DOCSLIB.ORG

Carol of Alarm Bells Ter Communication with the Public

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Carol of Alarm Bells Ter Communication with the Public JUNGLE BIRDS YOUR INDEPENDENT SOURCE FOR BAY-DELTA NEWS & VIEWS Eradicating invasive spartina—eastern smooth cordgrass (S. alterniflora) and its hybrid offspring overgrowing the Bay’s tidal wetlands—is a tough proposition. The Invasive Spartina Project has had mixed results with herbicides. “Mowing does noth- ing but irritate the plants and make them angry,” says the Spartina Project’s Erik Grijalva. As a further complication, those spartina jungles may be full of endangered California clapper rails. According to Grijalva, at least three Bay sites share high rail densities and significant spartina infestations: Alameda’s Elsie Roemer Sanctuary (12 rails), Oakland’s Arrowhead Marsh (72), and Colma Creek south of S.F. for managing Bay-Delta resources, including bet- International Airport (96). East Bay Regional Carol of Alarm Bells ter communication with the public. “We spend Parks District biologist Steve Bobzien says $100 million per year explaining why agriculture Amid the metaphorical popping of cham- high-tide surveys and call counts show a is important,” he added. “But we spend less pagne corks at this year’s “Celebrating Science fourfold increase in rail numbers at than 10% of that telling people why oceans and and Stewardship” State of the Estuary Arrowhead since 1993, which appears estuaries are valuable.” Schubel also advised the Conference in Oakland’s Henry J. Kaiser strongly associated with an increase in veg- crowd that we need to be Convention Center, scientists etation cover provided by spartina. Trends flexible in managing water and policymakers sounded a at Hayward’s Cogswell Marsh are similar. At resources. But the bottom series of SOS calls to an audi- Roemer and Cogswell, the rails nest in inva- line, he said, is that we must ence of more than 700. The sive spartina instead of native vegetation. build better collaborations loudest cries were centered on “People could The relationship is less clear elsewhere, and among researchers, deci- the Delta and the ways it is a recent Bay-wide rail survey—the first since sionmakers, and stewards. changing physically, politically, understand 1992-93—by Leonard Liu and other PRBO Stewards were also on Conservation Science biologists found no and ecologically, and how the future of the Central Valley—as that if we the mind of Joe Bodovitz, statistical association between rail densities the former—and first—exec- and vegetation types. ag land or urban sprawl—will affect the Bay-Delta Estuary. filled the Bay, utive director of both BCDC What’s the attraction of spartina? “Native and the Coastal The S.F. Regional Board’s Larry or non-native, the birds could care less,” Commission, who began his Kolb kicked things off by asking Bobzien says. Invasive spartina provides things would talk by chronicling the whether Californians are as “clue- thermal cover and protection from preda- sometimes-volatile political less” in managing our water tors, and buffers habitat against extreme be greatly process that led to the cre- systems—and the Delta—as those high tides and winter storm flows. In the ation of CALFED. Under who channelized the Mississippi long run, it may degrade the quality of the changed.” former governor Pat River, cutting it off from its flood- rails’ habitat, choking off tidal channels Brown’s reign—which plains and depriving the wetlands where they forage. But Bobzien feels that’s Bodovitz termed the at its mouth of sediment, thereby unproven, noting the presence of healthy “golden era of California”— contributing to the damage from Hurricane clapper rail populations in East Coast the State Water Project and lots of other Katrina. In both places, said Kolb, we are mis- spartina marshes. infrastructure we benefit from today got built. managing water and marshes, building on But things are changing, he warned, stressing For the Spartina Project, working around subsided marshy soils—on floodplains—and that as the state’s population burgeons, the the rails demands a special approach: no then, in a vicious cycle, building ever bigger lev- Central Valley will need more water and will play removal during the February-August breed- ees and dams to protect the homes and a more prominent role in water plumbing and ing season, a multiyear phased treatment, infrastructure behind them. and revegetation with native species like politics. The most critical issue facing the Bay- gumplant to provide cover. Other speakers following Kolb the first morn- Delta, said Bodovitz, is how much water Central Rail-free sites can be treated ing sounded more alarms—and called for action. Valley agriculture will keep or sell to urban areas. Jerry Schubel, from the Long Beach Aquarium of earlier in the season. The Echoing Schubel, Bodovitz said another criti- the Pacific, told the crowd that while we’ve Parks District will cal issue is stewardship. To protect the Delta, he made huge strides with science, we need to monitor the process said, we need a new Sylvia McLaughlin, Kaye make sure stewardship keeps pace. “Both scien- closely. “The hard part Kerr, and Esther Gulick, the three Berkeley tists and citizens need to be keepers of the is isolating variables women who kept the Bay from becoming a Estuary,” said Schubel. Everyone—“all sizes, that may also influ- parking lot. Saving the Delta is a much trickier shapes, races, NGOs, scientists, and politi- ence rail populations,” proposition, said Bodovitz. Recalling how the cians”—needs to get involved in making Bobzien cautions. The three women got people to send bags of sand decisions about the Bay-Delta Estuary, said PRBO Conservation to their legislators, he said, “People could under- Schubel. “If you’re not at the table,” he Science study, for stand that if we filled the Bay, things would be quipped, “you’re on the menu.” example, detected greatly changed. People got it—it was either a trend toward loss of small Lack of scientific understanding isn’t the going to be water or dry land.” But the Delta, populations in isolated problem at this point, said Schubel, who called marshes. Its next round of for a “compelling vision” and new approaches continues next page surveys will attempt to estab- Lisa Krieshok lish total numbers. JE VOLUME 14, NO. 6 DECEMBER 2005 2 DEC 2005 he said, is “light-years more complex” and gets whether it is possible to “move forward” with to themselves right now.” Solutions to the approached as a plumbing problem instead of as pumping more water from the Delta when we Delta’s problems cannot be imposed on the a landscape. don’t understand the recent decline in pelagic Delta, said Coglianese. “But we need some uni- One of the morning’s highlights—a preview organisms. “Do we put off decisions on [water fying force to bring us together. Right now, of Ron Blatman’s upcoming four-part television project] operations until we have more data, a we’re a region without leadership. We need the documentary “Saving the Bay”—showed exactly new ROD?” state to help us out. Most of us don’t even know what stewardship can do. Through historical and Whatever we do, said the Central Delta Water where the floodplains are.” current images of the Bay and interviews with Agency’s Tom Zuckerman, the solution needs to It takes scientists—not politicians—to delineate then-legislators and key environmental activists, be “Delta-centric” and come from the people floodplains. Yet one conference speaker, MWD’s the film describes how by the 1960s, almost who live in the Delta. Zuckerman added to Tim Quinn, said scientists should not be making one-third of the Bay had been filled for develop- Mount’s concerns about the onslaught of urban- policy. “Too often in California water, you have ment, with a 1959 Army Corps of Engineers ization. “We need to avoid making stupid, people sitting at the table crossing the line,” report predicting that that figure would be thoughtless decisions, such as putting people said Quinn. “We also have scientists crossing the closer to 70% by 2020. But then the three behind levees in tract houses,” said Zuckerman. line. The San Francisco Chronicle, Contra Costa women who founded Save the Bay stepped in. “But how do we get politicians—the state and Times, and Sacramento Bee are not good places On the conference’s second day, speakers federal government—to focus on the Delta? It to publish your science.” Quinn’s comments focused on the disconnect between the Delta’s really is entitled to priority. It’s an environmental aside, most conference speakers said there was geomorphology and the state’s land use policies and recreational treasure.” an ever-increasing and more urgent need to (or lack thereof): As the Delta continues to sub- communicate science to the public. side, we continue to build more houses and PSEUDODIAPTOMUS TRENDS The science behind the recent decline in other structures behind levees, partly in response pelagic organisms in the Delta was a popular to the Bay Area’s expensive housing stock. “The 2000 topic. Ted Sommer outlined the Interagency Delta is the number-one most-subsided land- Ecological Program’s efforts to identify all possi- scape in the world relative to its size,” 1500 ble causes of the decline, from toxic algal announced U.C. Davis’ Jeff Mount. Mount pre- blooms and new pesticides to the timing and dicted that as urbanization continues to 1000 amount of Delta pumping to impacts from encroach upon the Delta—30,000 homes were exotic species. Posing another possible cause, just approved in flood-prone areas in Stockton 500 Sommer cited problems with two species of zoo- and another 8,500 in Lathrop—some of the plankton—Pseudodiaptomus forbesi and ecosystem services the Delta has provided in the 0 Limnoithona tetraspina.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • LONGFIN SMELT Spirinchus Thaleichthys USFWS: None CDFG: Threatened
    LSA ASSOCIATES, INC. PUBLIC DRAFT SOLANO HCP JULY 2012 SOLANO COUNTY WATER AGENCY NATURAL COMMUNITY AND SPECIES ACCOUNTS LONGFIN SMELT Spirinchus thaleichthys USFWS: None CDFG: Threatened Species Account Status and Description. The longfin smelt is listed as a threatened species by the California Fish and Game Commission. Abundance of the longfin smelt has reached record lows in the San Francisco-Delta population, and the species may already be extinct in some northern California estuarine populations, resulting in an overall threat of extinction to the species within California (Federal Register 2008). The longfin smelt was also proposed for federal listing, but on April 8, 2009 the USFWS determined that the San Francisco Bay Estuary population does not qualify for listing as a distinct population segment under federal regulations. Further assessment of the entire population is being conducted, however, and future listing may be considered. Photo courtesy of California Department of Fish and Game Longfin smelt, once mature, are slim, silver fish in the family Osmeridae (true smelts). Moyle (2002) describes the species as being 90-110 mm (standard length) at maturity, with a translucent silver appearance along the sides of the body, and an olive to iridescent pinkish hue on the back. Mature males are often darker than females, with enlarged and stiffened dorsal and anal fins, a dilated lateral line region, and breeding tubercles on paired fins and scares. Longfin smelt can be distinguished from other California smelt by their long pectoral fins (which reach or nearly reach the bases of the pelvic fins), incomplete lateral line, weak or absent striations on the opercular bones, low number of scales in the lateral line (54-65) and long maxillary bones (which in adults extent just short of the posterior margin of the eye).
    [Show full text]
  • About Aquarium of the Bay
    Aquarium of the Bay Bay Ecotarium Press Kit Aquarium of the Bay Press Kit About Aquarium of the Bay Aquarium of the Bay Exhibit Highlights Aquarium of the Bay Fact Sheet Aquarium of the Bay Fun Facts Sustainability at Aquarium of the Bay About Bay Ecotarium Contact About Aquarium of the Bay i and indigenous - offering — Bay Ecotarium has a shared mission Sierra to the Sea™ Exhibit Highlights DISCOVER THE BAY UNDER THE BAY in length Go With The Flow jellies Nearshore Tunnel 0 15 Octopus and Friends Gallery This gallery features the newest aquatic additions to the Aquarium— the Pacific spiny lumpsuckers. Other animals that can be found in this gallery include a giant Pacific octopus, Dungeness crabs, and abalone. Offshore Tunnel (Sharks of Alcatraz) (Sharks of Alcatraz) Exhibit Highlights TOUCH THE BAY Touchpools touch Bay Lab RIVER OTTERS: WATERSHED AMBASSADORS : San Francisco Aquarium of the Bay Fact Sheet Overview: Aquarium of the Bay, located at the world-famous PIER 39, is the only aquarium dedicated to the diverse marine life and distinctive ecosystems of San Francisco Bay. Aquarium of the Bay is home to over 20,000+ marine and indigenous animals that can be found in San Francisco Bay and along the California coast. With more than 500,000 visitors annually, Aquarium of the Bay provides an unmatched window through which to view local marine life. Mission: Aquarium of the Bay is an institution of Bay.org DBA Bay Ecotarium, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to enable conversations on climate resilience and ocean conservation globally, while inspiring actionable change locally by protection and preservation of the San Francisco Bay and its ecosystems, from Sierra to the Sea™.
    [Show full text]
  • Status and Trends of Indicators of Ecosystem Health
    STATUS AND TRENDS OF INDICATORS OF ECOSYSTEM HEALTH THE ESTUARY SAN FRANCISCO BAY AND SACRAMENTO-SAN JOAQUIN RIVER DELTA The San Francisco Estuary Partnership collaborates with partners throughout the Bay and Delta on regional, science-based programs to increase the health and resilience of the San Francisco Estuary. Established as part of the National Estuary Program over 25 years ago by the State of California and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Partnership manages multi-benefit projects that improve the well-being of wildlife and human communities from the inland rivers to the Golden Gate. More information can be found at sfestuary.org SAN FRANCISCO ESTUARY PARTNERSHIP 375 Beale Street, Suite 700, San Francisco, CA 94105 © 2019 San Francisco Estuary Partnership. All rights reserved. Please cite as The State of the Estuary 2019, San Francisco Estuary Partnership. The Delta Stewardship Council was created in 2009 by the California Legislature to advance the state’s coequal goals for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta through the development and enforcement of a long-term sustainable management plan. Informed by the Delta Science Program and Delta Independent Science Board, the Council oversees implementation of this plan through coordination and oversight of state and local agencies proposing to fund, carry out, and approve Delta-related activities. More information can be found at deltacouncil.ca.gov STATUS AND TRENDS OF INDICATORS OF ECOSYSTEM HEALTH THE ESTUARY SAN FRANCISCO BAY AND SACRAMENTO-SAN JOAQUIN RIVER DELTA SAN FRANCISCO ESTUARY A NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ESTUARY THAT INCLUDES THE SACRAMENTO-SAN JOAQUIN DELTA, SUISUN BAY, SAN PABLO BAY, AND SAN FRANCISCO BAY CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .
    [Show full text]
  • The Estuary Project'snon-Profit Partner
    PublicationsPublications TheThe EstuaryEstuary Project’sProject’s Non-ProfitNon-Profit PartnerPartner (PRINT AND ON-LINE) ESTUARY, an eight-page, bi-monthly newsletter that includes fre- The Friends of the San The San Francisco quent, comprehensive inserts about CALFED’s Science Program and the Regional Monitoring Program led by the San Francisco Francisco Estuary is a 501(c)(3) Estuary Project is a federal-state- Estuary Institute non-profit organization associated with local partnership working to restore water Courtesty Delta In-Channel Island Work Group. Bay-Delta Environmental Report Card, March 1999 the Estuary Project. Its goal is to quality and manage the natural resources of Bay-Delta Environmental Report Card, September 2001 increase public awareness of the the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary while Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals Estuary and to encourage Baylands Ecosystem Species and Community Profiles maintaining the region’s economic vitality. Boater’s Pumpout Map & Guides for San Francisco Bay and the San public involvement in The Estuary Project oversees and tracks Joaquin & Sacramento River Delta decision-making processes implementation of a Comprehensive CCMP Workbook, October 1996 about the Estuary. Conservation and Management Plan— Erosion and Sediment Control Field Manual and Guidebook for Construction Projects and videos:“Keep it Clean”;“Hold On To The Friends support the the “CCMP”—for preserving, restoring, and Your Dirt” education programs begun enhancing the Bay-Delta Estuary.The Estuary Introduction to the Ecology of the San Francisco Bay by the Estuary Project by Project disseminates newsletters, fact sheets, SFEP web site: http://sfep.abag.ca.gov sponsoring workshops for videos, and other materials to educate the public SFEP Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan State of the Estuary 2002: Science and Strategies for Restoration students and teachers and about Bay-Delta wetlands, wildlife, aquatic State of the Estuary 2000: Restoration Primer by helping community groups conduct resources, and land use issues.
    [Show full text]
  • Programmatic Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Assessment for the Long-Term Management Strategy for the Placement of Dredged Material in the San Francisco Bay Region
    Programmatic Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Assessment for the Long-Term Management Strategy for the Placement of Dredged Material in the San Francisco Bay Region July 2009 Executive Summary Programmatic Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Assessment for the Long-Term Management Strategy for the Placement of Dredged Material in the San Francisco Bay Region Pursuant to section 305(b)(2) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 (16 U.S.C. §1855(b)), the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), as the federal lead and co-lead agencies, respectively, submit this Programmatic Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Assessment for the Long-Term Management Strategy for the Placement of Dredged Material in the San Francisco Bay Region. This document provides an assessment of the potential effects of the on-going dredging and dredged material placement activities of all federal and non-federal maintenance dredging projects in the action area (see Figure 1.1 located on page 3). The SF Bay LTMS program area spans 11 counties, including: Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Francisco counties. It does not include the mountainous or inland areas far removed from navigable waters. The geographic scope of potential impacts included in this consultation (action area) comprises the estuarine waters of the San Francisco Bay region, portions of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) west of Sherman Island and the western portion of the Port of Sacramento and Port of Stockton deep water ship channels. It also includes the wetlands and shallow intertidal areas that form a margin around the Estuary and the tidal portions of its tributaries.
    [Show full text]
  • Climate Change Adaptation Study APPENDIX
    City of Richmond Climate Change Adaptation Study APPENDIX City of Richmond Climate Action Plan Appendix F: Climate Change Adaptation Study Acknowledgements The City of Richmond has been an active participant in the Contra Costa County Adapting to Rising Tides Project, led by the Bay Conservation Development Commission (BCDC) in partnership with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the State Coastal Conservancy, the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, the San Francisco Estuary Institute, Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, and consulting firm AECOM. Environmental Science Associates (ESA) completed this Adaptation Study in coordination with BCDC, relying in part on reports and maps developed for the Adapting to Rising Tides project to assess the City of Richmond’s vulnerabilities with respect to sea level rise and coastal flooding. City of Richmond Climate Action Plan F-i Appendix F: Climate Change Adaptation Study This page intentionally left blank F-ii City of Richmond Climate Action Plan Appendix F: Climate Change Adaptation Study Table of Contents Acknowledgements i 1. Executive Summary 1 1.1 Coastal Flooding 2 1.2 Water Supply 2 1.3 Critical Transportation Assets 3 1.4 Vulnerable Populations 3 1.5 Summary 3 2. Study Methodology 4 2.1 Scope and Organize 4 2.2 Assess 4 2.3 Define 4 2.4 Plan 5 2.5 Implement and Monitor 5 3. Setting 6 3.1 Statewide Climate Change Projections 6 3.2 Bay Area Region Climate Change Projections 7 3.3 Community Assets 8 3.4 Relevant Local Planning Initiatives 9 3.5 Relevant State and Regional Planning Initiatives 10 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Regional Oral History Off Ice University of California the Bancroft Library Berkeley, California
    Regional Oral History Off ice University of California The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California California Land-Use Planning Series SAVE SAN FRANCISCO BAY ASSOCIATION, 1961-1986 with an Introduction by Harold Gilliam and an Afterword by Me1 Scott Interviews with Barry Bunshoft Esther Gulick Catherine Kerr Sylvia McLaughlin Interviews conducted by Malca Chall 1985 and 1986 Copyright @ 1987 by The Regents of the University of California This manuscript is made available for research purposes. No part of the manuscript may be quoted for publication without the written permission of the Director of The Bancroft Library of the Univer- sity of California at Berkeley. Requests for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to the Regional Oral History Office, 486 Library, and should include identification of the specific passages to be quoted, anticipated use of the passages, and identification of the user. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: To cite the volume: Save San Francisco Bay Association, 1961-1986, an oral history conducted in 1985 and 1986 by Malca Chall, Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft ~ibrar~, University bf calif ornia, Berkeley, 1987. To cite individual interview: Barry Bunshoft, "Save San Francisco Bay Association and the Courts," an oral history conducted in 1986 by Malca.Chal1, Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 1987. Copy No. DEDICATION THE SAVE SAN FRANCISCO BAY ASSOCIATION DEDICATES THIS ORAL HISTORY TO THE MEMORY OF DOROTHY
    [Show full text]
  • Historical Fresh Water and Salinity Conditions in the Western Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Bay
    Historical Fresh Water and Salinity Conditions in the Western Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Bay A summary of historical reviews, reports, analyses and measurements Water Resources Department Contra Costa Water District Concord, California February 2010 Technical Memorandum WR10-001 Acknowledgements CCWD would like to thank the City of Antioch for their contribution towards funding a technical review of CCWD's draft report "Trends in Hydrology and Salinity in Suisun Bay and the Western Delta" (June 2007); their review substantially improved the work and led to the final report "Historical Fresh Water and Salinity Conditions in the Western Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Bay". CCWD is grateful to the many reviewers including Richard Denton, Matthew Emrick, Gopi Goteti, Phil Harrington, E. John List, Susan Paulsen, David Pene, Mat Rogers, and Peter Vorster. We also thank the following for sharing their data and analyses: Roger Byrne, Chris Enright, Spreck Rosekrans, and Scott Starratt, and we thank Ann Spaulding for her contributions. i February 12, 2010 Foreword - Establishing the Historical Baseline The watershed of the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (Delta) provides drinking water to more than 23 million Californians as well as irrigation water for millions of acres of agriculture in the Central Valley. The Delta itself is a complex estuarine ecosystem, with populations of many native species now in serious decline. The Delta estuary as we know it began to form about 6,000 years ago, following the end of the last ice age. Because the estuary is connected to the Pacific Ocean through San Francisco Bay, seawater intrusion causes the salinity of Suisun Bay and the Delta to vary depending on hydrological conditions.
    [Show full text]
  • From the Sierra to the Sea the Ecological History of the San Francisco Bay-Delta Watershed
    From the Sierra to the Sea The Ecological History of the San Francisco Bay-Delta Watershed © 1998 The Bay Institute of San Francisco Second printing, July 2003 The Bay Institute of San Francisco is a non-profit research and advocacy organization which works to protect and restore the ecosystem of the San Francisco Bay/Delta estuary and its watershed. Since 1981, the Institute’s policy and technical staff have led programs to protect water quality and endangered species, reform state and federal water management, and promote comprehensive ecological restoration in the Bay/Delta. Copies of this report can be ordered for $40.00 (includes shipping and handling) from: The Bay Institute of San Francisco 500 Palm Drive Novato, CA 94949 Phone: (415) 506-0150 Fax: (415) 506-0155 www.bay.org The cover is taken from an engraving showing the entrance to the middle fork of the Sacramento River near modern-day Steamboat Slough, in C. Ringgold’s 1852 series of navigational charts and sailing directions for San Francisco Bay and Delta. Printed on recycled paper From the Sierra to the Sea The Ecological History of the San Francisco Bay-Delta Watershed July 1998 The Bay Institute FROM THE SIERRA TO THE SEA: THE ECOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY-DELTA WATERSHED Table of Contents Page CONTRIBUTORS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................. vii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY....................................................................................................... ES-1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION I. Background.......................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Toxic Contaminants in the San Francisco Bay-Delta and Their Possible Biological Effects
    TOXIC CONTAMINANTS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY-DELTA AND THEIR POSSIBLE BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS DAVID J.H. PHILLIPS AQUATIC HABITAT INSTITUTE 180 Richmond Field Station 1301 South 46th Street Richmond, CA 94804 (415) 231-9539 August 26, 1987 CONTENTS Acknowledgments ................ (i) I . INTRODUCTION ................. 1 I1 . TRACE ELEMENTS IN THE BAY-DELTA . 5 A . Silver .................. 7 B . Copper .................. 40 C . Selenium ................. 68 D . Mercury .................111 E . Cadmium .................133 F . Lead ...................148 G . Zinc ................... 163 H . Chromium .................171 I. Nickel ..................183 J . Tin ...................194 K . Other Trace Elements ...........200 111 . ORGANOCHLORINES IN THE BAY-DELTA .......202 A . Polychlorinated Biphenyls ........205 B . DDT and Metabolites ...........232 C . Other Organochlorines ..........257 IV . HYDROCARBONS IN THE BAY-DELTA ........ 274 A . Introduction ..............274 B . Hydrocarbons in the San Francisco Estuary . 281 C . Summary .................304 V . BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF BAY-DELTA CONTAMINANTS . 306 A . The Benthos of the Bay-Delta ...... 307 B . Fisheries of the Bay-Delta ........ 319 C . Bird Populations ............ 351 D . Mammalian Populations. Including Man . 354 E . Bioassay Data ............. 359 VI . CONCLUSIONS ................. 377 Literature Cited .............. 382 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thanks are due to a large number of people for their contributions to this document. Staff at the Aquatic Habitat Institute have provided their support, encouragement and talent. These include Andy Gunther, Jay Davis, Susan Prather, Don Baumgartner and Doug Segar. Word processing services were provided by Ginny Goodwind, Emilia Martins, Renee Ragucci, Audi Stunkard, Lori Duncan, and Susan Prather. Tat Cheung and Johnson Tang of the County of Alameda Public Works Agency contributed their time and talent to the preparation of figures. Melissa Blanton copy-edited the text, surviving the requirements of the author in respect of Anglicisation of local terminologies.
    [Show full text]
  • Restoring the Estuary
    1 AA FrameworkFramework forfor CollaborativeCollaborative ActionAction onon WetlandsWetlands US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE etlands in the San Francisco Bay Area are range of interests—including resource and regulato- Wamong the most important coastal wintering ry agencies, environmental organizations, business, and migratory stopover areas for millions of water- and agriculture—convened the San Francisco Bay fowl and shorebirds traveling along the Pacific Fly- Joint Venture (SFBJV) in June of 1995. In September way, which stretches from Alaska to South America. 1996, 20 parties representing this diverse wetlands These wetlands also provide economic benefits, constituency signed a working agreement that iden- offer a range of recreational opportunities, and con- tified the goals and objectives of the SFBJV, and the tribute to a higher quality of life for residents in the responsibilities of its board and working commit- densely populated San Francisco Bay Area. They are tees. The agreement also stated that the Implemen- essential aspects of the Bay region’s unique charac- tation Strategy would be developed to guide its par- ter and, along with the creeks that flow into the Bay, ties toward the long-term vision of the restored Bay help to define the vibrant and distinctive identities Estuary. The signatory partners recognized and of communities around the Bay. However, despite endorsed the goals of the North American Waterfowl their value, destruction of these precious natural Management Plan. However, they enlarged the goals assets continues. Today’s wetlands are only a rem- and objectives of the Plan to include benefits not nant, perhaps 20 percent of the vast wetlands seen only for waterfowl, but also for the other wildlife by the first European settlers.
    [Show full text]
  • Early Feedback from End-Users and Resulting Adaptation of Project Design
    Managing for resilience in the face of climate change: a scientific approach to targeted oyster restoration in San Francisco Bay and Elkhorn Slough, CA A project funded by the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative EARLY FEEDBACK FROM END-USERS AND RESULTING ADAPTATION OF PROJECT DESIGN Kerstin Wasson, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve 4/19/2012 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The goal of our collaborative science project is to provide restoration planning tools to help those engaged in Olympia oyster restoration, policy or strategic planning to choose sites for restoration that will prove sustainable in the face of climate change. Our work will also shed light on likely impacts of selected climate-related stressors, and will determine whether resilience can be enhanced by decreasing exposure to other anthropogenic stressors. Our interdisciplinary team sought early feedback from end-users on the design of project. We sent an electronic survey to people engaged in some aspect of Olympia oyster restoration and presented our project at an oyster working group meeting and in interviews with key participants. We synthesized the results from the 48 survey respondents. Our project team thoroughly reviewed the input, and adapted the project design in response. The feedback and our response to the major components of the survey is summarized below. Focus of new science: All of our proposed focus questions for new scientific inquiry scored as moderately to very important for designing sustainable restoration strategies. The top-scoring focus areas were understanding how climate-related stressors affect oyster growth and survival, and identifying which sites have the lowest stressor levels and thus are most likely to support successful restoration projects.
    [Show full text]