John Muir Land Trust Announces Acquisition of Point Buckler

Contact: Linus Eukel, Executive Director
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29-Acre Island in Suisun Marsh Will Be Permanently Protected and Restored as Vital Habitat

John Muir Land Trust (JMLT, jmlt.org) announces the purchase of Point Buckler, a 29-acre island situated in Suisun Marsh, the largest contiguous, brackish marsh on the west coast of North America and a vital part of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta estuary. This acquisition is the latest milestone in JMLT’s Bay Delta Campaign, an initiative to conserve land in an ecosystem that protects clean water and preserves essential habitat for 700 species of California fish and wildlife. More than 25 million state residents depend on the Delta for drinking water, and the system supplies water to millions of acres of farmland.

The Bay Delta’s biologically rich ecosystem serves as a migration corridor for salmon and other anadromous fish. Extensive environmental restoration is needed at Point Buckler to restore a vital passageway. An unauthorized levee constructed a decade ago blocks all tidal channels. The levee has killed marshland vegetation and prevents sensitive fish species from entering the channels to forage for food. JMLT is launching a multi-year campaign to raise additional funds needed to remove the levee and restore the island back to health.

“Point Buckler is one of three islands that form the last points of passage for fish moving to and from the Pacific Ocean, Carquinez Strait, and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River systems,” said Linus Eukel, Executive Director of JMLT. “John Muir Land Trust and many conservation partners are working to protect and restore the Bay Delta after decades of harmful human activity. At Pacheco Marsh, JMLT is reversing a century of harsh industrial abuse. In May we’ll open it as a unique opportunity for nature lovers to experience a salt marsh ecosystem firsthand. Last month JMLT acquired Hoover Ranch, a 600-acre haven for native waterfowl and bird species that migrate along the Pacific Flyway. Acquiring Point Buckler is the latest accomplishment in JMLT’s decades-long commitment to protecting one of the most important ecosystems on the continent.”

“This is the best outcome we could have hoped for,” said Eileen White, Executive Officer for the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. “It is a win for all Californians that an organization with the qualifications and track record of John Muir Land Trust is now entrusted with the permanent protection and restoration of Point Buckler as critical wildlife habitat. A healthy Bay Delta region is essential to California’s fresh water quality and supply. Point Buckler is now in very good hands.”

JMLT purchased the Point Buckler property with a credit bid of $3.8 million on January 23rd at a public auction conducted by the Solano County Sheriff’s Office. A decade ago the former owner constructed an unauthorized levee without permits or approvals from the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board and other agencies, resulting in an enforcement case to reverse negative impacts to wetlands considered among the most severe in the region. On December 11, 2024 the Superior Court of the State of California assigned credit rights in the case to JMLT.

“An opportunity to return to its natural state a place as ecologically important as Point Buckler is rare,” said Eukel. “Next steps for JMLT are developing detailed plans for restoration, fundraising for its implementation, and then getting to the work of removing the levee and thereby restoring the island’s tidal marsh ecosystem. This is vital to the health of California’s native fish populations that spawn in fresh water upriver and live adult lives in the ocean. The restoration will take years, but today the Bay Area conversation community is cheering its official start.”

Additional Media

California Water Board, Media Release: New path forward: Point Buckler Island sold to John Muir Land Trust for environmental restoration

Local News Matters, San Francisco Bay’s Point Buckler Island sold at auction for $3.8M to John Muir Land Trust

About JMLT’s Bay Delta Campaign

Few conservation priorities are as important as restoring and protecting the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. As a top strategic initiative for John Muir Land Trust (JMLT), the Bay Delta Campaign seeks to protect threatened places essential to the health of vital freshwater and marine ecosystems. The region is an environmental, economic, and cultural resource with almost no equal. Nearly half of California’s migrating waterfowl and shorebirds pass through the Bay Delta. Its salt marshes provide essential habitat for most fisheries species. This is the hub of California’s water supply, as it provides fresh water to millions of residents and to farms at the heart of the country’s food supply.

About John Muir Land Trust

John Muir Land Trust (JMLT) protects and cares for open space, ranches, farms, parkland and shoreline in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. In a generation, John Muir Land Trust has become one of the leading forces for conservation in northern California. With over 4,600 acres protected, many beautiful places in the East Bay are permanently preserved for recreation, wildlife habitat, and spectacular scenic views. JMLT believes that the vitality of our open spaces is essential to the health of our earth, air, water, native plants and animals — and all of us.