The California Colloquium on Water presents
"The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project: The Wild Heart of Silicon Valley"
Given by:
Steve Ritchie
Executive Project Manager, South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project
Tuesday, February 13
5:30pm – 7:00pm
Goldman School of Public Policy, Room 250
(Corner of Hearst and LeRoy)
Meet the speaker, 5:15pm – 5:30pm.
Summary of lecture:
In 2003, the State of California and the U.S. government, with substantial support from private foundations, purchased 15,100 acres of salt production ponds adjoining South San Francisco Bay from Cargill Corporation. These ponds represent an incredible opportunity for shoreline habitat restoration and public access in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is the largest habitat restoration project in the Western U.S.
(http://www.southbayrestoration.org/)
and it must be accomplished without increasing flood risk to Silicon Valley while providing for public access. The restoration process is expected to take decades to complete. This presentation will describe the initial management of the ponds as they are taken out of salt production and the five-year planning process for their ultimate restoration. Adaptive management will be integral to the restoration process. Particular opportunities and challenges (both scientific and institutional) of the planning process will be described as the Project moves toward changing the South San Francisco Bay landscape.
For more information, contact the Water Resources Center Archives at (510) 642-2666 or waterarc@library.berkeley.edu, or check out the Colloquium web site.