SAVE NEWARK WETLANDS
Stand up for the future health of San Francisco Bay. Call on the Newark City Council, regulatory and resource agencies, State of California and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to permanently protect and restore (not develop!) Newark Area 4, and support its inclusion in the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Newark Area 4, a 500-acre historic bayland site, is a remarkable mosaic of wetlands, restorable wetlands, uplands and wildlife habitat that provide critical benefits to San Francisco Bay, Newark and the region. However, Area 4 is at risk of being permanently lost to development.
We urge decision-makers to do everything in their power to put a halt to the proposed development of Newark Area 4 – and instead prioritize the permanent protection, restoration and inclusion of Newark Area 4 in the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Reasons to Protect and Restore Newark Area 4 as part of the SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge
- Newark Area 4 contains over 200 acres of existing wetlands, that provide habitat for Bay wildlife species, including the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse
- Every winter thousands of waterfowl and shorebirds migrating along the Pacific Flyway rest and feed in Area 4.
- Newark Area 4 is one of the few undeveloped locations in the South San Francisco Bay that scientists have prioritized for preservation as a place where tidal wetlands can migrate inland as sea levels rise – sustaining these wetland habitats as sea levels rise is critical for the health of San Francisco Bay.
- Preservation and restoration of the Newark Area 4 marshes and tidal wetlands will sequester and store carbon from the atmosphere now and into the future
- Newark Area 4, if preserved, would provide continued flood protection for Newark and surrounding communities from storm surges and rising sea levels
- Newark Area 4, if protected, would advance outdoor equity, providing valuable open space for nearby underserved communities in Newark that currently lack sufficient access to natural lands
- As open space land that is already within a FEMA 100-year flood hazard zone and without any existing city infrastructure – Newark Area 4 is the right place for wetlands – and the wrong place for housing! In an era of rising sea levels, it doesn’t make any sense to continue placing new development, infrastructure and people in harm’s way.
