Bay Restoration Program

San Francisco Bay has been altered drastically from the pristine estuary that existed well into the 1800s. Hundreds of miles of earthen dikes built around the Bay’s salt marshes severed their connection to its tidewaters. The diked marshes were drained and converted to agricultural lands. Reduced in size by one third as a result of this wetland destruction, the Bay’s biological productivity plummeted.

Fortunately, it is possible to restore many of the wetlands that were drained by removing the earthen dikes. Many Bay wetland restoration projects are underway today. One of the main goals of The Bay Institute’s Bay Restoration Program is to expand and accelerate this effort.

The San Pablo Bay Watershed Restoration Program

The Bay Institute works in partnership with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and the California Coastal Conservancy to promote wetlands restoration in the North Bay, also known as San Pablo Bay. About 50,000 acres of restorable wetlands exist here. Once restored, they can provide habitat for endangered species such as the California clapper rail and salt marsh harvest mouse, two animals found only in San Francisco Bay. Also, tributary streams provide valuable habitat for fish such as salmon and steelhead, as well as other aquatic animals.

The San Pablo Bay Watershed Restoration Program offers assistance to local sponsors of wetland and stream restoration projects. We can help with guidance about how to get funding for projects and how to get necessary permits, among other things.

Napa-Sonoma Marsh Restoration Project

In 1994 the California Department of Fish and Game purchased about 9,000 of salt-making ponds from Cargill Salt Company. The State is planning to restore the historic wetlands upon which the salt ponds were originally built. In order to accomplish that goal, the salinity of several ponds needs to be reduced to levels that are harmless to fish and wildlife.

The Bay Institute is working with the Department of Fish and Game and the Sonoma County Water Agency to import reclaimed water from surrounding communities and use the water to dilute the salty ponds. This innovative approach not only will enable faster restoration of the marshes, but will also reduce the amount of discharge to the Bay from north Bay water treatment plants.

South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project

One of the major wetland projects underway today is the effort to restore thousands of acres of salt ponds along the south bay shoreline from Redwood City to Hayward. After Cargill Salt Company approached the government in 2001 with an offer to sell about 15,000 of their ponds, The Bay Institute was invited along with several other Bay environmental organizations to consult about the particulars of the unfolding negotiations. After more than a year of negotiations, including hearings about the proposal conducted by a Select Committee chaired by State Senator Byron Sher, a partnership of state and federal agencies purchased the salt ponds in March 2003. The Bay Institute supported the purchase and is actively engaged in the restoration planning process.

Skaggs Island, San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge

The Bay Institute has been working for several years to add 3,300-acre Skaggs Island to the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Skaggs Island was a secret military installation until it was abandoned in the early 1990s. Built on a former tidal wetland, about 200 structures must be demolished before restoration of wetlands can proceed.

The Bay Institute was successful at persuading the State to direct up to $8 million to the demolition effort. Once completed, Skaggs Island will be one of the largest single wetland restoration projects in the Bay.