 SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- Several salt ponds in San Francisco Bay are being restored to their natural state, and scientists say it could take about 50 years.
”We would not want to have partial restoration where there’s not enough sediment to fully restore what is breeched. We want to go at a pace that will allow us to predict safely what can be achieved,” said Steven Schwartzbach, the director of the Western Ecological Research Center at the U.S.G.S.
Returning this land back to the bay is a major boost for wildlife, especially birds. “When we change the bay, we are really changing the entire Pacific flyway, so it needs to be guided by a very scientific approach,” said Schwartzbach.
The birds are a good indicator of how the restoration is going. About one million birds use San Francisco Bay for food and shelter during the winter and migratory season.
The 15,000 acres of salt ponds being restored were bought back in 2003 through a partnership of state, federal and non-profit organizations.
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KCBS' Larry Chiaroni reports
