Over the past several years, KCCB has teamed up with San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO) to restore a section of the south San Francisco Bay wetlands. This effort stems from our shared desire for a healthy and thriving Coyote Creek watershed, including around the Bay. Together we're making a positive impact on the regional environment.
What Is the Restoration Project
Leading this effort is Eric Lynch, Science Director. He has worked with SFBBO for several years and knows so much about the Bay ecosystem. Eric says that "the main goal of these events is to remove invasive, non-native vegetation and replace it with native vegetation which provides year-round structure for native wildlife." As the project progresses, the native plant communities have begun to thrive.
"The habitat we work in is called the tidal marsh-upland transition zone, or ecotone, which is a zone of overlap between the tidal marsh and upland plant communities, featuring species from both communities. It is a habitat that is defined in large part by elevation, as its lower boundary is barely within the reach of the highest high tides. This habitat used to stretch for hundreds, even thousands of feet, all around the edges of the San Francisco Bay, but over the past 150 years that landscape was almost completely consumed by human development. Most of the areas which provide appropriate elevations for sustaining transition zone habitat, and are available for restoration, are the levee slopes around current or former salt ponds, which is where we've been working with the volunteers from KCCB", says Eric. This bigger picture drives the regional work around the bay as sea level rise makes it way towards our Bay's shoreline.
Scenes at the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge where volunteers continue to help with wetland restoration.
For some context, he tells us that "transition zones have been shown to provide critical habitat for marsh wildlife, including the endangered Ridgway's rail and salt marsh harvest mouse, which are pushed into the transition zone by extreme high tides and storm surges. These tidal marsh animals are especially vulnerable to predators during flood events, and rely on dense vegetation in the transition zone to avoid being eaten. Most of the invasive vegetation that grows on levee slopes in the San Francisco Bay is non-native, invasive, and lives for just one year, or dies to the ground completely before the winter comes and flood events are most common."
Volunteers learn how to carefully remove the seedlings, then plant them in the ground.
"We work to replace that vegetation with native vegetation like gumplants, marsh baccharis, western goldenrod, buckwheats, and many more. Most of the plants we use either provide year-round woody habitat structure, and/or compete vigorously with invasive vegetation. They also provide many of the benefits of native vegetation, providing food and shelter to countless forms of wildlife whose evolutionary histories are intertwined with the plants of the transition zone. For example, six of the plant species we've planted with KCCB volunteers, including all four previously mentioned above, have been identified as important nectar sources for adult monarch butterflies. Many of these plants have late bloom periods which make them especially valuable for adult monarchs returning to their coastal over-wintering sites along the California coast."
The Power of Partnerships
Through our collective outreach, SFBBO and KCCB have recruited over 350 volunteers to help with nearly all aspects of restoration in an area adjacent to Coyote Creek. Eric says that for over 5 years volunteers have "helped SFBBO restore levee slopes within the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge separating ponds A16, A17, and Mallard Slough, which all connect to Coyote Creek as it enters the SF Bay. The volunteers have spent tireless hours weeding invasive vegetation, spreading mulch over future planting sites, and planted thousands of native plants. One KCCB volunteer has also been helping us source seed and grow plants in our nursery. This work has been funded by two generous grants from Valley Water, but would not have been possible without the generous amounts of time and effort donated by volunteers" from many walks of life.
Volunteers help with weeding and planting.
Sneaking in Some Education
One of the highlights of these events is that we sneak in some cool tidbits about the critters we're working to safeguard. Picture this: we setup up a spotting scope to spy on our feathered friends. Or, we stumble upon some insects that are basically the VIPs of the ecosystem. Every piece of wisdom picked up is a chance to share your experience with the world.
A little knowledge goes a long way.
Active Volunteers Are the Key to Collaborative Success
What does Eric say about the volunteers? "We love working with KCCB's volunteers because they are so enthusiastic about restoring human-damaged landscapes. It is always invigorating to witness someone else get excited about your work. Every volunteer brings their unique perspective to our events and helps us expand the view of the impact and importance of restoration work. We always look forward to meeting new volunteers at the next SFBBO-KCCB event!"
Please join us at an upcoming event. Receive notifications to register by following us on Eventbrite or check out the upcoming restoration events.
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