The following regional scientific and planning documents will be integrated
into the evaluation report, as appropriate. The integration of these documents
will allow these study to focus on completing the technical, planning,
and design assistance critical for future implementation of restoration
opportunities identified in the San Pablo Bay watershed. It is not the
intent of this study to duplicate completed research but to build off of
the data produced to provide the next level of analysis to restore the
ecological health of the watershed.
This 1998 report defines the role of watershed science to support environmental
planning and resource protection. Watershed science is the integral sum
of individual scientific disciplines that contribute to a better understanding
of the physical, biological, and social relations among terrestrial and
aquatic environments.
This manual formally synthesizes and describes the Department of Fish and
Game's approach and technical methods for anadromous salmonid habitat restoration.
The second and third edition expanded the manual to include stream habitat
inventory and restoration practices, as well as monitoring and implementation.
This 1993 policy of the Governor of California establishes goals of no
overall net loss of wetlands, reducing procedural complexity in administration
of wetland conservation programs, and encouraging partnerships and landowner
incentives to improve wetlands protection.
This 1993 plan was prepared as part of the San Francisco Estuary Project.
The plan establishes wetland ecosystem goals, a regional wetlands management
plan, and geographically focused cooperative efforts to protect wetlands.
The San Francisco Estuary Project developed a Comprehensive Conservation
and Management Plan which presented strategies to protect and restore the
health of the San Francisco Estuary. The plan found that the region's wetlands
were subject to uneven protection efforts and called for a coordinated
intergovernmental system to ensure maximum protection, restoration, and
management of wetlands. San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development
Commission (SFBCDC) is the lead agency to assist in developing and implementing
local wetland protection programs to minimize impacts of urbanization on
wetland and agricultural resources.
One of the greatest threats to California's native plants, both rare and
common, is the increasing number of aggressive weedy plant species that
may endanger and eliminate many native species. This special issue, October1998,
details some of California's problem with invasive exotic weeds in various
habitats and in parks and reserves.
f. Goals and Objectives for a "Living" Napa River System (pdf file) developed by the "Water Quality/Fish Habitat" design
review workgroup of the Community Coalition for a Napa River Flood Management
Plan/Design Review Committee.
The report was created as part of the design review process for the
Napa
River flood management plan. The goal was to provide a working definition
for a "living" Napa River system. The report provides information regarding
the geomorphic, water quality and habitat elements for the Napa River management
plan. The report is intended to serve as a "living" dynamic document.
The handbook was developed by the wetlands discussion group to give members
of the public an overview of the wetland regulation process and a list
of references and contacts for further information.
A Long-term Management Strategy (LTMS) for Dredging and Dredged Material
Disposal in the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary
was initiated in 1991 by the Corps. SFBCDC, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, State Water Resources Control Board, and the San Francisco Bay
and Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Boards are among the
30 other participating agencies in this multiple federal and state agency
initiative. The purpose of the LTMS plan is to secure timely, technically
feasible, cost-effective, and environmentally acceptable dredged material
disposal options in an orderly, sequential process. The long-term dredged
material disposal plan, which is not yet finalized, has identified a number
of disposal alternatives: in-bay, ocean, and upland disposal/reuse. A number
of sites in the Baylands have been identified and evaluated for the latter
alternative. The use of clean dredged material, suitable for aquatic disposal,
for wetland restoration in formerly tidal, diked sites that have undergone
subsidence has been recognized as a beneficial reuse of dredged material.
Such use provides an opportunity to offset losses of historic habitat and
substitutes for unconfined aquatic disposal and other less beneficial methods.
Major dredging areas in the Baylands, which need disposal sites and could
contribute to restoration projects, include the Petaluma River, Napa River,
Mare Island Naval Ship Yard, and Mare Island Strait.
The manual is a collection of recommendations suggested by the Napa County
Resource Conservation District listing specific practices that may be adopted
by landowners and managers to help the citizens of the Napa River watershed
maintain a healthy, sustainable natural resource ecosystem.
l. North Bay Corridor Study
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission recently initiated a multi-agency
planning study to recommend strategies for improving transportation, fish
and wildlife habitats, and recreational trail access in the North Bay Corridor.
The corridor extends across the Baylands from 1-80 in the east to Route
101 in the west, and includes Routes 37, 12, 116, and 121. A central goal
is to increase significantly the amount and quality of fish and wildlife
habitat in the corridor. A major focus will be to explore options for enhancing
wetlands north of Highway 37 by opening them to tidal action. The project
will be completed in 1997.
m. North Bay Forum
The
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency sponsors the North Bay Forum to facilitate the cooperative efforts
of 12 local, state, and federal agencies by integrating resource management
with preservation of agriculture in the North Bay. The forum is designed
to coordinate wetland and watershed resource management and regulation,
while troubleshooting regulatory conflicts, streamlining wetland permit
reviews and helping landowners and local governments solve problems. Since
1992, the forum has engaged in regular problem solving and information
sharing and has conducted technical and stewardship workshops for landowners
and government entities.
The North Bay Wetlands Protection Program developed out of the San Francisco
Estuary Project initiative with SFBCDC as the lead coordinating agency.
The program is patterned after similar efforts such as the Suisun Marsh
Protection Plan, the Richardson Bay Special Area Plan, and the Benicia
Waterfront Special Area Plan. The North Bay Wetlands Protection Program
area includes portions of Marin, Sonoma, Napa, and Solano counties from
the north fork of Gallinas Creek to the Carquinez Strait. The North Bay
Wetlands Protection Program identifies the Baylands planning area as the
largest undeveloped assemblage of wetlands, diked historic baylands, and
associated uplands remaining in the San Francisco Bay Estuary (SFBCDC 1995).
This regional planning effort is a voluntary partnership with SFBCDC and
includes the local governments of the four counties and the cities of Novato,
San Rafael, American Canyon, and Vallejo. The planning effort is designed
to coordinate the various city and county General Plan revisions, the San
Francisco Estuary Project's North Bay Implementation Subcommittee, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's North Bay Forum, and the Regional
Water Quality Control Board's Wetlands Planning Program. The partnership
was initiated in 1994. The group is developing a North Bay Wetlands Protection
Plan with land use, conservation, and open space elements and implementation
recommendations.
Beginning in 1995, Save San Francisco Bay Association has sponsored a program
to preserve, restore, and enhance wildlife habitats and agriculture in
the Baylands region. The Partnership seeks to build grassroots support
for Baylands protection through public education and voluntary land stewardship.
The Partnership will develop a non-regulatory wetland restoration, enhancement,
and management plan for the North Bay, followed by a demonstration project(s).
The plan will describe voluntary methods that private landowners can use
to enhance wetlands, while maintaining the economic vitality of the region's
agriculture.
p. San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission Strategic
Plan
The strategic plan outlines the three-year goals of BCDC and the short-term
objectives for achieving those goals. The strategic plan serves as the
foundation of BCDC's budget planning by identifying the specific initiatives
and activities the Commission wants to undertake to improve the manner
in which the Commission and its staff carry out their mandated responsibilities.
q. San Francisco Bay Joint Venture
This public-private partnership began in 1995 with a coalition of public
agencies, environmental organizations, hunting and fishing groups, the
business community, local governments, and landowners. Encompassing most
of the San Francisco Bay Watershed west of the Suisun Marsh, the Joint
Venture is developing an Implementation Strategy establishing specific
goals and strategies for wetland acquisition, protection, and restoration.
The approach is to leverage existing resources, develop new funding sources,
and create unique partnerships for completing on-the-ground projects.
r. San Francisco Bay Plan
San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission completed this
report to emphasize the Bay as a single physical mechanism in which actions
affecting one part may also affect other parts. The Bay Plan provides a
formula for developing the Bay and shoreline to their highest potential,
while protecting the Bay as an irreplaceable natural resource.
The Basin Plan is the policy document of the San Francisco Regional Water
Quality Control Board. The plan was updated in 1995 and provides legal,
technical, and programmatic bases of water quality regulation in the region.
The plan calls for a "no net loss" policy for wetlands.
San Francisco Bay Area Wetlands Ecosystem Goals Project (June 1998) presents
a long-term vision for the "baylands", a part of the San Francisco Bay-Delta
estuary. The Goals Project is designed to be useful for those interested
in enhancing and restoring wetlands. The project seeks to develop a shared
vision of what is needed to ensure the health of the region's wetland ecosystems.
Based on scientific input from a broad spectrum of experts, the project
will identify the types, amounts, and distribution of wetlands and related
habitats needed to sustain diverse and healthy wetland communities. These
goals will provide biologically sound guidance for wetland restoration
and management programs. This project began in 1994, encompassing the entire
Bay Area, and is led by a multi-agency Resource Managers Group. The San
Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board is the lead contact
agency.
The San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board developed this work
plan to effectively use staff and grant resources for the prevention and
control of water pollution on a watershed scale while meeting regulatory
program mandates. It outlines the goals and objectives over the next five
years and builds upon the considerable local watershed efforts led by other
entities.
v. Wetlands in the North Bay Planning Area
The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission produced
this report in 1997 to inform the reader about the nature of the wetlands
and related habitats found in the historic marshlands of the North Bay,
why they are important, their relationship to other areas of habitat value,
and their current status and location. The report also describes opportunities
for wetlands enhancement and restoration in the North Bay.
Related Links:
Link to California
Coastal Commision
Community Coalition
for a Napa River Flood Management Plan
Goals
and Objectives for Geomorphology, Water Quality and Habitat for a "Living"
Napa River
Phytoremediation Research (pdf file) in the Terry Laboratory
Return to San Pablo Bay Watershed
