News: SF Bay Subtidal Habitat Goals Project Report Released

One way of looking at the Bay Area's ecosystems is to consider three zones: the subtidal, the baylands and the uplands.  

A group of agencies and nonprofits collaborated to create the Baylands Habitat Goals report in 1999.  The Open Space Council is very, very close to finishing the Upland Habitat Goals report and has already launched the Explorer online tool to go with it.  And just released last week is the Subtidal Habitat Goals report.

The San Francisco Bay Subtidal Habitat Goals Project is led by the California Coastal Conservancy/Ocean Protection Council, Bay Conservation and Development Commission, NOAA Fisheries and Restoration Center, and the San Francisco Estuary Partnership.  More than 75 entities contributed to the development of the report, including science advisor Wim Kimmerer from San Francisco State University; consultants from University of California at Davis, San Francisco State University, and the San Francisco Estuary Institute; and a broad group of scientists, resource managers, and restoration practitioners working in and around San Francisco Bay.  

The 50-Year Plan is non-regulatory and presents a strong vision for how to move forward with science-based subtidal research, protection, and restoration of submerged habitats in San Francisco Bay, through an adaptive phased project approach to learn more about subtidal ecosystem services, functions, and interactions between habitat types. 

The Subtidal Habitat Goals Report, all Appendices, and Interactive Subtidal Maps are accessible and available online at www.sfbaysubtidal.org.

The project was highlighted in the October-December 2010 issue of Bay Nature.  And has received some press in the past few days including the Contra Costa Times and the Mercury News.