U.S. & Service The Coastal Program Success in Bay

Restoring Oro Loma Tidal In 1995, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife “This marsh restoration project ... Service (Service) represents an effort by multiple agencies and organizations to San Francisco Bay Coastal Program joined with the Regional Park District (EBRPD) acquire and restore key endan- and 10 other partners to restore 364 gered species habitats where they acres of diked, degraded marsh to a are needed in the Bay area.” tidal salt marsh and habitat Margaret Kolar, San typical of found historically in Francisco Bay Refuge south San Francisco Bay. Thanks to Manager tremendous leveraging of funds and cooperative partnering, the Oro Loma “Institutional road blocks have Caring for Our marsh now supports shorebirds and been removed and habitat improve- waterfowl, provides habitat for the ments have resulted ... this is a Coastal Habitats federally endangered salt marsh great model of partnerships and harvest mouse and clapper the key role the Coastal Program rail, controls mosquitoes, and improves can play in bringing ideas to recreational opportunities for people action.” using the San Francisco Bay . Rick Morat, San Francisco Bay Coastal Mosquito Heaven Program Manager Before restoration, the site supported a small population of salt marsh harvest Teeming With Life mouse but provided little or no value to The were breached in November waterfowl and shorebirds. Because the 1997 and within hours the marsh marsh site was isolated from all tidal teemed with life. Hundreds of water- action by the Bayshore and Sulphur fowl and shorebirds flocked to the Creek levees, standing water would newly flooded wetland to feed on the accumulate and then evaporate, insects and small vertebrates forced causing the underlying clay to swell from their cover by water. Mark Taylor, and then shrink. The resulting cracks operations and maintenance manager were perfect breeding ground for for the EBRPD, testifies: “It’s bird mosquitoes, but periodic disking of the heaven out here.” Thousands of Before restoration: diked seasonal area--a mosquito control measure in shorebirds feed on the mudflats and wetland and salt pan. the past--was no longer possible due to channels at low . At high tide, a East Bay Regional Park District photo the area’s management for the endan- multitude of waterfowl can be seen in gered mouse. the ponds and interconnecting tidal channels. Peregrine falcons and Everything Benefits harriers cruise the marsh in search of To restore tidal action to the property, food, and burrowing owls nest in EBRPD proposed that the site be artificial burrows created through a appropriately graded and then the mitigation project. levees be breeched at two locations, opening the site to tidal flow from San Natural re-vegetation and re-coloniza- Francisco Bay. The ponds formed from tion of the entire site by fish and these actions would support emergent wildlife is expected to continue. Long tidal marsh as well as tidal channels, term plans for management of the mudflats, and loafing islands. These marsh include maintenance of the habitats would support large popula- system, channels, utility After restoration: tidal , tions of waterfowl and shorebirds, access, predator and exotic species brackish pond and upland habitat. while minimizing mosquito populations management, and research and inter- East Bay Regional Park District photo by eliminating areas of stagnant water. pretation. RestoringTolay Creek Tidal Marsh is a rare surviving ex- ample of a San Francisco Bay tidal creek with an associated salt marsh. Tolay Creek enters between the Petaluma and Sonoma Creek and was once important estuarine habitat for the , California clapper rail, and . Over the years, the creek has filled with silt, losing its tidal action and its value as a salt marsh. In 1994, a partnership of agencies, environmental groups, and private landowners took action to restore the creek’s tidal character.

From Regulation to Cooperation The project began when landowners, faced with regulations and mitigation requirements for repairing their levees, Dredge work was done both to enlarge channels, thereby restoring tidal action in sought help from the Southern Sonoma Tolay Creek, and to improve levees to protect adjacent farmland. County Resource Conservation Dis- Photo by Betsy Radtke/USFWS trict. Rather than fight the require- ments, the group chose to find a mitigation site (land that provides the Litigation Settlement Trustee Commit- well over seven times the land that necessary habitat for the endangered tee, CALFED, Sonoma County Fish & would have been restored without the species their levee repairs would Wildlife Advisory Board, the Sonoma monumental cooperation involved. disturb) that would meet the needs of Community Foundation, Pacific Gas “This just shows,” remarked Betsy all parties. It was a difficult search, but and Electric, San Francisco Bay Radtke, Refuge Manager at San Pablo ultimately they found the ideal site: a Regional Control Board, Bay National Wildlife Refuge, “that poorly-producing hayfield owned by San Francisco Bay Joint Venture, San when a group of people have one goal in the City of Vallejo Sanitation District Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge, mind, they can lay aside their differ- that the City was willing to sell. Natural Resources Conservation ences for the benefit of the Bay’s Service, Ducks Unlimited, and the U.S. wetland resources.” Lisa Shanks, of the Partners Move into Action Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal USDA Natural Resources Conserva- This event opened up powerful possi- Program. tion Service, concurs: “The tireless and bilities. A multi-agency conservation cooperative work of many individuals is group called the North Bay Forum was Seed Money cause for celebration. A portion of San meeting to discuss projects in the San Early in the project, money for the Francisco Bay is prime estuary habitat Pablo Baylands area. Members moved estimated $500,000 project was scarce once more.” into action to see what they could do to and commitments were weak. The further the project. Land acquisition Service’s Coastal Program was able to was initiated by the California Depart- dedicate $60,000, catalyzing other ment of Fish and Game. The Environ- players to commit. As Rick Morat, mental Protection Agency sought Coastal Program manager put it, “Just “It took a huge amount of energy additional federal funding support, and showing up is important, but being able to make what could have become a successful outreach campaign to to make tangible contributions is key to a huge conflict a huge success. We bring in additional local partners was becoming a serious partner and could have gone for minimal launched by the USDA Natural leveraging dollars from other entities.” mitigation, say 50 acres, but after Resources Conservation Service. The Later, when costs crept up, the Coastal sitting down and looking at the support of Representative Lynn Program was able to dedicate an situation, we ended up with over Woolsey (D-6th CA) was key and her additional $75,000 to the project. In 400 acres of restored wetlands. We former staff member, Grant Davis, kept total, the partners raised nearly $1.2 decided to work hard for consen- the process moving. million in funds and in-kind services to sus on what we really wanted.” complete the restoration. Grant Davis, The list of partners is impressive: Executive Director, Norm Yenni and Fred Dickson, private “Cause for Celebration” landowners, Marin-Sonoma Mosquito Because of the mitigation site’s place- Abatement District, U.S. Army Corps ment in the watershed, natural tidal of Engineers, Wildlife Conservation flow has been restored to 435 acres of Board, , Shell Oil Spill tidal wetlands. This area represents