Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Historical Ecology Investigation

Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Historical Ecology Investigation PDF

Author: Alison Whipple

Publisher:

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13: 9780615942186

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"This historical reconstruction documents patterns of variation and extent of habitat types throughout the Delta for improved understanding of species support functions and controlling physical processes within the native landscape. Knowing how different parts of the vast historical Delta looked and functioned provides needed information for future restoration strategies. Given the extensive changes to the Delta, the goal of the project is not to create a literal template from which to recreate the historical Delta. Rather the objective is to understand how large-scale restoration can support an ecosystem in the future Delta that reflects functions to which native species are adapted. This involves recognizing physical gradients along which ecosystems can adapt as the Delta continues to change." -- project web site.

A Delta Renewed

A Delta Renewed PDF

Author: Julie Beagle

Publisher:

Published: 2016-11-01

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9780990898573

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This report offers guidance for creating and maintaining landscapes that can provide desired ecological functions for decades to come. Based on extensive research into how the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta used to function, how it has changed, and how it is likely to evolve, we make recommendations for how to re-establish the dynamic natural processes that can sustain native Delta wildlife as healthy populations into the future. The approach, building on work others have piloted and championed, is to restore or emulate natural processes where possible, establish an appropriate configuration of habitat types at the landscape scale, and use multi-benefit management strategies to create a more viable Delta ecosystem that can adapt and continue to provide valued functions as the climate changes. This approach is designed to integrate with the human landscape: ecosystem improvements as a part of a robust agricultural economy, water infrastructure and diversions, and urbanized areas. Strategic restoration which builds on the history and ecology of the region can contribute to the strong sense of place and recreational value of the Delta in the future.

Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta

Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta PDF

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2012-10-01

Total Pages: 270

ISBN-13: 0309256224

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Extensively modified over the last century and a half, California's San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary remains biologically diverse and functions as a central element in California's water supply system. Uncertainties about the future, actions taken under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) and companion California statues, and lawsuits have led to conflict concerning the timing and amount of water that can be diverted from the Delta for agriculture, municipal, and industrial purposes and concerning how much water is needed to protect the Delta ecosystem and its component species. Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta focuses on scientific questions, assumptions, and conclusions underlying water-management alternatives and reviews the initial public draft of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan in terms of adequacy of its use of science and adaptive management. In addition, this report identifies the factors that may be contributing to the decline of federally listed species, recommend future water-supple and delivery options that reflect proper consideration of climate change and compatibility with objectives of maintaining a sustainable Bay-Delta ecosystem, advises what degree of restoration of the Delta system is likely to be attainable, and provides metrics that can be used by resource managers to measure progress toward restoration goals.

A Delta Transformed

A Delta Transformed PDF

Author: San Francisco Estuary Institute

Publisher:

Published: 2014-10-27

Total Pages: 152

ISBN-13: 9780990898504

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Recent state policy sets ambitious goals for ecosystem restoration in the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta. The Delta Plan and California Water Code, as well as other regional documents, identify the need to go beyond small-scale habitat restoration to create larger functional landscapes of interconnected habitats. Yet there is little quantitative guidance available to help design the complex spatial systems that are likely to achieve these goals. This report provides the first analysis of ecological landscape metrics in the pre-disturbance and contemporary Delta to help define, design, and evaluate functional, resilient landscapes for the future.