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| Suisun Marsh Protection Plan | |
|---|---|
| Name | Suisun Marsh Protection Plan |
| Location | Suisun Marsh, Solano County, California |
| Established | 1970s–present |
| Governing body | California Department of Fish and Wildlife; California Department of Water Resources; United States Fish and Wildlife Service |
Suisun Marsh Protection Plan
The Suisun Marsh Protection Plan is a coordinated policy and management framework designed to guide protection, restoration, and sustainable use of the Suisun Marsh complex in Solano County, California. It integrates objectives from state and federal statutes including the California Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Clean Water Act, and involves agencies such as the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the California Department of Water Resources. The plan balances competing interests among stakeholders including the California State Water Resources Control Board, agricultural landowners, water agencies like the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and conservation organizations such as the The Nature Conservancy and Audubon Society.
The plan provides a regulatory and operational framework addressing tidal marshes, managed wetlands, and adjacent lands in the Suisun Marsh and the confluence of the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River near the Carquinez Strait. It aligns with regional planning instruments such as the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, the San Francisco Estuary Project, and the Central Valley Project operational constraints. The framework coordinates with programs run by the United States Geological Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and regional entities including the Solano County Board of Supervisors and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.
Origins trace to mid-20th century water projects including the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project which altered hydrology affecting the Suisun Marsh and nearby San Pablo Bay. Environmental advocacy by groups like the Sierra Club, litigation under precedents such as the Riverside v. McPherson era, and legislation including the California Environmental Quality Act prompted comprehensive planning. Major milestones include interagency agreements between the California Department of Fish and Game (now California Department of Fish and Wildlife), the United States Bureau of Reclamation, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, culminating in integrated plans influenced by scientific assessments from the Fish and Wildlife Service and modeling by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
The marsh occupies extensive tidal and managed wetlands in Solano County, California at the head of the San Francisco Bay estuary system. It provides critical habitat for species listed under the Endangered Species Act and the California Endangered Species Act such as the Delta smelt, the Sacramento splittail, and various migratory birds protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The landscape includes managed duck clubs, managed marshes linked to the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area and adjacency to Browns Island (California), supporting species monitored by the Pacific Flyway networks and surveyed by the Point Blue Conservation Science and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Primary objectives emphasize preservation of tidal marsh processes, protection of listed species like the Delta smelt and salt marsh harvest mouse, maintenance of managed wetlands for waterfowl managed under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and coordination with water export operations of the State Water Project and Central Valley Project. Policy instruments draw from the California Coastal Act for estuarine protections, the Clean Water Act Section 404 permitting administered by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and water quality standards set by the California State Water Resources Control Board. The plan prescribes land-use measures implemented by the Solano County planning authorities and conservation easements often facilitated by organizations such as Ducks Unlimited and The Conservation Fund.
Restoration strategies include breaching levees to restore tidal action, sediment augmentation informed by studies from the United States Geological Survey, invasive species control targeting Spartina alterniflora management plans coordinated with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and re-establishment of native vegetation to support species like the Ridgway's rail and the California black rail. Projects have been implemented in partnership with federal programs such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System and state initiatives like the California Wetlands Restoration Program. Conservation measures employ easements, acquisition strategies used by the Wildlands Conservancy, and collaborative agreements modeled on the San Francisco Estuary Partnership framework.
Hydrologic management addresses tidal influence, freshwater inflows from the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River, and salinity intrusion mitigated via operational constraints on the State Water Project and Central Valley Project exports. Water quality monitoring follows criteria similar to those promulgated under the Clean Water Act and implemented by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, with analytical work conducted by institutions such as the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of California, Davis. Adaptive flow schedules, managed ponds, and salinity control gates are coordinated with agencies including the Bay-Delta Authority and the California Department of Water Resources to maintain habitat conditions for aquatic species subject to federal consultations under the Endangered Species Act.
The plan mandates monitoring protocols performed by entities like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and academic partners including University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University to track population trends of species such as the Delta smelt and habitat condition metrics used by the Interagency Ecological Program. Enforcement of permits and conservation measures involves the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the California State Water Resources Control Board, and county law enforcement when necessary. Adaptive management cycles employ decision frameworks pioneered in programs like the Adaptive Management in the Columbia Basin and refined through regional science panels associated with the San Francisco Estuary Institute.
Category:Suisun Marsh Category:Wetlands of California Category:Environmental protection in California