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Cargill Salt lauded for wetland support SOUTH CITY |
By Rebekah Gordon, STAFF WRITER
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Cargill Salt and federal and state resource agencies were honored for cooperating in restoring 16,500 acres of South San Francisco Bay salt ponds, the biggest coastal wetland project on the west coast. Coastal America, a Washington D.C. conglomerate of federal agencies, recognized the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project for its successful public-private partnership in working toward preserving the coastland, which stretches from the San Mateo Bridge to south of the Dumbarton Bridge. "What's really important about this project is the size and scale and location," Virgina Tippie, Coastal America's director, said. The project was among nine winners nationwide chosen by James L. Connaughton, chairman of the White House's Council on Environmental Quality. The team was honored in part for Cargill's succesful donation and sale to the government of the land, valued at $243 million, said Cargill spokeswoman Jill Singleton. The land became available as Cargill made its operations more efficient. Negotiations for the land transfer were led by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. "Everybody named on the award is very deserving of it," said Natalie Cosentino-Manning, a marine ecologist and restoration specialist for the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's Restoration Center , which is introducing fish into the habitat. The team also was recognized for its Initial Stewardship Plan to lower the salinity of the ponds to make them habitable for wildlife, meet regulatory requirements and prepare the area for long-term restoration. "We've succesfully stopped making salt, and the ponds are ready for restoration," said Clyde Morris, manager of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay Wildlife Refuge and overseer of the introduction of birds and other wildlife. Waterfowl and shorebird use already has increased 100 precent, Morris said. The project intends to allow for public hiking and biking trails and wildlife-oriented recreation such as birdwatching and angling, as well as provide for flood managment. Long term restoration will begin in 2008 and take decades, Morris said. Other honorees were the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the California Resources Legacy Fund, the California Department of Fish and Game and Sen. Feinstein.
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