Right now, the San Francisco Bay-Delta watershed is more important than ever. This rich national treasure ranges from the salty waters beneath the Golden Gate to the brackish waters of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and contains over 90% of the state’s remaining coastal wetlands. The estuary’s vast upstream watershed drains more than 40% of California’s land mass, including the freshwater streams of the Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges.
Sadly, over the years, the San Francisco Bay has lost half of its freshwater inflow to
upstream diversions; the Bay has shrunk by a third and only about 25% of its original wetland, riparian, and tidal mudflat habitat remains.
From the plankton, shellfish, and wetland plants that support a rich ecosystem to the kaleidoscopic beauty of the Chinook salmon and the playful North American river otter—so much wildlife depends on the habitats in the Bay-Delta to survive.
For 30 years, The Bay Institute has worked to preserve and restore the Bay-Delta, and for us to continue our critical workwe need your support.
With your assistance, we can:
Promote a Healthy San Francisco Bay-Delta
Ecosystem by working to secure the strongest new water quality standards in a generation. Your support will help us win new protections that increase vital freshwater flows, eliminate harmful pollutants, and require more efficient use of our water resources—actions that are essential for the survival of the myriad of plants and animals that are unique to the Bay-Delta;
Protect the Bay Area from Sea Level Rise by promoting large-scale wetland restoration as a way to reduce the risk of catastrophic flooding from rising sea levels. Your support will help us to restore 100,000 acres of tidal marsh—which will not only protect communities at risk, but also provide habitat for the Bay-Delta’s endangered marsh species; and
Implement a new Coast and Ocean program that focuses on the outer estuary and adjacent coastal waters, which are critical ecological components of the Bay-Delta ecosystem. Your support will help us grow our successful campaigns advocating for marine protected areas, sustainable seafood, and eliminating plastics and debris from our waters.The Bay Institute has been a trusted voice for the Bay for more than three decades, and will continue to work towards restored and healthy ecosystems. Your gift today, big or small, allows us to address these critical issues –
please donate at www.bay.org/giving/donate.
Thank you for supporting our vital work to protect and restore the Bay.
Warm regards,
Steven Machtinger
Chair, Board of Directors
PS—As you may know, we now partner with Aquarium of the Bay to provide free environmental education and outreach in the Bay Area. Visit us at www.aquariumofthebay.org.
