Suisun Marsh

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Located in central California the Suisun Marsh is the largest saltwater marsh on west coast of the United States of America. The marsh land is part of the Suisun Bay tidal estuary, and subjected to seasonal flooding. The marsh is home to many species of birds and other wildlife, and is formed by the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers between Martinez and Fairfield, California and several other smaller watersheds. The marsh is considered the western boundary of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta as well as part of the San Francisco Bay estuary.

The Suisun Marsh is named for the Suisunes who inhabited the area around 200 years ago.

Suisun Marsh, 84,000 acres of land, bays, and sloughs, is one of the largest estuarine (where fresh and salt water meet) marshes in the western United States. Rush Ranch is a 2070 acre ranch bordering Suisun Marsh that was acquired for wildlife habitat and public access to the marsh by the Solano County Farmlands and Open Space Foundation in 1988.

Geologically, Suisun Marsh is the product of the deposition of water-borne sediments carried by the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers to San Francisco Bay. This process, the weathering of the parent rock of the Sierras, transport of the weathered material via rivers, and ultimate deposition into San Francisco Bay, has taken place over thousands of years and has resulted in the patchwork nature of the marsh.

Originally, Suisun Marsh was a vast stretch of unbroken tidal wetland, alternately flooded and drained with the rise and fall of the tides. From the 1850's until 1970, however, this area was used primarily for agriculture, made possible by the construction of channels, levees and dikes to hold the salt water back from cultivated land. Eventually, even these measures proved ineffective in keeping the salt water out and large-scale cultivation ceased. Most of the marsh was then purchased by public and private interests as habitat for ducks and geese, mainly to support hunting. The dedication of duck hunters to maintenance of the marsh for waterfowl lead to strong provisions in legislation authorizing major dams and diversions upstream that made sure enough fresh water is provided to keep Suisun Marsh from becoming too saline. Salt marshes are much less productive of waterfowl (and other wildlife) than brackish water marshes. Today Suisun Marsh supports a diversity of fish and wildlife, including a large population of river otters, a number of native fish species, and birds ranging from marsh wrens to white pelicans.Rush Ranch has only been recently acquired and is managed for both historicand wildlife values, so still retains a ranch-like character. However, its wildlife habitats are being enhanced and many marsh plants and animals can be seen here.

Another "public" part of the marsh is Grizzly Island Wildlife Areawhich managed primarily for waterfowl, although over 230 species of birds have been seen here as well as many mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and fish. Grizzly Island has an unusually dense population of river otters, which can be seen swimming in its numerous sloughs, ponds, and roadside ditches. In the fall the tule elk are breeding, so the bugling of bull elk can be heard, especially in the early morning and evening. Unfortunately, it is off-limits for the non-hunting public during the fall because it is dedicated then to duck and pheasant hunting.

From the website of: Peter B. Moyle

Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology at University of California, Davis

[edit] References

• Moyle, Peter B., Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, November 18, 2006.