The ISP has reduced the net area of invasive Spartina by more than 97%, from a peak of 805 net acres in 2005 down to 20.7 net acres as of 2022 monitoring. However, at a subset of sites, treatment has proceeded slowly in a carefully phased approach to protect the endangered California Ridgway’s rail (Rallus obsoletus obsoletus).
Thanks to the rain that pummeled the Bay in early 2023, ISP project managers expect to see an increase in tidal marsh vegetation throughout the estuary, including possibly a bump in net cover of the invasive hybrid Spartina alterniflora.
As the 2022 treatment season draws to a close, our team is gratified to see the results of many years of hard work. Many of the ten heavily infested sites that were approved for treatment since 2018 have now reached a point where they are able to be treated by just a small team of applicators in a single morning as opposed to a large mobilization effort over multiple days.