The San Francisco Estuary project was started in 1987 in conjunction with the Clean Water Act. The San Francisco Estuary is one of the largest estuaries in North America and consists of San Francisco Bay all the way to the delta of the San Joaquin and Sacramento river. The Delta and Bay are over 60 miles apart and unlike most estuaries, the delta is found inland. Most refer to the estuary in two parts, although it is all one system. The Delta is more inland and the Bay is closer to the shoreline. It extends from the Sierra Nevada’s to the Golden Gate bridge, it is nearly 60,000 miles and 40% of California (About the Estuary, 2017).
The Upper Estuary near the Delta is in fair to poor condition and is getting worse, while the Lower Estuary, near the San Francisco Bay, is healthier but still in not the greatest condition. There are components to each ecosystem that seem to be deteriorating over time. The reason the upper estuary is in worse condition is because of the Human Factor and less of an effort to restore the ecosystem in general. The San Francisco Bay has had better resoration efforts put into place and as a result, that estuary in general is doing better.
The San Francisco Estuary Project was put into place to help the conservation of the existing habitats and to address the water quality and resources within its watershed. San Francisco Bay was first identified as a national concern when it came to the health of its estuary. The size alone and the overpopulation of the area contributed to the decline of the condition of the individual ecosystems within the estuary. The NEP created an individual Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan and is working to restore and maintain the water quality and integrity of the San Francisco estuary.
The population growth of the San Francisco Valley has altered the physical processes that create and maintain habitats for the wildlife that thrive in the area. Because of the altered ecosystems and interference from man-made water ways, they no longer can support the critical ecological functions. The freshwater inflows and flooding has decreased and the habitats are now in a perpetual drought with low salinity levels. This affects the current food webs and alters the wildlife that return during the winter months as the resources are no longer available to them. The impairments to the habitats and degradation of the ecosystem leave the estuary with wildlife it is unable to support. A lot of the wildlife rely heavily on the tidal marshes, which now only cover about 2% of its former extent, for food and protection. And the eelgrass is in poor condition as well. When food webs are altered, it affects everything within the ecosystem. Because the food web is altered, there is a decline in native wildlife populations and the dominance of invasive species has begun to take over. Efforts to restore native plants and wildlife to the Estuaries is one of the main objectives of the project.
The project has been very proactive in restoring health to the ecosystem in some parts. When efforts are combined with the backing of other non-profit organizations, progress can be seen to be made. It is promising to see changes that have been made when an effort is put into place with substantial investments. For instance, the water quality has greatly improved over the years with a huge investment in the San Francisco’s sewage treatment along with better regulation and management. They have also seen large gains with the increased growth of the tidal marshes over the last two decades and those animals’ that depend upon the marshes for food and shelter are slowly starting to return to the area.
A habitat fragmentation occurs when an organism’s preferred habitat is altered. The San Francisco Bay is full of pollution from large shipping yards and the urbanization of the area. The bay consists of large deposits of silt, trash and sediment. Erosion is also a problem that leads to continual degradation of habitats in the Bay. Chemical contaminations have also occurred and the diversion of the current waterways to increase urbanization creates a fracture in the current habitats and the preferred habitat is forever altered (Essays UK, 2013).
Restoration practices are in effect to help maintain and restore the habitats to the natural form. The Upper Estuary near the Delta will take the most work and more efforts need to be put in place. The problems faced in the Upper Estuary are of a financial nature, it will take quite a bit to restore those habitats as critical physical processes such as freshwater inflows and floods are required to increase the salinity and restore the habitat to a pre-drought state. It will also require a great efficiency in the overall use of water among a large population of people. The return of the natural inhabitants will also require a lot of effort as native plants and wildlife have been deeply damaged. The restoration efforts of the wetlands and estuaries hope to restore the habitats to their pre-human forms and to bring back the diverse populations of native wildlife.
Biodiversity is an important factor to measure in the healthiness of the Estuary. Right now, some native plants and animals are not in the best shape and are notably in poor condition. Climate change and human interference are unavoidable at this point, but the efforts to restore the estuary are promising and hopeful as we look toward the future. There are many threats and challenges to overcome, but with a conscious effort among the population to decrease pollution, there is a chance of survival. The changes will be slow and have been noted. The fact that the water quality has improved is very promising. A lot of the native wildlife and plants should return once restoration has commenced. But, will it ever reach a point where we can positively say that the restoration is complete? There will always be challenges and changes to the environment and I believe once something is “fixed” or restored, there will only be something else down the road that will then threaten the restoration efforts.
The importance of the San Francisco estuary is very prominent and one that definitely needs some attention. With the efforts of volunteers, non-profit organizations and the government, I hope that these efforts reap results. Unfortunately, these efforts were not put into place or highly funded right away and a lot of damage has occurred. While improvements have been made, there is a lot more to be done. The human factor has destroyed these ecosystems and went unnoticed for a long time in the pursuit of urbanization and growth. I am hopeful these ecosystems will be restored and that awareness will be raised. This large system of braided channels, rivers and the sea are important in providing critical winter feeding habitats for over a million migratory birds, many species of juvenile fish and shellfish, and a year-round home for a vast diversity of plants and animals (About the Estuary, 2017).
References
About the Estuary. (n.d.). Retrieved August 14, 2017, from http://www.sfestuary.org/our- estuary/about-the-estuary/
Essays, UK. (November 2013). Abiotic And Biotic Characteristics Environmental Sciences Essay. Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/environmental-sciences/abiotic- and-biotic-characteristics-environmental-sciences-essay.php?cref=1