Why Wetlands Matter

Wetlands are ecosystems integral to protecting wildlife populations, maintaining water quality, and the mainland itself. Learn more about why this matters.

Support Wildlife

Plant life

Healthy plants are essential to healthy wetlands. They provide food and shelter for animals, filter out and absorb pollutants, and contribute to biodiversity.
Resources for animals:
- Food source for Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse, various bird species
- Decaying plant material feeds small fish, snails, crabs
- Grasses provide nesting grounds for birds
- Provide shelter from predators and waves
Filtration:
- Some plants can transform harmful chemicals like mercury and oils to less harmful materials
- Act as a physical barrier—plastics and mud are prevented from flowing out into the Bay where they can do more damage
- Absorb excessive nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus which stem from fertilizers
Threats to plant life
- Pollution (trash is what we are fighting against)
  - Microplastics degrade water quality, and plants cannot filter them out fast enough
  - Larger plastics cover up patches of plants, killing them
- Competition
  - Invasive plants use up the limited nutrients and space available in the wetlands, edging out native species. Invasive species also disrupt ecosystems, reduce biodiversity, and weaken wetland structure.
By removing trash from entering the wetlands, we can contribute to the overall health of plant life and thus the ecosystem around it.

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Plant highlight:
Salicornia Pacifica

Salicornia Pacifica, commonly known as pickleweed, sea asparagus, and sea beans, is a succulent native to the wetlands in the San Francisco Bay. Able to tolerate water conditions too salty for most plants, it is occasionally eaten by humans due to its salty and crunchy taste. Pickleweed notably is a species that the endangered and endemic Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse relies upon for food and shelter.

Animal Life

Animals in the wetland range from insects, juvenile fish, and shorebirds, making the wetlands an ecosystem with a high biodiversity

Can ingest harmful plastics

Impacted by human disruption (dog walking, boats, etc.)

Animal Highlight: Ridgway’s Rail

The Ridgway’s Rail is an endangered shorebird that lives in the San Francisco Bay salt marshes. These birds rely on the marshland for nesting and feeding, and they serve as an indicator species for the overall health of the marsh ecosystem. Protecting their habitat from trash and pollution is crucial for their survival.