This is National Estuaries Week, which aims to draw attention to the vital bodies of water locally and around the nation. It originated in 1988 as National Estuaries Day, an annual event founded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to engage the public in America’s estuaries through outreach and events.
Locally, the San Francisco Estuary Partnership is an Association of Bay Area Governments program staffed by MTC working to increase the health and resiliency of the San Francisco Estuary.
The San Francisco Estuary is the largest estuary in California, extending from the ridgeline of the Sierra Nevada mountains to the strait of the Golden Gate, including almost 60,000 square miles and nearly 40% of California.
The San Francisco Estuary has been designated:
- A site of Hemispheric Importance by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network
- Part of UNESCO’s Golden Gate Biosphere Reserve
- Under international treaty protection under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance
What makes the Estuary so special?
- It provides critical feeding habitat to over a million migratory birds every year, a productive nursery for multiple species, and a year-round home for vast diversity of plants and animals
- It is home to over 8 million inhabitants that depend on the Estuary for economic, cultural, and recreational purposes.
- It is both an ecological treasure and economic engine that provides more than half of California’s drinking water. It provides water to more than 25 million California residents, farmlands, and key fish and wildlife habitats.
The Wetlands Regional Monitoring Program is co-led by the Estuary Partnership and the San Francisco Estuary Institute. It collects detailed information on the health of ancient and restored wetlands, which is vital for helping plan for the future. Sign up for the WRMP newsletter here.
The San Francisco Restoration Authority is funding habitat restoration along the shoreline of San Francisco Bay using funds from Measure AA. Check out the performance dashboards to see that progress that has been made to date.
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