Bair Island Restoration, Slow but Sure
Goslings at Bair Island are proof that the ancient rhythm of the tides is quietly mending the marsh.
- Bair Island, just offshore of Redwood City, is in fact three separate islands—Outer, Middle and Inner Bair. All are part of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. At Outer Bair Island, where the last man-made levees were removed in December 2008, small signs of native habitat recovery are already apparent, according to Eric Mruz, refuge manager. It is a very slow process; however, partial public access is likely to be restored in three years.
- Why not sooner? A million cubic yards of fill are needed to raise the level of Inner Bair, and there have been delays getting enough clean dirt. Funding for approved facilities, such as a footbridge from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service parking lot near Uccelli Boulevard to Inner Bair, has suffered delays due to California’s financial crisis.