Our recent rains allowed Sharp Park’s Laguna Salada wetlands to drink deeply, and now an unusual visitor has made the wetland complex its temporary home.
An Emperor Goose, normally found near the Aleutian Islands and points north, has been observed feeding in and around the wetland areas restored by our recent rains. Wild Equity digiscoped a few photos of the rare bird:
Unfortunately Sharp Park Golf Course is draining the wetlands as rapidly as possible, so it is unclear how long the wetland complex will be able to support this unusual visitor: or the endangered species that call the wetland complex home.
Despite the golf course’s attempt to destroy the wetland complex, the course conditions are saturated, and many areas are covered in standing water.
Sharp Park Golf Course, Hole 10, January 26, 2017
Fortunately you can help fix this travesty. Write San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors today and tell them to get the golf course out of our natural areas!
https://i0.wp.com/www.wildequity.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/DSC_1896.jpg?fit=1963%2C1314&ssl=113141963Wild Equityhttps://www.wildequity.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/transparent-logo.pngWild Equity2017-01-27 07:27:562018-05-03 12:52:39Build It and They Will Come: Emperor Goose at Sharp Park!!
Our recent winter rains have allowed Sharp Park’s Laguna Salada wetland complex to drink deeply, reclaiming areas that Sharp Park Golf Course drains and mows to create fairways and greens.
But if the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department’s plan to redevelop Sharp Park Golf Course is finalized, the fringing wetlands you see today will be filled with dredged spoils and lost forever.
https://i0.wp.com/www.wildequity.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/IMG_3161-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1709&ssl=117092560Wild Equityhttps://www.wildequity.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/transparent-logo.pngWild Equity2017-01-11 19:44:122020-08-15 22:00:45Winter Rains Breathe Life into Laguna Salada … For Now
Wetland restoration efforts in the South Bay have enabled the population rebound of Ridgway’s Rail, seen here. (Source: Wild Equity Institute)
Wild Equity’s vision for Sharp Park has called for restoring the wetlands and repurposing the lands as a new national park for the public to enjoy. This proposal has been passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors 5 times, and a huge community of partners from different areas have endorsed our restoration vision as well.
On June 7th, Bay Area residents will vote on Measure AA, a wetland restoration initiative that would do something similar for the Bay side of our region. If passed, Measure AA would raise $500 million over 20 years for wetland restoration projects around San Francisco Bay. The funding would come from a $12 annual parcel tax in the 9 Bay Area counties: San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Marin, Sonoma, Napa, and Solano.
Restoring wetlands is the best tool for mitigating sea level rise because wetlands break up wave energy. Furthermore, the restoration of wetlands provides many other benefits such as improved water quality, increased public access to shorelines, and ameliorated habitat conditions for wildlife. Wetland restoration projects in the South Bay, for instance, have enabled the return of wildlife such as Ridgway’s Rail and the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse. Climate models and recent scientific reports indicate that we can expect sea levels to rise 3 to 8 feet by the turn of the century, and that sea levels are now rising at the fastest rate in 28 centuries. If we don’t take action now, taxpayers can expect to shell out billions of dollars for new coastal infrastructure.
https://i0.wp.com/www.wildequity.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Ridgeway_s_Rail_featured.jpg?fit=1500%2C430&ssl=14301500Wild Equityhttps://www.wildequity.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/transparent-logo.pngWild Equity2016-06-03 00:59:152020-08-15 14:40:10Wetlands on Tuesday’s Ballot for Bay Area Voters
