Pacheco Marsh
Thanks to generous donors and funding partners, the Pacheco Marsh restoration and public access project will open to the public in Spring 2025. The finished project will include 2.4 miles of trails (including a wheelchair accessible trail), elevated vistas, bird blinds, a kayak launch, and an outdoor classroom, along with thousands of native plants that support the thriving marsh and its wildlife.
JMLT's project partner, Contra Costa County Flood Control District (CCCFCD) completed the habitat restoration after the 2021 levee breach that allowed the waters of Suisun Bay to flow back into restored channels. The returned tidal flows and native habitat support migrating birds, spawning fish, and the threatened salt-marsh harvest mouse.
Recovering a Vital Ecosystem
Generations ago, the Bay Delta supported abundant upstream freshwater marshes and downstream salt marshes and mudflats. These served as vital pathways for migrating birds and fish species that spawn in inland streams and live adult lives in the ocean. Salt marshes provide essential food, nutrients, refuge, and nursery habitat for an estimated 75 percent of fisheries species. Human activity has resulted in the loss of more than 90% of historic tidal wetlands.
Pacheco Marsh is JMLT's first project in the Bay Delta. This project provides a special opportunity for community access, education, and recreation that will inspire the next generation of those who love our lands and waters.
Recreation
JMLT's public access project has ensured myriad ways to explore this wonderful marshland while protecting the natural environment. Bird watchers and outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy 2.4 miles of trails and bridges, including a wheelchair-accessible trail, offering up-close views of nature while protecting the marsh’s full-time wildlife residents. The kayak launch will support a unique 2-mile loop through the marsh, providing water lovers with an immersive, fascinating tour of the marsh and Suisun Bay.
Photo: Adam Weidenbach
Natural Solutions For Community Needs
Salt Marshes protect shorelines from erosion and protect nearby communities during periods of intense rain and flooding. The thoughtful design of Pacheco Marsh will allow for changes in climate, including sea level rise.
Education
Pacheco Marsh will include trails and an outdoor classroom where students will explore and learn about the history of the region and the importance of restoring and caring for Pacheco Marsh and similar shoreline environments throughout the Bay Delta. The stunning contrast of —thriving habitat surrounded by a stark industrial backdrop. The towers of oil refineries can be seen in the distance while tankers pass underneath the parallel spans of the Benicia-Martinez Bridge to the north. The entire history of the shoreline can be experienced in this one remarkable place.
The Pacheco Marsh restoration and public access project is made possible by our project partners and the generosity of JMLT donors and funders.
Association of Bay Area Governments
California Department of Fish & Wildlife
California Department of Parks and Recreation, Proposition 68
California Climate Investments
California State Coastal Conservancy
Department of Water Resources, State of California
Marathon
Metropolitan Transportation Commission
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Resources Legacy Fund
San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority, Measure AA
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Wildlife Conservation Board, State of California
News about Pacheco Marsh
John Muir Land Trust Receives $2 Million Grant from California State Parks for Pacheco Marsh
August 22, 2022
Press Release
Dramatic Levee Breach Is Major Milestone in $24.5 Million Restoration of Pacheco Marsh and Lower Walnut Creek
October 29, 2021
Press Release
Levee break at Pacheco Marsh marks completion of first phase of restoration
October 29, 2021
Bay City News Foundation
East Bay levee breached after 100-year closure in effort to restore rare wildlife to marshland
October 29, 2021
ABC7 News
Dramatic Levee Breach Is Major Milestone in $24.5 Million Restoration of Pacheco Marsh and Lower Walnut Creek
October 13, 2021
Media Alert
Donor Spotlight: Jan Berckefeldt
June 7, 2021
