How we work with nature to bring back the Bay’s historic salt marshes
A typical salt pond looks like a moonscape in the dry of summer.
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Digging in the Mud
We launch restoration by digging holes in the dirt levees surrounding ponds, and Bay tides rush in to cover crusted salt flats.
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Vegetation Emerges
Once enough sediment has built up, it can support snails, shellfish, and other creatures, and the growth of marsh plants – so seedlings begin to pop up.
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Animals Find Refuge
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We are now seeing two key San Francisco Bay endangered species living and breeding in our restored wetlands. Scientists caught sight of the animals earlier than was expected, less than a decade after restoration began.
Breach, salt marsh, and endangered species photos credit: Judy Irving, Pelican Media.