce delays, and improve safety for traffic and pedestrians along US Route 101 through Willits in Mendocino County.

This $210 million highway improvement project, now under construction, is funded by $136 million in Proposition 1B funds, the 2006 voter-approved transportation bond.

While the California Farm Bureau Federation has dismissed its complaint, the claims of the remaining parties will continue to be litigated in federal court until there is a judicial resolution, which could occur as early as this June, officials reported.