About San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay was designated a Ramsar wetland of international importance on World Wetlands Day, February 2nd, 2013, the 35th US site and 7th in the state of California. Already identified as one of only 13 "Hemispheric Reserves" certified by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, the Bay has also been noted as a high priority area for waterfowl by the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, and with its coastal estuaries includes several "Important Bird Areas" identified by the National Audubon Society.
San Francisco Bay is the largest estuary on the Pacific Coast of the US, encompassing approximately 40,000 acres or 61 square miles. During the annual Pacific Flyway migration, hundreds of thousands of shorebirds stop to refuel here along with over 20 percent of the diving ducks that fly great distances between their breeding and wintering habitats in the Bay and nearby coastal wetlands.
These global designations give testimony to the importance of the Bay to a variety of birds, but of course they aren't the only ones who come to the Bay Area for its natural resources! A majority of the 7+ million people living in the Bay Area poll strongly in favor of protecting the Bay and over the years have demonstrated time and time again a commitment to its stewardship.
In our resources section we provide information on all the services wetlands provide to both people and animals. The San Francisco Bay joint Venture is proud to be charged with the task of helping to restore a variety of wetlands habitats throughout the entire watershed which includes the upper watershed, the Baylands and the adjacent Coastal regions.
