Dutch Slough tidal marsh, halfway through development, already helping to provide safe home for salmon and other wildlife
Once eyed for thousands of homes, the recently restored Dutch Slough tidal marsh in east Contra Costa County is already flourishing as a new habitat for fish and wildlife, a living laboratory for scientists and one of the world’s strongest sinks for absorbing and storing carbon long-term.
Daphne Szutu a biometeorology researcher with the UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science uses a conductivity probe to collect data from tidal water in the Gilbert Tract of the Dutch Slough Restoration Project on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in Oakley, Calif. “We have plenty of water, plenty of sunshine, so really tall, dense vegetation can grow, and so that’s really good at capturing light for photosynthesis,” he said.
Biometeorology researchers Daphne Szutu, left, and Robert Shortt, right, with the UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science work on a flux tower in the Gilbert Tract of the Dutch Slough Restoration Project on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in Oakley, Calif. Considered the project’s visionary, Cain got involved in promoting the wetland project in the late 1990s while working for the Natural Heritage Institute. Knowing Dutch Slough land was at the mouth of Marsh Creek, filled with mineral soils and clay, the restoration ecologist understood it had not sunk as low as some other areas and could be transformed into a tidal marsh.
In 2003, the state acquired the land and the Department of Water Resources and State Coastal Conservancy began planning an environment that would encourage native wildlife and plants. Construction began in 2018, followed by planting vegetation – 25,000 tule plugs and 45,000 shrubs, trees and grasses – in 2020-21. The site was breached in late 2021 in five locations to create the tidal marsh. Another breach will happen in Little Dutch Slough some five years from now, according to Bandy.
Lynnette Williams, a UC Davis researcher who is doing near-shore fish sampling at the site, can attest to that. She has found 22 species of fish so far. “Seeing a high diversity of fish is really exciting … in the fish world, more aquatic habitat is just better.” The project includes land for Oakley to build a 55-acre regional park with public access to the shoreline, which has yet to happen. Though the city is making plans for the park, the project is not yet funded, according to city officials.
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