|
|
SAN FRANCISCO BAY ESTUARY FIELD STATION |
||
 |
The watersheds of the Central Valley drain into the San Francisco Bay estuary, the largest estuary
on the lower west coast of North America. The estuary is home to eight million people and is the source of water for
a large part of California. More than ninety percent of the original wetlands have been lost to development in the
past century, and because the region is highly urbanized, remaining wetlands are threatened by agricultural,
industrial, and municipal contaminants. Yet, the paradox of this estuary is found in the richness of its natural
resources. The estuary is an international hemispheric shorebird reserve site, provides a major wintering area for
waterfowl, and supports many resident endangered or candidate wildlife species of salt marsh habitats.
The San Francisco Bay Estuary Field Station is co-located with the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge, a refuge in the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay NWR Complex, and with the San Francisco Bay office for the Ecological Services division of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The field station is located on Mare Island, a recently decommissioned Naval Shipyard facility that had operated since the 1850s. |
|
|
For more information, contact: San Francisco Bay Estuary Field Station US Geological Survey 505 Azuar Drive Vallejo, CA 94592 Phone: (707) 562-2000 Fax: (707) 562-3001 |
||
-- WERC Home -- Who We Are -- Where We Are -- What We Do -- What's New -- Outreach -- Contact Us -- Search --
USGS Privacy Policy, Disclaimer , Accessibility