About Us

Overview

The San Francisco Estuary restoration community is working rapidly to protect and restore wetlands that can provide flood protection, recreation, water quality improvement, and habitat for surrounding communities. In order to meet a regional target of 100,000 acres restored by 2030 (Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals Update), close coordination is needed between land managers, scientists and regulators.

The WRMP improves wetland restoration project success by putting in place regional-scale monitoring increasing the impact, utility and application of site specific permit-driven monitoring to inform science-based decision-making. Once in place, the WRMP will be a robust, science-driven, collaborative regional monitoring program that includes:

a) Monitoring site network;
b) Open data sharing platform;
c) Comprehensive science framework.

tidal marsh

Geographic Scope

Bay Area Tidal Elevation graphic

Map courtesy of the San Francisco Estuary Institute.

The geographic scope of the WRMP encompasses the “complete” tidal marsh ecosystem, as defined by Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals Update. The complete tidal marsh ecosystem includes subtidal areas to a depth of 12 ft below local Mean Lower Low Water (zero tide height), tidal flats, fully tidal and muted tidal marshes, and adjoining estuarine-terrestrial and estuarine-fluvial transition zones. The scope does not currently include managed marshes, such as duck clubs in Suisun Marsh, or diked non-tidal marshes within the historical limits of the San Francisco baylands.

To facilitate data analysis, interpretation, and management consistent with other regional monitoring efforts such as the Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (Bay RMP), the geographic scope of the WRMP is divided into five subregions including Suisun Bay, San Pablo Bay, Central Bay, South Bay, and Lower South Bay.

The WRMP may also utilize Operational Landscape Units (OLUs), identified in the San Francisco Bay Shoreline Adaptation Atlas. Operational Landscape Units are contiguous areas of baylands and adjoining watersheds distinguished by their unique combination of geology, topography, precipitation, and estuarine conditions that, in general, are likely to respond in similar ways to climate change. OLUs can serve as a natural spatial template at a scale between individual watersheds and subregions or counties for planning and assessing climate change adaptation.

WRMP Committees

Steering Committee

Heidi Nutters, Chair

San Francisco Estuary Partnership

Aimee Good

Alternate: Stuart Siegel

San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Brenda Goeden

Alternate: Brad McCrea

San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission

Brian Meux

National Marine Fisheries Service

Carl Wilcox

Alternate: Gregg Erickson

California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Dave Halsing

Alternate: Shalini Kannan

South Bay Salt Ponds Restoration Project

Erika Castillo

Alternate: Joseph Huston

Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District

Jessie Olson

Alternate: Rachelle Cardona

Save the Bay

Jana Affonso

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Matt Graul

Alternate: Doug Bell

East Bay Regional Parks District

Melissa Foley

San Francisco Estuary Institute

Mike Chotkowski

Alternate: Tom Kimball

U.S. Geological Survey

Jessica Davenport

Alternate: Moira McEnespy

California State Coastal Conservancy

Renee Spenst

Alternate: Natalie Washburn

Ducks Unlimited

Sahrye Cohen

Alternate: Sarah Firestone

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Sandra Scoggin

Alternate: Ariana Rickard

San Francisco Bay Joint Venture

Xavier Fernandez

Alternate: Christina Toms

San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board

Technical Advisory Committee

Christina Toms, Chair

San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board

Donna Ball, Vice-Chair

San Francisco Estuary Institute

Alison Weber-Stover

National Marine Fisheries Service

Dylan Chapple

Delta Stewardship Council

Iryna Drynova

UC Berkeley

Jeremy Lowe

San Francisco Estuary Institute

John Bourgeois

Valley Water

John Callaway

University of San Francisco

Josh Collins

San Francisco Estuary Institute

Joy Albertson

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Julian Wood

Alternate: Sam Veloz

Point Blue Conservation Science

Julie Beagle

Alternate: Tessa Beach

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Karen Thorne

U.S. Geological Survey

Levi Lewis

UC Davis

Mike Vasey

San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Susan De La Cruz

U.S. Geological Survey

Todd Hallenbeck

Alternate: Julia Kelly

San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission

Valary Bloom

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

tidal marsh