Environmental Values

“Research by ornithologists…indicates the ponds are not merely convenient habitat for shorebirds; they are absolutely essential.”

Quiet, protected, rich in nutrients: all of San Francisco Bay’s remaining active salt ponds lie within the boundaries of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, providing essential habitat for an estimated 1 million native and migratory shorebirds and waterfowl belonging to 70 different species.

While wildlife managers and government scientists live out their dream of designing a wetland mosaic on 16,500 acres of de-activated salt ponds surrounding the South Bay, they won’t be altering the 9,000-acre salt pond system that forms the core of the original Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

These active salt ponds formed the nucleus of the first urban national wildlife refuge in the country when they were selected for purchase in 1978. Cargill retained perpetual operating rights on these ponds, and they have served a dual purpose as a refuge and salt production facility ever since.

Remaining in active salt production, these ponds stretch along the Hayward/Fremont shoreline. Most of these ponds were put into production more than a century ago. Over that time, they have sustained an assortment of creatures, great and small, from the Great Blue Heron to tiny brine shrimp and micro-algae that color the ponds rich red and dark golden. At the same time, they have powered the San Francisco Bay solar salt industry and provided wildlife-rich vistas enjoyed by more than 1 million people each year. These include visitors to the Refuge and nearby Coyote Hills Regional Park, drivers crossing the Dumbarton Bridge, and the intrepid sailors, fishermen and kayakers of the South Bay.

As government wildlife managers continue to monitor the environmental vitality of the economically productive salt ponds they will, in fact, be developing more salt ponds throughout the new mosaic of wetlands they create. These new salt ponds will be managed solely for wildlife purposes in an effort to continue to support the 700,000 sand pipers and other wading birds now dependent on salt pond habitat.

The Salt Pond Ecosystem
Associated Habitat
Protected Species
Restoration Project
Starting the Process
A History of Cooperation