After two decades of restoration work, a crucial Bay Area habitat returns to its original natural beauty

MARTINEZ It took million and years to restore the acres of Pacheco Marsh the historic saltwater marshland just northeast of downtown Martinez where Walnut Creek flows into the Carquinez Strait Now kayakers paddle through tidal currents past native wildflowers and coyote brush while young families and seniors plod along nearly miles of flat paved trails and pedestrian bridges while migratory birds fly overhead a peculiar juxtaposition of concrete steam and steel on the horizon from the first Bay Delta project stewarded by the John Muir Land Trust Griffin Berry of Castro Valley uses his binoculars to observe wildlife as his mother Erin Griffin middle and Jessica Gavello left of Concord look on during the Pacheco Marsh opening event in Martinez on Saturday May The -acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Visitors tour the Pacheco Marsh and all its foliage during opening event in Martinez on Saturday May The -acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Visitors stand on the watercraft launch dock as they tour the Pacheco Marsh during the opening event in Martinez on Saturday May The -acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Show Caption of Griffin Berry of Castro Valley uses his binoculars to observe wildlife as his mother Erin Griffin middle and Jessica Gavello left of Concord look on during the Pacheco Marsh opening event in Martinez on Saturday May The -acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Expand But the property located at Waterfront Road off Interstate once served as dumping ground for sand mined near Alcatraz Island and offloaded by boat where it would be dried in basins not dissimilar to the salt ponds further south before being shipped to a cement factory While not as hazardous as the multiple refineries and chemical plants that dot the Suisun Bay s industrial shoreline the land weathered decades of dysfunction Once again influenced by the tides the functional ecosystem is a crucial transitional habitat home to the endangered saltwater harvest mouse and other terrestrial wildlife that flourished along the newly constructed dendritic canals after the last levee holding sea water at bay was broken in October of Its undulating topography was built from sediment dredged from the creek below and now provides food nutrients and refuge for an estimated of fisheries species Visitors Jerry Johnson left and Mike Conrad both of Martinez carry their kayaks back to the parking lot after paddling for about two miles along the creeks during the Pacheco Marsh grand opening in Martinez Calif on Saturday May The -acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group By correcting this byproduct of s maturation that redirected the flood-prone water s flow with concrete Pacheco Marsh is designed to soften the blow of circumstances change and sea level rise Linus Eukel who has served as John Muir Land Trust s executive director for nearly years declared there was never anticipation that the dirt left over from s improvement would ever be restored to its original natural beauty let alone be valued at million It had been diked and damned and de-watered entirely very scarred with industrial use Eukel explained adding that the project s largest part critical obstacle was decommissioning the creek from the Army Corp of Engineers thanks to then-Representatives Mike Thompson and and George Miller and a vote of Congress Had that not been resolved the restoration would have never happened within our lifetimes A male and female mallard duck fly over the Pacheco Marsh during the grand opening to the citizens in Martinez Calif on Saturday May The -acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Visitors tour the Pacheco Marsh during its grand opening to the constituents in Martinez Calif on Saturday May The -acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Visitors begin the tour of the Pacheco Marsh during its grand opening to the society in Martinez Calif on Saturday May The -acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Visitors tour the Pacheco Marsh during its grand opening in Martinez Calif on Saturday May The -acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Visitors tour the Pacheco Marsh during its grand opening in Martinez Calif on Saturday May The -acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Show Caption of A male and female mallard duck fly over the Pacheco Marsh during the grand opening to the populace in Martinez Calif on Saturday May The -acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Expand Dozens of group members trekked out to the park May to celebrate its quiet yet lively grand opening As kayakers ventured through the -mile aquatic loop plenty of stayed on dry ground walking along the park s nearly miles pf winding paved trails ADA compliant designs that welcome young families and seniors alike Eukel declared while the restoration community access and conservation project started with an unusually smooth foreclosure sale in the final million price was hit with inflated construction costs during the design engineering and re-design of the marsh restoration including feet of aluminum bridges that span the unstable bay mud without sinking Decades after the John Muir Land Trust first partnered with Contra Costa County flood district agents and the East Bay Regional Park District to acquire the property Eukel explained Pacheco Marsh will be conserved as an idyllic respite for both wildlife and the population for years to come If it s preserved protected and well stewarded the benefits that accrue from that are an order of a great number of magnitudes greater than the effort that went into it more and more people can use it and it never gets used up Eukel disclosed It s a whole different perspective there s harbor seals and birds you can see the Benicia-Martinez Bridge s infrastructure and all of the industry around it that all comes together to encouragement our being able to live in this area Supervisor Shanelle Scales-Preston declared Pacheco Marsh is transformational for both wildlife and residents of District lauding the numerous group partners that worked alongside the John Muir Land Trust to provide equitable access to a natural buffer from the stresses of day-to-day life We re not just celebrating land we re celebrating legacy Scales-Preston reported This is a sanctuary