STRAW Program Assumes Management of Restored Novato Baylands
December 8, 2022
Point Blue Conservation Science’s STRAW (Students and Teachers Restoring A Watershed) Program is excited to step into a management role at the Novato Baylands Restoration site. STRAW has played a key role in engaging communities to restore this former airfield since the beginning and our staff are looking forward to working with site partners, the amazing volunteers, and the community to keep active restoration, scientific monitoring, and community engagement alive and thriving here. See this recent Marin Independent Journal article for more. Funding support for our management role is provided by the California State Coastal Conservancy.
Contact
If you’d like to learn more or inquire about volunteer opportunities, contact STRAW Project Manager, Leia Giambastiani at lgiambastiani@pointblue.org.
About the Novato Baylands Wetland Restoration Project
The restoration of tidal and seasonal wetlands on the former Hamilton Army Airfield and the adjacent North Antenna Field (NAF) and Bel Marin Keys Unit V (BMKV) properties (now referred to as the Novato Baylands) is a joint project between the US Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco District, and the California State Coastal Conservancy. The Conservancy is the non-federal sponsor and landowner (with the exception of the NAF which is owned by the State Lands Commission). The U.S. Congress authorized the Hamilton Wetland Restoration Project (including the NAF) in 1999 and the addition of the BMKV property to the project in 2007. The combined project site comprises approximately 2,600 acres, located 25 miles north of San Francisco, along San Pablo Bay, in and adjacent to the City of Novato, Marin County, California. When complete, the project will be a mosaic of seasonal and tidal wetlands, providing public access to sections of the Bay Trail and habitat for birds and wildlife.
More information on the restoration of Bel Marin Keys Unit V can be found on the Coastal Conservancy’s website here.
Dredge sediment was a key component of this restoration. Approximately 3-6 million cubic yards of sediment must be dredged to maintain safe navigation in and around San Francisco Bay each year. These sediments (“dredged spoils” or “dredged material”); from federal navigation channels, ports, refineries, marinas, etc.; have generally been placed at designated open-water disposal sites within the Bay and in the ocean. A great alternative to disposal is to “beneficially reuse” dredged sediment. One of the first projects to incorporate beneficial reuse was the restoration of the 348-acre Sonoma Baylands, just north of Bel Marin Keys. At both the Sonoma Baylands and the Hamilton airfield, the Army Corps and the Conservancy worked together to raise the elevation of subsided lands to create tidal marsh. Maximizing beneficial reuse of dredged sediment is one of the goals of the Long Term Management Strategy for Dredged Material in San Francisco Bay (LTMS), a joint initiative of federal and state government that is involved in dredging and dredged material disposal.
Learn more & Volunteer
Learn more about this partnership project here.