San Francisco Bay

Goodbye to “Rough Fish”: Paradigm Shift in the Conservation of Native Fishes

American Fisheries Society (AFS) | July 21st, 2021

While sometimes difficult to admit, perspectives of European and white males have overwhelmingly dominated fisheries science and management in the USA. This dynamic is ex

While sometimes difficult to admit, perspectives of European and white males have overwhelmingly dominated fisheries science and management in the USA. This dynamic is exemplified by bias against “rough fish”—a pejorative ascribing low-to-zero value for countless native fishes. One product of this bias is that biologists have ironically worked against conservation of diverse fishes for over a century, and these problems persist today. Nearly all U.S. states retain bag limits and other policies that are regressive and encourage overfishing and decline of native species. Multiple lines of evidence point towards the need for a paradigm shift. These include: (1) native species deliver critical ecosystem services; (2) little demonstration that native fish removals deliver intended benefits; (3) many native fishes are long-lived and vulnerable to overfishing and decline; and (4) fisher values and demographics shifting towards native fish conservation. Overall, existing native fish policies are unacceptable and run counter to the public trust doctrine where government agencies manage natural resources for public use. We encourage agencies to revisit their policies regarding native fishes and provide suggestions for developing more holistic, protective, and inclusive conservation policy.

Governing Nature: Bambi Law in a Wall-E World

Social Science Research Network (SSRN) | January 28th, 2021

Humanity has disrupted many of the fundamental processes that shape nature worldwide. Virtually no places remain unchanged. Many ecosystems have moved far from their hist

Humanity has disrupted many of the fundamental processes that shape nature worldwide. Virtually no places remain unchanged. Many ecosystems have moved far from their historic conditions and no longer support native species or traditional human uses. In the Anthropocene, a new geologic era dominated by the human impact on Earth, these problems will continue to get worse. In response, humans are intervening in ecosystems at a massive scale. This Article argues that, even as humanity engages in an unprecedented level of ecosystem management, existing environmental governance structures are ill suited to manage this new nature. Ecologists who focus on restoring ecosystems have begun to abandon efforts to recreate idealized historical ecosystems, recognizing that such efforts will fail. Instead, they embrace new approaches that acknowledge continuing human impacts and seek to shape impacted habitats in a way that benefits both human and other life. This Article examines the new ecological approaches, using their migration of purpose and approach to illuminate ecosystem management in the Anthropocene and the new obligations it places on environmental law. To sharpen this focus, the Article considers three case studies of managed ecosystems, detailing the extent to which humans are controlling nature. The case studies suggest that the existing literature seriously underestimates the magnitude of the questions society will soon face. The Article concludes that although we face the daunting prospect of reshaping the very fabric of nature, we lack the governance structures to decide what shape it should take. Society will need environmental law governance that can answer fundamental questions about humanity’s role in managing nature at all scales. This Article proposes several starting principles to encourage legal scholars to address this need.

Governor's Commission to Review California Water Rights Law Summary Final Report

State of California | December 1st, 1978

Grand Challenges to Delta Science: Planning for Science in a Dynamic System (Draft)

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | May 23rd, 2024

The Delta Science Program is in the process of updating the Delta Science Plan for the third iteration. The Delta Science Plan is a collaboratively developed plan, stipul

The Delta Science Program is in the process of updating the Delta Science Plan for the third iteration. The Delta Science Plan is a collaboratively developed plan, stipulated in the Delta Plan, that aims to provide the vision, principles, and approaches for coordinating Delta science actors and communicating the outcomes of science activities and their management implications to decision-makers.

Green Infrastructure Planning for North Richmond Pump Station Watershed with Green Plan-IT

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | November 1st, 2018

Contra Costa County and the City of Richmond, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP), are required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructu

Contra Costa County and the City of Richmond, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP), are required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to reduce mercury and PCB loads in stormwater runoff from each jurisdiction. This project used GreenPlan-IT, a planning tool developed by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) and regional partners, to identify feasible and cost-effective GI locations within the North Richmond Pump Station watershed (an unincorporated community of Contra Costa County and partial jurisdiction of the City of Richmond) to support the development of GI Plans for permit compliance. 

Green Infrastructure Planning for the City of Oakland with GreenPlan-IT

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | July 2nd, 2018

The City of Oakland, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP), is required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to red

The City of Oakland, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP), is required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to reduce stormwater mercury and PCB loads. This project used GreenPlan-IT, a planning tool developed by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) and regional partners, to identify feasible and cost-effective GI locations within the City boundary to support the development of GI Plans for permit compliance.  GreenPlan-IT comprises four distinct tools: (a) a GIS-based Site Locator Tool that combines the physical properties of different GI types with local and regional GIS information to identify and rank potential GI locations; (b) a Modeling Tool that is built on SWMM5 to establish baseline conditions and quantify anticipated runoff and pollutant load reductions from GI implementation; (c) an Optimization Tool that uses an evolutionary algorithm to identify the best combinations of GI types and numbers of sites within a study area for achieving flow and load reduction goals; and (d) a Tracker Tool that tracks GI implementation and reports the cumulative programmatic outcomes for regulatory compliance and other communication needs. 

Green Infrastructure Planning for the City of Richmond with GreenPlan-IT

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | November 1st, 2018

The City of Richmond, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP), is required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to re

The City of Richmond, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP), is required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to reduce stormwater mercury and PCB loads. This project used GreenPlan-IT, a planning tool developed by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) and regional partners, to identify feasible and cost-effective GI locations within the City boundary to support the development of GI Plans for permit compliance.  GreenPlan-IT comprises four distinct tools: (a) a GIS-based Site Locator Tool that combines the physical properties of different GI types with local and regional GIS information to identify and rank potential GI locations; (b) a Modeling Tool that is built on SWMM5 to establish baseline conditions and quantify anticipated runoff and pollutant load reductions from GI implementation; (c) an Optimization Tool that uses an evolutionary algorithm to identify the best combinations of GI types and numbers of sites within a study area for achieving flow and load reduction goals; and (d) a Tracker Tool that tracks GI implementation and reports the cumulative programmatic outcomes for regulatory compliance and other communication needs. 

Green Infrastructure Planning for the City of Sunnyvale with GreenPlan-IT

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | July 2nd, 2018

The City of Sunnyvale, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP),is required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to re

The City of Sunnyvale, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP),is required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to reduce stormwater mercury and PCB loads. This project used GreenPlan-IT, a planning tool developed by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) and regional partners, to identify feasible and cost-effective GI locations within the City boundary to support the development of GI Plans for permit compliance.  GreenPlan-IT comprises four distinct tools: (a) a GIS-based Site Locator Tool that combines the physical properties of different GI types with local and regional GIS information to identify and rank potential GI locations; (b) a Modeling Tool that is built on SWMM5 to establish baseline conditions and quantify anticipated runoff and pollutant load reductions from GI implementation; (c) an Optimization Tool that uses an evolutionary algorithm to identify the best combinations of GI types and numbers of sites within a study area for achieving flow and load reduction goals; and (d) a Tracker Tool that tracks GI implementation and reports the cumulative programmatic outcomes for regulatory compliance and other communication needs. 

Green Plan-IT Application Report for the East Bay Corridors Initiative

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | November 1st, 2018

Regional planning of Green Infrastructure (GI) is an important aspect of building in or retrofitting GI and other green spaces across municipal jurisdictions. This level

Regional planning of Green Infrastructure (GI) is an important aspect of building in or retrofitting GI and other green spaces across municipal jurisdictions. This level of planning allows for GI to be implemented according to natural boundaries and builds important partnerships across municipalities. The East Bay Corridors Initiative is a unique partnership across 13 jurisdictions, county and regional agencies, as well as community groups and businesses to plan new housing, create job opportunities, and improve parks and streets with linkages to essential services (ABAG 2016). The Initiative covers a large swath of the East Bay of San Francisco Bay, CA from Rodeo in the North to Union City in the South and focuses on Priority Development Areas (PDAs) and transportation linkages. In addition to the above focus, the Initiative will also look at opportunities for GI implementation across the Corridor. The Resilience priority within the Initiative focuses on sustainable infrastructure including regional GI implementation, green streets, and stormwater/flooding mitigation (ABAG 2016). The objective of this project was to use GreenPlan-IT, a planning tool developed by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI), to identify feasible GI locations within the East Bay Corridor footprint. Results from the application of the Site Locator Tool will be used to: 1) identify potential green infrastructure projects for the Corridor’s sustainable infrastructure planning efforts, including the development of information for municipal and regional GI Master Plans and Stormwater Resources Plans; and 2) potentially help comply with municipal Stormwater Permit requirements.  GreenPlan-IT is a planning level tool that was developed over the past five years with strong Bay Area stakeholder consultation and designed to support the cost-effective selection and placement of green infrastructure in urban watersheds through a combination of GIS analysis, watershed modeling, optimization techniques, and data visualization. Structurally, GreenPlan-IT comprises four standalone tools: (a) a GIS-based Site Locator Tool that combines the physical properties of different GI types with local and regional GIS information to identify and rank potential GI locations; (b) a Modeling Tool that is built on EPA’s SWMM5 (Rossman, 2010) to establish baseline conditions and quantify anticipated runoff and pollutant load reductions from GI sites; (c) an Optimization Tool that uses a cost-benefit analysis to identify the best combinations of GI types and number of sites within a study area for achieving flow and/or load reduction goals; and (d) a tracker tool that is used to track GI implementation and report the cumulative programmatic outcomes for regulatory compliance and other communication needs. The Toolkit package, consisting of the software, companion user manuals, and demonstration report, is available on the GreenPlan-IT web site hosted by SFEI. 

GreenPlan-IT Tracker

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | June 14th, 2018

This technical memo describes the purpose, functions, and structure associated with the newest addition to the GreenPlan-IT Toolset, the GreenPlan-IT Tracker. It also sh

This technical memo describes the purpose, functions, and structure associated with the newest addition to the GreenPlan-IT Toolset, the GreenPlan-IT Tracker. It also shares the opportunities for further enhancement and how the tool can operate in concert with existing resources. Furthermore, this memo describes a licensing plan that would permit municipalities to use the tool in an ongoing way that scales to their needs. The memo concludes with a provisional roadmap for the development of future features and technical details describing the tool’s platform and data structures. About the GreenPlan-IT Toolkit Municipalities across the state and beyond are carefully planning and implementing green infrastructure in their developed landscape to restore key aspects of the natural water cycle. Green infrastructure helps to achieve stormwater attenuation and contaminant filtration by increasing the pervious surfaces in often sophisticated ways. Additionally, green infrastructure features, as city dwellers have come to realize, demonstrate multiple benefits in addition to improving surface porosity, such as peak, volume, and load reductions, urban heat island mitigation, traffic calming, carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat, natural aesthetics, and others. The benefits are substantial, but so are the potential costs. GreenPlan-IT helps planners to make smart decisions in the types and locations of green infrastructure, minimizing effort and cost while maximizing the effectiveness of the public and private investments. GreenPlan-IT modules are focused on green infrastructure planning and assessment, including the Site Locator Tool, Modeler, and Optimizer tools. Together the modular toolkit can be used to take a city from a position of not knowing where to consider GI placement (a daunting position given the MRP C3 and C11/12 requirements), to a plan that includes a list and map of feasible locations and a map of baseline flow and pollutant load conditions, and a selected optimal set of placement locations for achieving flow and load reductions at minimal cost. Now, with the advent of the GreenPlan-IT Tracker, there is also a web based tracker for quantifying and communicating the locations, types, and treatment areas of GI installations (the outputs of all the planning efforts) and quantifying the peak flows, volumes, and loads reduced (the outcomes of all the implementation and cost expenditure that the community is asking for).