GOVERNMENTS AT WORK
In 1970, the salt marsh harvest mouse became federally listed as endangered by the EPA. The recovery plan was released in 1984, in a joint plan with the Rallus obsoletus (California clapper rail), since they both rely on the recovery of the wetlands (EPA, Endangered, 2010). California state law also protects its endemic species. Fish and Game Code Section 4700--Protected Animals lists the SMHM as a protected species, meaning directly harming that species is punishable by law. This means that it cannot be taken or possessed at any time, unless by permit issued for scientific research (California Code, 2019). Parks and refuges also protect the salt marsh harvest mouse, by conserving the natural habitats.
CULLINAN RANCH: BRINGING IT BACK TO LIFE
There was once a massive 1,500-acre expanse of natural tidal marsh in the north end of San Francisco Bay covering what is now Highway 37. In the late 1800s, it was diked off and separated from the bay for agricultural use and became known as Cullinan Ranch. In the 1980s a housing development was planned to cover the area before a lawsuit from Save the Bay stopped further action. Along with the lawsuit, the permits that The Army Corps of Engineers and The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Center applied for got denied which fully halted the building of what was going to be “Egret Bay.” Two years later, in 1991, the US Fish and Wildlife Services acquired the land, and it became a part of the San Pablo Bay Wildlife Refuge. In 2011, the restoration project began. With 16 million dollars raised by Ducks Unlimited and a 1.4 million dollar grant from the EPA, they began to rebuild the marsh using 405,000 cubic yards of dredged sediment, in order to stabilize the area before breaking down the levees. All with the goal of reducing wetland fragmentation, increasing the salt marsh harvest mouse population and providing an example of the positive effects of wetland restoration (EPA, Cullinan, 2016).
CHINA CAMP STATE PARK: PREVENTION FIRST
In addition to the expensive (but definitely worthwhile) restoration projects, we need to focus on saving marshes from development in the first place. An example of this is China Camp State Park, which has preserved the prehistoric salt marsh, protecting its species. The park contains wetlands filled with Spartina foliosa (Pacific cordgrass) and Sarcocornia Pacifica (pickleweed). This is one of the few untampered salt marsh harvest mouse Habitats remaining. Here, the mouse can live as it used to centuries ago.
SAVE THE BAY: A NON-PROFIT WITH A MISSION
Save the Bay is a Bay Area non-profit set on creating a cleaner, healthier and more natural bay ecosystem. It was founded in 1961 and with 50,000 supporters to back them, they plan to restore over 100,000 acres of tidal marsh (Charity, 2019). With independent volunteers, businesses, and school groups, they use a hands-on approach to restore the salt marsh harvest mouse habitat. They also are involved in the legislative and economic parts of the restoration process. They successfully passed Measure AA in 2016, which grants a guaranteed $500 million to fund restoration projects over the next 20 years. Their most recent project is to halt the development of housing complexes on salt flats in the south bay (Baye, 2012).
