Policy Corner: San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act

Sandra Schubert • October 3, 2024

On September 27, Senator Padilla and Representatives John Garamendi, Mike Thompson and Jared Huffman introduced the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act (H.R. 9826) to expand the acquisition boundary for the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The expanded acquisition boundary will include 5,658-acres that are currently owned by the California State Lands Commission, the California State Coastal Conservancy, and the Sonoma Land Trust. Expanding the acquisition boundary is a preliminary step to enabling U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to manage these regions. The FWS can only expand a National Wildlife Refuge within a pre-approved acquisition boundary and expansion decisions require FWS approval. 

 

The Refuge, which lies along the north shore of San Pablo Bay in Sonoma, Solano, and Napa Counties, currently encompasses 24,390 acres with open bay/tidal marsh, mud flats, and seasonal and managed wetland habitats.

 

“We thank our champions for expanding the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge,” said Tuleyome Executive Director Sandra Schubert. “Expanding the Refuge will safeguard sensitive habitat and migratory pathways that are critical for biodiversity, while building the health of the Bay.”

 

The region provides critical migratory and wintering habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl, particularly diving ducks, and provides year-round habitat for endangered, threatened, and sensitive species like the California clapper rail, salt marsh harvest mouse, California black rail, San Pablo song sparrow, and Suisun shrew. Numerous other threatened, endangered, and sensitive species also require the tidal marsh habitat for their survival, including 11 fish species that swim through San Pablo Bay to reach their freshwater spawning grounds.

 

Mike Painter, Coordinator of Californians for Western Wilderness, said “We support efforts and opportunities for the permanent protection of many categories of public land, not just wilderness. I grew up within sight of San Pablo Bay and recognize the ecological importance of the lands ringing the North Bay. Having seen the restoration work already undertaken in the northern part of the Refuge, we welcome the potential provided by this bill for expanding the San Pablo Bay NWR further westward.”

 

The bill will also help protect the region’s ability to provide ecosystem services while ensuring that these areas remain open for recreational uses. Currently, much of the Bay’s tidal marshes that affect the ability to accept rainfall and purify water. Expanding the Refuge will strengthen the resiliency and assist those restoration efforts.

 

"As a decades-long resident of Sonoma County, I know how rare and precious our North Bay wetlands are, and how essential they are to a broad range of wildlife,” said Mark Green, Executive Director of CalWild. “This bill will augment and sustain the terrific work by Sonoma Land Trust and others to protect and restore these critically important habitat lands.”

 

Conservationists, land trusts, veterans and individuals have joined together to support this effort.

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