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Wetlands Management

Problem

Background

Wetlands and related habitats are some of the San Francisco Estuary's most valuable natural resources. They provide critical habitat for hundreds of species of fish, birds, and other wildlife. Wetlands also improve the overall water quality in the Estuary, recharge groundwater, help control flooding, offer open space, provide recreational opportunities and benefit people living in the region in many other ways.

Industrial, urban, and rural development have affected the Estuary's wetlands during the past one hundred-plus years. By 1985, nearly 90 percent of the region's historic wetland acreage were converted to non-wetland uses (from 545,371 acres in 1850 to 45,000 acres in 1985). The rate of wetland loss has declined markedly as a result of the federal Clean Water Act, California's Porter Cologne Act, and the McAteer-Petris Act; however, wetland losses continue. The most common types of projects that involve filling wetlands or shallow estuarine habitats include infrastructure improvements at ports and airports, roads and bridges, and residential and commercial developments. More

Current Challenges:

• Climate change—Scientists anticipate that rising concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases will lead to increased average global temperatures and rising sea levels. Coastal zones are particularly vulnerable to sea level rises, and the effects in San Francisco Estuary may include inundation of existing tidal wetlands and other low-lying lands, intensification of flooding, and increased salinity. Combined with the projected alterations in the patterns of freshwater runoff, these changes will likely have an enormous effect on estuarine wetlands, other aquatic habitats, and the fish and wildlife resources they support.
  One of the Estuary Project’s partners, the Bay Conservation and Development Commission has developed a Climate Change Strategy.
• Urban and Suburban growth—The expansion of urban and suburban development into agricultural areas and open space threatens wetlands. The problem is most acute on lands adjacent to the North Bay and Suisun Marsh, and on the periphery of the Delta. California's human population is expected to increase from 36.5 million to 48 million by 2030, increasing the demand for drinking water. Growing urban areas will demand further freshwater supplies; agricultural uses are likely to hold steady or decline.
• Mercury contamination—Mercury contamination in the Estuary's sediments present a unique challenge to wetland restoration efforts. Sources of mercury include legacy mining, urban and non-urban runoff, wastewater treatment, and industry. Tidal wetlands provide an environment in which inorganic mercury in sediments may be transformed, in a process known as methylation, to a form that is toxic to fish, wildlife, and humans. The potential problem of mercury methylation may be most acute in the South Bay, where large quantities of mercury entered Bay sediments during the Gold Rush from the New Almaden mercury mine in the Guadalupe River watershed. Large areas of South Bay salt ponds are being restored to tidal marsh and it will be important to monitor mercury concentrations carefully. A rigorous science program is planned to assess mercury concentrations and study mercury methylation.

Major Accomplishments:

• The "Baylands Ecosystem Goals Report" was completed.
• Nearly 67,000 acres of wetlands, including 16,000 acres of South Bay salt ponds have been acquired and are in the process of being restored.
• The scope and sscale of habitat restoration, both tidal wetland and riparian, have increased.
• The San Francisco Bay Joint Venture, the Riparian Habitat Joint Venture, and the Central Valley Joint Venture were created as large-scale collaborative efforts to restore and protect habitat and natural resources. They involve coalitions of nonprofits, business, government, and agency stakeholders throughout the Estuary watershed.
• Educated the public about the values of wetland resources

Current Activities

A number of large-scale wetlands restoration projects are underway throughout the Estuary, such as the South Bay Salt Ponds restoration.

The CalFed Bay-Delta Ecosystem Restoration Project has dedicated millions to restoring habitate in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River watersheds and the San Francisco Estuary with a focus on the Delta.

The Subtidal Habitat Goals Project is now underway to establish a comprehensive and long-term management vision for protection, restoration, and appropriate use of the subtidal habitats of San Francisco Bay. For more information about this project, click here

The San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve provides a platform for estuarine research, hosts workshops on estuarine ecology and related topics, provides educational programs to students and the public, and maintains a monitoring program for water quality and weather measurements. The Reserve is a partnership of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, San Francisco State University, California State Parks, Solano Land Trust, and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.

For a full list of planned actions, click here.

For More Information:

Wetlands chapter, Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, August 2007

Your Wetlands web site, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture