Memphis-based Ducks Unlimited is currently overseeing four large-scale wetland and tidal marsh restoration projects here in the Bay Area.
Plans for the restoration of tidal marsh in the Napa Sonoma Wildlife Area have been halted temporarily as Ducks Unlimited waits for state bond money frozen in the latest round of budget cuts to be freed up. Photo Courtesy of Ducks Unlimited
Published: May, 2009
According to DU, the native animal and plant species that once called these soggy stretches of land home aren’t the only ones who stand to gain something from such restoration efforts. The local economy is also likely to get a jumpstart—to the tune of nearly $40 million.
“For every project we undertake, we need local construction workers and engineers to move the dirt and help turn degraded land back into functioning wetlands,” says Dale Humburg, chief biologist for Ducks Unlimited. “It’s a win-win for both people and wildlife.”
Man vs. Wetlands
Over the years, more than 50 percent of the original wetlands in the United States have been drained, largely for the purpose of development. In California, that number is closer to 90 percent.
Once considered a muddy eyesore bereft of any real value or benefits, wetlands and tidal marshes have since been found to serve a multitude of purposes. Besides serving as natural habitats to dozens of animal and plant species, many of which are now considered endangered, wetlands also act like a water purifier, improving water quality by filtering out pollutants.
Wetlands also provide natural flood control by serving as a spongy buffer between rising water and dry land. “That’s especially important now in the Bay Area, as we’re seeing sea levels slowly begin to rise,” says Mark Biddlecomb, DU’s Director of Conservation Programs for Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah.
Biddlecomb points out that draining wetlands can have a negative effect on local air quality as well. For instance, when the streams that once fed Owens Lake in Southern California were diverted to provide water for Los Angeles County’s fast-growing population, the lake quickly dried up. As a result, what has been left behind is an acidic dust that desert winds pick up and blow around, causing respiratory problems for nearby residents.
“It’s all related,” he says. “And the consequences of tampering with any ecosystem—incidentally, wetlands are considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems—are difficult and very costly to reverse.”
Check, please!
Undoing the damage done to wetlands by their shortsighted human neighbors isn’t cheap. In fact, a single restoration project can cost tens of millions of dollars. While most would agree that such efforts are both worthwhile and necessary, coming up with the cash to fund such projects can be difficult, particularly in tough economic times.
“We don’t really have to convince people anymore that this is a good thing,” says Biddlecomb. “What we have to convince them of is that it’s as important as schools and other tax-funded projects. There are limited dollars available, especially now, and lots of people competing for those dollars.”
Ducks Unlimited felt the recession’s sting recently when the latest round of state budget cuts, which resulted in a temporary freeze on bond money that was to be used for habitat restoration, put the brakes on the Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wetland Restoration Project.
“It hasn’t affected us too much yet because not a lot happens construction-wise during winter, due to weather,” Biddlecomb explains. “But we would be starting up again right about now, so our fingers are crossed that the freeze ends soon.”
Since its creation in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has learned how to enlist support—financial and otherwise—for projects from various sources, and avoids putting all its eggs in one basket. Thus, the thousands of projects it has undertaken since 1937—Ducks Unlimited currently has 200 active projects, 185 of which are in California—have been paid for with a mix of federal and state dollars, and money from individuals and other like-minded organizations.
As its name suggests, Ducks Unlimited is particularly interested in wetlands restoration for the purpose of providing a habitat for waterfowl. But DU has forged partnerships with organizations that have other plant and animal species’ best interests at heart, from those that wish to provide a safe stopover for salmon hatchlings on their way to the open ocean to those that wish to provide a unique learning environment for schoolchildren.
“Ultimately, we all want the same thing—to restore wetland,” Biddlecomb explains. “So part of our function is to bring together partners that share that goal.”
That support has been much easier to come by in the ever-greener Bay Area. But Biddlecomb says that even potential partners in less environmentally conscious regions come around quickly when they see the near-instant benefits reaped from completed projects on Ducks Unlimited’s resume.
“It’s sort of a build-it-and-they-will-come-type scenario,” he jokes. “You build a wetland, and there’ll be birds on it the next day. People want to see results, and the results here are pretty immediate. So that makes this road a lot easier to travel.”
For information on Ducks Unlimited, visit www.ducks.org.
By Bill Picture
According to data recently made public by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 23 percent more toxic chemicals were released into the environment by industrial facilities in California in 2007 than during the previous year. Nationwide, there was a 5 percent decrease in 2007 compared to 2006.
These data were culled from the EPA’s latest Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), a publicly-accessible database that lists more than 650 toxic chemicals and specifies how much of each chemical is being released by certain facilities operating in a given region.
Several dozen types of industrial facilities are required by law to calculate the amount of toxic chemicals they release into the air, water and land each year and report that information to the EPA as part of the TRI program. Among them are metal mining and petroleum-related operations, food and beverage manufacturers, computer manufacturers and printing operations. The TRI, which was established through legislation 20 years ago, does not, however, include data on chemicals from many non-industrial commercial sources, such as agriculture.
“There’s a lot that the TRI is not,” says Nancy Levin, a TRI coordinator for EPA Region 9, which includes California, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii. “For example, the TRI does not include chemical releases from mobile sources, such as car and truck emissions. And dry cleaning facilities are not one of the types of industries required to report. It’s still a good jumping-off point, though.”
Three of the ten facilities that released the most toxic chemicals in California in 2007 are located right here in the Bay Area: the Tesoro Golden Eagle refinery in Martinez, the Valero Benicia Refinery and the Chevron Richmond Refinery.
That said, Levin wishes to make it clear that a facility’s inclusion in this Top 10 list does not mean that the facility is not in compliance with state or federal standards governing toxic chemical releases.
Topping the list of the most commonly released toxic chemicals in California were lead and ammonia. Lead is classified as a “persistent biocumulative and toxic chemical” or PBT. These are chemicals particularly dangerous to humans and entire ecosystems as they remain in the environment and food chain. Releases of mercury, another PBT, went up 38 percent nationwide between 2006 and 2007. Overall, PBT releases went up 1 percent nationwide.
The TRI database can be searched by state, county, zip code, facility, industry and chemical. Members of the public are encouraged to contact the EPA directly if they feel that a chemical and/or industry should be added to the TRI program. Over the years, 350 chemicals have been added to the reporting list.
“The TRI is really data-rich, and can be a little overwhelming for that reason,” says Mariela Lopez, another Region 9 TRI Coordinator. “But we’re constantly striving to find a way to present the information that we compile in a way that’s meaningful for the public, and looking at ways to make the database itself more user-friendly.”
“It’s a starting point for any community that wants to know what’s happening in its backyard,” adds Levin. “It won’t answer every question, but it gets the dialogue started and puts at the fingertips of a community the information it needs in order to know what questions to ask next.”
To view 2007 Toxics Release Inventory data, point your web browser to www.epa.gov/tri.
In addition to four public projects, Ducks Unlimited is also working with Viansa Winery to enhance restored wetland on the vintner’s Sonoma property. Photo Courtesy of Ducks Unlimited
Ducks Unlimited is working with the California Department of Fish & Game and the Wildlife Conservation Board to restore and enhance tidal wetlands on former commercial salt ponds along the Napa River. DU’s plan includes public access for hiking, biking, hunting, fishing, bird watching and environmental education. Photo Courtesy of Ducks Unlimited
