The San Francisco Bay Trail Project recently announced the release of new Bay Trail maps. The six maps cover 230 miles of completed trails for walkers, skaters and bicyclists. Details of each route include directions, distance, trail surface, points of interest, and parking and transit information.The maps replace 1994 versions; they are available as a set of six for $15 or individually for $4, including tax and shipping.
Maps may be ordered online at http://www.baytrail.org or from the Association of Bay Area Governments at 510-464-7900.
The California State Coastal Conservancy's Invasive Spartina Project (ISP) has selected several sites around the Bay Area for demonstration projects to eradicate non-native cordgrass species. The species of Spartina native to San Francisco Bay is being supplanted by the four invasive species, resulting in alterations to tidal marshes, mudflats and creeks, and significantly affecting habitat for many wetlands birds and other wildlife. Over the past 25 years, introduced Spartina species have spread to an increasing number of wetland habitats and marsh restoration sites throughout the Bay.
To address this rapid spread of invasive cordgrass, the ISP was formed in 2000 as a regionally coordinated project, funded by the CALFED Bay-Delta Program, US Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the California State Coastal Conservancy. The project includes outreach, research, mapping, monitoring, and the proposed demonstration projects to test ways of eliminating the non-native Spartina.
In 2000-2001, ISP conducted an extensive survey of the shoreline in the Bay to determine the current distribution of introduced Spartina species. The data was integrated into a GIS system, and analyzed to assess the feasibility of eradication and develop a regionally coordinated control strategy. Possible eradication techniques include burning, cutting or selective use of herbicides.
Public informational workshops were held at the end of May for an Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Review on the proposed sites and methods for Spartina eradication. The draft document is available on the ISP Website. Identification brochures showing each of the invasive types of cordgrass are also available, as well as extensive photos showing the impacts of invasive Spartina on the Bay Area's ecology.
For more information: http://www.spartina.org; Patrycja Bossak, Project Manager, CA Coastal Conservancy, 510-286-0319 or Peggy Olofson, Project Director, 510-681-5371.
A non-technical guide to invasive wetland plants, including Spartina, has been produced by the San Francisco Estuary Project. Titled A Practical Guidebook to the Identification and Control of Invasive Aquatic and Wetland Plants in the San Francisco Bay-Delta Region, the guide was funded by the CALFED Bay-Delta Program and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The booklet covers fifteen of the most serious invasive plants in the region, with excellent identification photos and information on methods available for their control. The guide is available on the Web at http://www.sfei.org/nis/ for viewing or downloading.