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Get your wetlands fix on Highway 37
Wetlands tend to be more subtle, which makes them easy to take for granted. And that is a shame because wetlands play a vital role in the health of San Francisco Bay. Bay Area Joint Venture, a Novato-based environmental group, hopes to raise the visibility and appreciation of those wetlands by taking advantage of the fact that Highway 37 cuts through thousands of acres of wetlands from Novato to Vallejo. People making that drive can download the group's free 20-minute audio tour that brings those wetlands to life (www.yourwetlands.org). Bay wetlands are teeming with life, which is why it is so important to preserve and restore them. Groups such as the Bay Area Joint Venture are close to successfully restoring some 30,000 acres of wetlands along Highway 37. Tens of thousands of acres of wetlands were lost to farming and development. Those wetlands included tidal marshes, tidal flats, vernal pools, streams and creeks. Most people don't know that Highway 37 is the only stretch of highway in the Bay Area that goes through wetlands areas. It even is known as the "North Bay fly highway" because of the migratory birds who frequent those wetlands. The importance of those wetlands received a boost a few years ago when an Indian tribe proposed building a large casino at the top of the bay near Highway 37 and Lakeville Highway. Opposition to the casino, which is now planned for Rohnert Park, also generated support for wetlands preservation. This audio tour is a painless way to expose people to wetlands - drivers don't even have to slow down, much less get out of their vehicles. The tour can be burned on a CD or played on an iPod. The audio tour describes wildlife and wetlands features in addition to restoration efforts. It is designed to be used in either direction on Highway 37. The project's worthy goal is to make people driving that stretch more informed about wetlands, which will then translate into more public support for wetlands restoration. Creators are hopeful that motorists, whether they be race fans headed to Infineon Raceway at Sears Point or wine lovers, will use some of their time on the road to learn more about the wetlands they are driving through. "We thought this would be a good way to let people know about the wetlands," explained Caroline Warner, Joint Venture's outreach coordinator. She's right. The tour is a good idea, one that uses technology to increase awareness of an underappreciated, but important, part of our environment. |
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