Dutch Slough Tidal Marsh Restoration

The Dutch Slough project is a large-scale tidal marsh restoration, habitat enhancement and open space preservation project in the rapidly urbanizing area of eastern Contra Costa County. The 1,166-acre site was purchased in 2003, and adaptive management interventions were planned as experiments to study how the ecosystem functions and how best to achieve the restoration objectives. The project aimed to restore the biodiversity of native aquatic species and freshwater marsh species, revegetate open ponds and shorelines, and restore the riparian plant woodland communities. Trials, wildlife viewing platforms, and community parks are planned to offer recreational benefits.