trail use/public access

To offset for the loss of managed pond habitat during restoration of wetlands to tidal marsh, the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project is enhancing some of the remaining ponds by constructing islands for roosting and nesting waterbirds.

The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project (the Project) is a 15,000-acre San Francisco Bay wetland restoration project managed by the State Coastal Conservancy, US Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

This study assessed how waterfowl at new and existing trail sites in the South San Francisco Bay respond to trail use. One primary research approach we employed was to compare the number of birds before experimental trail walks to the number after at each pond site.

A yearly snapshot of Project milestones and assessment of progress toward meeting restoration, public access and flood management goals

A yearly snapshot of Project milestones and assessment of progress toward meeting restoration, public access and flood management goals

This study addresses these questions: What is the flush rate and flush distance of nesting snowy plovers in response to new trail use around seasonally-dry ponds where birds nest? Do plovers respond differently to people who have disturbed them versus people they have not seen before?

Adapted from the Adaptive Management Plan