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Where
Rivers Meet the Sea
The new San Francisco Bay National
Estuarine Research Reserve, headquartered at the University's
Romberg Tiburon Center (RTC), was officially dedicated in October.
Established to restore tidal marshes and protect estuarine habitat through
research, monitoring and educational programs, the SF Bay Reserve includes
coastal habitats in two sites: China Camp State Park in San Rafael and
the Rush Ranch Open Space Preserve in Solano County.
Estuarine habitats -- the areas where fresh water rivers, streams and
creeks meet salt water seas -- are rich with plants and animals that are
essential to both land- and marine-based ecosystems. Tidal wetlands play
an important role in flood prevention and sediment management and are
home to small mammals, migratory birds and fish species, many of which
are threatened or endangered.
The Reserve is a partnership among the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, California Department of Parks and Recreation, Solano
Land Trust, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission,
and SFSU, with RTC as managing partner.
-- Ellen Griffin
 
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