Sears Point Tidal Wetland Restoration Project

Status In-progress County Sonoma
Project Type Non-mitigation Location 38.13249° N, -122.45844° W Map
Project Area (Acres) 1,106 Last Updated 6 December 2023
Project Abstract The project goals were to restore 960 acres of tidal marsh; enhance up to 40 acres of seasonal wetlands; enhance 15.5 acres of CA red-legged frog habitat; enhance over 900 acres of upland grasslands, vernal pools, and riparian drainages; and construct 2.5 miles of the Bay Trail and up to 3.5 miles of additional trails.
Project Groups San Francisco Bay Adaptation | San Francisco Bay Joint Venture | San Francisco Bay Joint Venture Project Tours
Administrative Region San Francisco Bay Joint Venture - Jemma Williams, SFBJV

Project Identification

IDType
481 JV - Record Number
02-49-C0078 SWRCB - 401 Certification Letter (e.g., Site Number or WDID)

Habitat Plan

Site NamePhaseActivitySubActivitiesHabitatSubHabitatAcresActivity StatusWater Regime
Dickson Ranch Site Acquisition Acquisition/Preservation/Protection Agriculture Hay No Data Completed
North Point Joint Venture Property Acquisition Acquisition/Preservation/Protection Agriculture Hay No Data Completed
Sears Point Implementation Restoration (unspecified) Vegetation Management, Water Management Bay Habitat (SFBJV Only) Tidal marsh 960.0 Implementation in-progress Mixed
Sears Point Implementation Enhancement Seasonal Wetland Unknown/Unspecified 146.0 Completed Seasonal non-tidal

Related Habitat Impacts

Impact Project NameHabitatAcres LostType of Loss
No Data

Sites

NameStatusAcres
Dickson Ranch Site Completed No Data
North Point Joint Venture Property Completed No Data
Sears Point In-progress/Implementation 1,106
Shoreline Erosion Adaptative Management Project Construction completed No Data

Events

DateTypeDescriptionSite Name
2015-12-31 Project end date
2015-10-25 Levee breach
2009-01-01 Groundwork start estimated
2007-02-01 Project start date
2005-01-01 Phase end Dickson Ranch Site
2004-01-01 Phase end North Point Joint Venture Property

People

TypeNameOrganizationDepartment
Contact Julian Meisler Sonoma Land Trust Not applicable/Unknown

Funding

PhaseActivityFunderAmount
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) WCB Wildlife Conservation Board $5,000,000
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) CDOT California Department of Transportation $2,941,492
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency $2,441,941
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) SCC State Coastal Conservancy $2,400,000
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) USDT Public Land Highway Discretionary $2,250,000
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service $1,500,000
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) CDWR Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan $1,262,500
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) USFWS North American Wetlands Conservation Act $1,000,000
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) USFWS National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Program $1,000,000
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) Sonoma Land Trust $400,000
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) Ducks Unlimited, Inc. $400,000
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) CDFW California Department of Fish and Wildlife $365,000
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration $350,000
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) San Francisco Bay Trail $200,000
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) San Francisco Foundation Bay Fund (historic funding program) $150,000
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) Cosco Busan Fund $110,000
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) USFWS Coastal Program at San Francisco Bay $50,000

Related CRAM Assessments

Visit DateVersionSite NameWetland TypeIndex Score
2022-03-08 6.1 Lakeville 2022 - Lower Reach AA riverine non-confined 65
2022-03-08 6.1 Lakeville 2022 - Upper Reach riverine non-confined 69

Performance Criteria

StatusDetailsEvaluation Date
More than 50% criteria met Test Project Performance Criteria 2009-01-11
Name File Type Submitted On Submitted By
2015 Video about the Sears Point Restoration Project Other 2017-03-17 Jemma Williams, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture
Featured by the USFWS Council of Migratory Birds Other 2016-11-22 Jemma Williams, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture
Final Design Other 2023-10-12 Jemma Williams, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture
Sears Point Wetland and Watershed Restoration Final Preliminary Plan Plan Or Permit 2022-09-06 Jemma Williams, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture

How to Use the Habitat Development Curve

Habitat Development Curves (HDCs) are used to determine the developmental status and trajectory of on-the-ground projects to create, restore, or enhance California wetland and stream habitats. Each HDC is based on assessments of habitat condition for different age areas of one habitat type that in aggregate represent the full spectrum of habitat development. The assessments of condition are provided by expert applications of the California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM). Visit the CRAM website for more information about CRAM.

For each HDC, reference condition is represented by areas of a habitat that consistently get very high CRAM scores, have not been subject to disruptive management practices, and exist within landscapes that are protected and managed for their natural conditions. The horizontal lines intersecting the top of an HDC represent the mean CRAM score and standard deviation of scores for 25 qualifying reference areas.

The age of a project is estimated as the elapsed time in years between the groundwork end date for the project and the date of the CRAM assessment. To add or update a groundwork end date, use the Project Events form in Project Tracker (ptrack.ecoatlas.org). The minimum age in years of a non-project area, including any natural reference area, is estimated from all available local information, including historical maps and imagery, historical written accounts, and place-specific scientific studies of habitat development.

An HDC can be used to address the following questions:

  1. At what time in the future will the area of assessed habitat achieve the reference condition or other milestones in habitat development? The HDC can answer this question if the CRAM score for the assessed area is within the confidence interval of the HDC. The answer is the time in years along the HDC between the current age of the assessed area and the future date corresponding to the intersection of the HDC and the reference condition or other milestone.
  2. Is the area of assessed habitat likely to develop faster, slower, or at the same pace as most other areas of the same habitat type? The habitat area is likely to develop faster, slower, or at the same pace if the CRAM score for the area is above, below, or within the confidence interval of the HDC, respectively.
  3. What can be done to improve the condition of the habitat area or to increase its rate of development? HDCs by themselves cannot answer this question. Possible answers can be inferred by the following analysis that involves HDCs:
    1. Examine the HDC for each of the four CRAM Attributes;
    2. Identify the Attribute(s) scoring below the HDC;
    3. For any low-scoring Attribute, examine the component Metric Scores (note: the Metric Scores for any public CRAM assessment in the CRAM database can be obtained through EcoAtlas);
    4. Assume the low score of an Attribute is due to its low-scoring Metric(s);
    5. Consider modifying the design or management of the habitat area in ways that will sustainably increase its score(s) for the low-scoring Metric(s).

For more information about CRAM Attributes and Metrics, including their scientific rationale, see the CRAM Manual.

Display Habitat Development Curves For Wetland Type:

CRAM Site Scores