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Welcome to the Restoration Web Page for the Giacomini Wetland Restoration Project.
We are just ending Year 7 in the restoration cycle and have been excited to see the many changes the past year had in store for us. Year 5 was a special anniversary for this project, marking the final year of post-restoration monitoring and restoration, and we celebrated accordingly, hosting field seminars, volunteer events, and an anniversary celebration event on Saturday, October 26, 2013. We are seeing increases in ducks and several breeding bird species relative to previous years, sightings of bald eagles and otters, and establishment by California red-legged frog, a federally threatened species, and Tidewater goby, a federally endangered species, in one of our mitigation wetlands. Tidewater goby has also moved into Lagunitas Creek and adjacent tributaries. This resident estuarine fish that prefers brackish water conditions had not been documented in this creek since 1953. The plant community is also rapidly changing into a salt marsh, and rare plants are spreading rapidly into the new marsh habitat. Learn more about these changes in our articles on this section of the website (click on a link above to learn more about the topic), or you can read our recently completed five-year comprehensive monitoring report (4,304 KB PDF), which summarizes all of changes observed in the Giacomini Marsh since restoration.
Is Restoration Work Really Complete? Most of the construction has been completed, but the Seashore and PRNSA intend to continue fundraising efforts to expand or continue active restoration efforts in the Giacomini Ranch and Olema Marsh. In addition, many areas subject to invasive plant removal in 2008 will require subsequent re-treatment in future years to ensure eradication, with active revegetation conducted when eradication is successful. Perennial pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium) is a highly invasive weed that has completely taken over many tidal high marsh habitats in San Francisco Bay and threatens to take over the Giacomini Wetlandsy, eliminating the value of these critically important areas for native plant and wildlife species. Control of this species is difficult, because it spreads both through abundant seed production and rapid spread of underground rhizomes. Eradication using manual methods is problematic, because disposal of flowering stalks or underground rhizomes has the strong potential to spread the species, if not handled very carefully. Even with careful manual removal, the plant will often re-grow and flower again. The park has attempted manual removal of pepperweed on three separate years prior to 2015, but the areal extent of the species only increased. For this reason, the species is occasionally controlled using chemical means, which has been shown to be very effective in eradicating the species in other natural areas. During the summer of 2012, various crews of contractors were out removing non-native invasive species from the wetlands and surrounding uplands. In the winter of 2012–2013, additional revegetation will be conducted in specific areas of the restored wetland to continue to improve habitat quality. You can help be part of the restoration effort by volunteering! See information below. 
Photograph and information courtesy of Louis Jaffé, Point Reyes Station
Not Just a Local Treasure Anymore Giacomini Wetlands isn't just a local treasure anymore. A visiting reporter from the New York Times returned to Point Reyes Station to find the former Giacomini Ranch greatly changed. Follow this link to learn how flooding and ebbing of the tides gave him a new perspective on time and life. What's Happening with the Restoration? Water, Water, and More Water: The Newly Restored System Continues to Evolve Hydrologically -- Content for this page was composed by Lorraine Parsons, Project Manager, Giacomini Wetland Restoration Project, Point Reyes National Seashore Adobe® Acrobat Reader® is needed to view PDF documents. |
Last updated: October 8, 2022