Stormy Marsh
Four decades of debate culminated 24 April 2014 with a Record of Decision for a comprehensive, 30-year plan to restore and enhance Suisun Marsh. The Suisun Marsh Habitat Management, Preservation and Restoration Plan addresses concerns over use of resources within about 50,000 acres of the ecological treasure, which is the largest contiguous brackish (fresh and salt water) marsh on the West Coast.
The marsh plan, to be implemented over 30 years, creates a framework for a broad partnership to restore 5,000 to 7,000 acres of the marsh to tidal wetlands and enhance and protect more than 40,000 acres of managed wetlands. The plan’s objectives include improving habitat for multiple special-status species, maintaining the heritage of waterfowl hunting and other recreational opportunities, improving water quality to assist fish migration and spawning, and improving and maintaining the levee system to protect property, infrastructure and wildlife habitats from flooding.
The marsh, which is a critical part of the Bay-Delta estuary ecosystem, encompasses more than ten percent of California’s remaining natural wetlands and serves as a resting and feeding ground for thousands of birds migrating on the Pacific Flyway. It is also an important habitat for many species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish that depend on a careful balancing of fresh and salt water.
www.usbr.gov/newsroom/newsrelease/detail.cfm?RecordID=46624
www.dfg.ca.gov/delta/suisunmarsh/
Stormy Marsh
Four decades of debate culminated 24 April 2014 with a Record of Decision for a comprehensive, 30-year plan to restore and enhance Suisun Marsh. The Suisun Marsh Habitat Management, Preservation and Restoration Plan addresses concerns over use of resources within about 50,000 acres of the ecological treasure, which is the largest contiguous brackish (fresh and salt water) marsh on the West Coast.
The marsh plan, to be implemented over 30 years, creates a framework for a broad partnership to restore 5,000 to 7,000 acres of the marsh to tidal wetlands and enhance and protect more than 40,000 acres of managed wetlands. The plan’s objectives include improving habitat for multiple special-status species, maintaining the heritage of waterfowl hunting and other recreational opportunities, improving water quality to assist fish migration and spawning, and improving and maintaining the levee system to protect property, infrastructure and wildlife habitats from flooding.
The marsh, which is a critical part of the Bay-Delta estuary ecosystem, encompasses more than ten percent of California’s remaining natural wetlands and serves as a resting and feeding ground for thousands of birds migrating on the Pacific Flyway. It is also an important habitat for many species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish that depend on a careful balancing of fresh and salt water.
www.usbr.gov/newsroom/newsrelease/detail.cfm?RecordID=46624
www.dfg.ca.gov/delta/suisunmarsh/