California has restored or enhanced at least 78,000 acres of wetlands in
less than three years,
reversing a decades-long trend that lost more than 90 percent of the historic expanse of marshes,
lowlands, and tidal inlets to other uses.A Wetlands Task Force created by Governor Wilson announced in January that California's wetlands have increased from 450,000 acres in 1993 to about 529,000 acres.
Wetlands acreage is increased two ways: in quantity by restoring former wetlands and creating new ones; and in quality by enhancing and furthering protection of existing wetlands.
The state has attained nearly one-third of its goal of increasing wetlands by 30-50 percent, or 225,000 acres, by the year 2010.
"Working with many public, private, and nonprofit partners, we have made substantial increases in the quality and permanence of wetlands in California," said Secretary for Resources Douglas P. Wheeler, who chairs the wetlands task force with California Environmental Protection Agency Secretary James M. Strock.
| Wetlands Increases 78,382 Acres | |
|---|---|
| Inland Wetlands Suisun Marsh enhancement, 40,000 acres Assorted smaller parcels 6,517 acres | 46,517 acres |
| Cargill Salt Ponds | 10,000 acres |
| Central Valley Habitat Joint Venture | 17,779 acres |
| Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area | 3,500 acres |
| California Coastal Conservancy (includes Sonoma Baylands, 325 acres) | 586 acres |
| Total | 78,382 acres |
Obtaining Permits
A fragmented, confusing, and unsatisfactory collection of laws and programs have governed
protection and use of wetlands in California. The regulatory process for a single wetland project
can require as many as 10 separate approvals from state and federal agencies besides requirements
of local jurisdictions. Disagreement among these entities can cause lengthy delays and result in
little long-term improvement in wetlands values.
To help smooth the process, the Wilson administration is seeking the transfer to the state of responsibility for issuing permits under Section 404 of the Federal Clean Water Act now under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
A pilot program in the San Francisco Bay Area would initiate the changeover, transferring permitting authority for certain projects from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the Regional Water Quality Control Board.
Strock said the state's progress toward reaching its wetlands goal signals its readiness to assume permitting responsibilities.
"By increasing and improving wetlands acreage, we are making the strongest possible case for the state to receive the federal permitting program," Strock said.
Wetlands Home Page
To assist in the tracking of wetland gains and provide a clearinghouse for information, the Wilson
administration also has created an Internet home page dedicated to wetlands conservation in
California,
(http://www.ceres.ca.gov/wetlands). The web site, a component of CERES, the
California Environmental Resources Evaluation System created by the Resources Agency, also
provides a detailed on-line guide with general information, maps, educational data, the roles and
responsibilities of agencies that deal with wetlands, a list of mitigation and restoration projects,
the Governor's and other wetland policies, and tips on how to obtain a wetlands permit.
Wetland Versatility
Historically, California's wetlands comprised about 5 million acres, one-twentieth of the state's
land. But most of the wetlands were converted to meet demands of development and agriculture.
Once devalued as nearly worthless swamp, wetlands now are recognized as a versatile natural
resources asset. Wetlands offer wildlife habitat, fish spawning areas, and stopovers for migrating
birds. They also help recharge groundwater, control erosion and flooding, and protect water
quality by filtering agricultural and urban drainage and other pollutants.
Cooperative Partnerships
Public agencies are working with private and nonprofit groups in cooperative partnerships for the
betterment of wetlands.
A major partnership, the Central Valley Habitat Joint Venture (CVHJV), is committed to
protecting, restoring, and enhancing public and private wetlands and productive farmland to
support 4.7 million migratory waterfowl wintering in the valley, and securing adequate water to
sustain them.
The state Department of Water Resources (DWR), a partner in the CVHJV, is studying future wetland water needs, using Geographic Information System mapping of soil conditions and water availability. The study is required under the Central Valley Project Improvement Act administered by the Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
"Knowing where the potential water supplies for wetlands are will help the joint venture partners determine the best places to acquire and enhance wetlands," said Kate Hansel, wetlands coordinator for the DWR, which seeks opportunities to restore wetlands in California.
CVHJV partners are the California Department of Fish and Game, Department of Water Resources, California Waterfowl Association, Wildlife Conservation Board, Ducks Unlimited, National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The CVHJV works cooperatively with farmers and ranchers, encouraging winter flooding of agricultural fields such as rice, wheat, and corn, to supply wintering waterfowl habitat. "Without partnerships on private lands, we're not going to win the war because the biggest share of habitat in California is still in private hands," said John Schmidt, executive director of the state Wildlife Conservation Board. Seventy-five percent of California's remaining coastal, interior, and riparian wetlands are privately owned.
Smaller partnerships also accomplish big projects. In August 1995, work got underway to transform a flood control channel south of Interstate 80 near Sacramento into the 3,500-acre Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, the largest wetlands restoration project of its kind in the West. The restoration involves adding tule-rimmed ponds, a riparian forest, and other features that create shelter and breeding grounds for waterfowl, while preserving flood control functions. Partners in the project include the private Yolo Basin Foundation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Game, Department of Water Resources, Wildlife Conservation Board, and Ducks Unlimited.
'Banking' the Wetlands
To encourage new wetlands and funding sources, Governor Wilson signed a "mitigation banking"
law in 1993 that allows public and private developers who are required to compensate for adverse
impacts and wetlands loss to buy credits in other wetlands and essential Central Valley
habitat.
Mitigation banking took a step further in April 1995 when the Governor established a policy to
encourage regional conservation banks that allow "bundling" of credits to buy larger areas of
habitat than individual mitigation projects.
Under this conservation banking system administered by the Resources Agency and Cal/EPA, landowners manage habitat for their natural resource values and sell restoration credits to individuals, firms, or agencies required by law to mitigate for environmental impacts.
With encouragement from state and federal agencies, mitigation banking has helped create a number of wetlands, such as Caltrans' 114-acre Beach Lake Wetlands Restoration in Sacramento County. Private wetlands mitigation banks include the 315-acre Wildlands Inc. in Placer County and The Nature Conservancy's Valensin Ranch in Sacramento County featuring vernal pools, which appear in wet months but sustain life year-around.
Restoring Wetlands
Three wetlands projects begun since the Wetlands Conservation Policy of August 1993 stand out
for different reasons.
In May 1994, the state acquired the 10,000-acre Cargill Salt Ponds in Napa, Solano, and Sonoma counties, its largest-ever acquisition of coastal wetlands resources, and already has returned a 550-acre salt pond to natural tidal action. The restoration will expand the state's Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area from 2,000 to 12,000 acres. The marsh is home to 128 species of shore birds and water fowl, including 20 threatened, endangered, rare, or candidate species.
The Wildlife Conservation Board approved in February the purchase of the 835-acre Baumberg Tract of salt ponds and uplands adjoining the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The Department of Fish and Game plans to restore tidal action on most of the tract to create habitat for the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse and California clapper rail, and many other species. Sonoma Baylands, a national demonstration project in Sonoma County, is using mud dredged from the Port of Oakland to convert a hayfield into a 322-acre salt marsh for wildlife. The project, which required an act of Congress for approval and got underway last year, will demonstrate how dredged material can be used for environmental enhancement instead of being dumped as waste.
Southern California Wetlands
Significant wetlands also are being acquired and improved in Southern California, where the state
is working to protect the degraded 1,600-acre Bolsa Chica wetlands in Orange County and to
restore the 350-acre Batiquitos Lagoon in San Diego County.
The Governor's budget for fiscal 1996-97 includes $250,000 for Southern California joint-venture wetlands efforts, and the state Coastal Conservancy, California Coastal Commission, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are compiling a wetlands inventory that will provide a basis for setting goals.