Wednesday, November 17, 2021 — 7:30 pm
Speaker: Jeanne Hammond and Lindsay Faye Domecus
San Francisco Bay is more than the geographic feature that defines our region. It is home to hundreds of types of fish, birds, and other wildlife. It provides food (it once provided a lot more). It’s an aquatic mood stone that goes from slate grey on a cloudy day to sparkling emerald and sapphire on a sunny day. (And, yes, it smells kind of bad sometimes.) Unbeknownst to many, it is the largest estuary on the West Coast of North America, in a league with Chesapeake Bay on the East Coast and the Mississippi Delta on the Gulf Coast.
Whether riding on a bike or watching birds or having a barbecue, we are fortunate to have this amazing place in our backyard. And we’re not the only ones: millions of birds use the Bay as a critical stopover point when they migrate along the Pacific Flyway each year. They get food and shelter from the Bay’s salt marshes and tidal mudflats.
But our salt marshes and tidal mudflats are under threat, not just from sea level rise but also from invasive plants. Back in the last century, well-meaning engineers planted Atlantic cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) for erosion control. Then it began to spread and damage marshes. Since 2005, the Coastal Conservancy’s Invasive Spartina Project has used airboats, genetic testing, sophisticated GIS, and a lot of hard work to push back the invasive cordgrass. In this month’s program, we will learn how hometown heroes are doing their part to address the global biodiversity crisis.
About Our Speakers
Jeanne Hammond has worked on the Invasive Spartina Project for Olofson Environmental, Inc. since 2008. She wears many hats for the project, but the main one is as restoration program manager. Before working on tidal marsh restoration projects for Olofson, Jeanne worked at Point Blue Conservation Science conducting songbird research and monitoring projects, primarily in restored riparian habitats. She has a BA in Urban Studies and Environmental Planning from UC San Diego and an MS in Natural Resources–Wildlife Management from Humboldt State University.
Lindsay Faye Domecus is an environmental biologist at Olofson Environmental, Inc. She started at Olofson as a seasonal employee in 2017 after finishing her graduate degree in Environmental Science at San Francisco State University, where she studied environmental physiology. At Olofson, Lindsay works on a variety of projects, including the Invasive Spartina Project, and spends most of her time working in the marshes of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Both Lindsay and Jeanne spend lots of time getting muddy while wearing the less-typical office attire of hip waders. They also both think that a great work day usually involves a kayak.
Upcoming Programs
December: No program (happy holidays!)
January 26, 7:30 pm (online presentation)
Wildfire in California Landscapes, with Updates from 2021 Fires
Jim Bishop, fire behavior analyst at Cal Fire (retired); longtime active CNPS member
February 23, 7:30 pm (online presentation)
Vernal Pool Ecology and Conservation
Carol Witham, botanist, environmental consultant, and educator
Our CNPS East Bay speaker programs will be presented as online meetings until it is once again safe to gather in person. If you have questions, contact Sue at programs@ebcnps.org.
