Lawmakers Look To Expand San Pablo Bay Wildlife Refuge

SAN PABLO BAY, CA — Draft legislation that would expand the San Pablo National Wildlife Refuge to include 6,934 acres of adjacent baylands owned by the state of California and the nonprofit organization, Sonoma Land Trust was released for public review and comment Tuesday by U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, alongside U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman and U.S. Rep. Thompson.

The "San Pablo National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act" would not affect private land ownership or local land use decisions in any way and expressly prohibits the use of eminent domain by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to expand the National Wildlife Refuge, Garamendi's office said.

"Conserving California's special places has been a lifelong passion throughout my tenure in the state legislature, as Deputy Secretary of the Interior to President Clinton, and now as a member of Congress representing Solano County," Garamendi said. "San Pablo Bay is one of those special places, and I welcome the public's comments as we work to restore the saltmarshes and conserve these critical baylands for future generations of Californians. Expanding the National Wildlife Refuge is part of my ongoing work in Congress to support the redevelopment of historic Mare Island for Bay Area residents and visitors alike, while revitalizing its shipbuilding industry."

The San Pablo National Wildlife Refuge currently encompasses 24,390 acres, much of which is over water. The proposed 6,934-acre expansion would increase the National Wildlife Refuge’s acreage by more than 28 percent, supporting President Joe Biden’s “America the Beautiful” National Conservation Goal to protect and conserve at least 30 percent of the lands and waters in the United States by 2030 and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s similar conservation goal for the State of California, according to Garamendi's office.

Sonoma Land Trust "strongly supports the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act, which will provide extra protection for our natural infrastructure and critical habitat," according to Eamon O'Byrne, executive director of Sonoma Land Trust.

"The expansion aligns with our climate resilience strategy and our commitment to protect and restore 10,000 acres of tidal wetland habitat in the Sonoma Baylands by 2028," O'Byrne said. "Expanding the acquisition boundaries is consistent with the Sonoma Creek Baylands Strategy, which guides our wetland acquisition and restoration work in the Baylands. We are very grateful to Rep. Garamendi for his leadership and support of expansion of the acquisition boundaries of this critically important Refuge that provides climate resilience for North Bay communities, habitat for migratory birds, endangered species, and other wildlife, and recreational opportunities for Bay Area residents."

The approximately 6,934 acres of state-owned and privately owned conservation land proposed for addition to the San Pablo National Wildlife Refuge are as follows:

The Coastal Conservancy applauds "this bill that creates a pathway for future expansion of the San Pablo Bay Wildlife Refuge," according to Doug Bosco, chair of the board of directors, California State Coastal Conservancy.

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a long and distinguished history of land stewardship in the San Francisco Bay and has been a champion for protecting increasingly threatened habitats," Bosco said. "Expanding the Refuge to encompass the 2,500-acre Hamilton Airfield/Bel Marin Keys Unit V sites would support the long-term health of the North Bay’s interconnected wetland habitats, create greater opportunities for public recreation within the Refuge, and protect these lands in perpetuity for future generations."

To date, the expansion is also endorsed by the California Waterfowl Association.

The proposed expansion would direct the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to enter cooperative agreements with state agencies like California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife to manage the federal National Wildlife Refuge and nearby state conservation lands at landscape scale within the San Pablo Bay watershed.

As with all National Wildlife Refuges, the draft legislation ensures that federally owned land within the expanded San Pablo National Wildlife Refuge boundary remains open to the public for outdoor recreation including hunting and fishing where permitted.

“The San Pablo Bay Wildlife Refuge is home to some of the North Bay’s most vital habitats – serving as a safe haven for threatened species, increasing the region’s climate resiliency, and providing outdoor recreation opportunities for folks in the Bay Area," Huffman said. "As a time-tested proponent of land conservation, I think this area is the perfect candidate for expansion. Our nation’s public lands belong to all of us, so we want to use this discussion draft to make sure everyone’s voices are heard as we work on expanding this National Wildlife Refuge. I’m looking forward to seeing the public’s feedback and further developing this legislation with Representatives Garamendi and Thompson."

For fiscal year 2023, federal law allocates more than $104 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to purchase land or conservation easements from willing sellers.

These funds complement the more than $88 million from the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund available under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to expand the National Wildlife Refuge System. These funds are available to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to purchase land or conservation easements from willing sellers in the Napa River and Sonoma Creek watersheds, which drain into San Pablo Bay.

“California is home to some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, and conserving our land is vital to the health and longevity of our region,” Thompson said. “San Pablo Bay is an essential part of the Bay Area, and protecting the saltmarshes and baylands is a priority for lawmakers and communities around the bay. The San Pablo National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act would secure additional lands to be conserved for generations to come, and I look forward to working with Reps. Garamendi and Huffman to hear from our constituents about the proposed expansion."

View the full discussion draft legislation.

See the full map of the proposed boundary expansion.

Members of the public may submit their feedback on the discussion draft legislation by Dec. 12 to Garamendi's office via the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge Act Survey.