Event: Program - Eelgrass in the San Francisco Bay

Date: Tuesday September 11, 2018

Time: 7:00 PM

Join us for our monthly program at the Florence Douglas Center at 333 Amador Street in Vallejo at 7 p.m. This program is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided. (NSAS Event)

Details:

Over half of California’s eelgrass acreage is found in San Francisco Bay, a stronghold for eelgrass on the Pacific Coast as the species experiences significant declines locally and abroad. The San Francisco beds are crucially important for commercially and ecologically valuable species (like Pacific herring and Dungeness crab) that rely on eelgrass for nursery sites and habitat structure, as well as the hundreds of thousands of wintering birds that rely on the Bay’s eelgrass during their migration.

Within San Francisco Bay, Richardson Bay contains the second largest and most resilient eelgrass bed. However, this bed has been heavily damaged by anchor, chains, and other ground tackle associated with illegally-moored vessels known locally as “anchor-outs.” If San Francisco Bay’s second largest eelgrass bed, a hotspot for wintering waterbirds and a crucial refuge in times of environmental crisis, is to be protected, then conservation actions must be taken to reduce anchor scour and promote eelgrass expansion in Richardson Bay. In this presentation, Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg will discuss recent scientific analysis conducted by Audubon California staff to better understand the damage we've seen in the Richardson Bay eelgrass beds and actions on the horizon to halt and reverse that impact.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg is the San Francisco Bay Program Director, Audubon CA. Within her role at Audubon CA, Rebecca uses science-based conservation to protect one of North America's most important estuary systems through restoration, policy, and management. Prior to this role, Rebecca served as the Director of Conservation at San Diego Audubon, where she worked since 2012 to protect coastal habitats in Southern California. Rebecca holds a B.S. in Ecology from the University of California, San Diego and conducted graduate work at the University of San Diego. In 2014 Rebecca was awarded the President's Volunteer Service Award from President Barack Obama.

submitted on August 14, 2018, at 06:21 PM PST

Marsh Wren © 2013 Dave McMullen Brown Creeper © 2013 Dave McMullen Red-breasted Sapsucker © 2013 Dave McMullen Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher © 2012 Dave McMullen American Crow © 2013 Dave McMullen

(Click photos to enlarge)
All bird photos