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The Restoration of Bair Island is Underway!
Latest News - August, 2009
Additional dredging this fall at the Port of Redwood City will provide more of the fill needed at Inner Bair Island as part of the restoration.
June, 2009
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has a new contractor on board to continue the massive haul of dirt that is needed to raise Inner Bair Island to the height necessary for appropriate tidal flow in the future. For safety reasons, the island remains closed to the public.
December, 2008 - "Beneficial re-use" of Port dredge materials helps with restoration effort: On the morning of December 8th, 2008, a huge “clamshell” dredge plunged into the channel at the Port of Redwood City, brought up a gigantic, soaking wet load of sediment from the bottom, and dumped it onto a barge for eventual disposal…not in the bay or the ocean, but onto Inner Bair Island as part of its ongoing restoration to tidal wetland. This ceremony officially launched a project for the “beneficial re-use” of dredge materials to help with the habitat restoration of Bair Island, part of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It’s the ultimate in recycling! Read the news release here, and read some technical information about the dredging project here.
October, 2007 - Bair Island closed during restoration: Bair Island is entirely closed to public access to allow heavy machinery to safely operate. There is a possibility of periodic weekend openings - if any such openings are scheduled, they will be posted here.
The environmental restoration of inner Bair Island is now well-underway - ultimately, the area will have new and restored wildlife  habitat (crucial for endangered species like the clapper rail and salt marsh harvest mouse!) and tidal wetlands, a rebuilt trail, observation platforms, and other amenities such as expanded parking and restrooms.
The first step in the restoration consists of bringing in over one million cubic yards of dirt to raise the island's level and create a more natural tidal wetland. Some of this dirt is being used to create levees to hold dredge material to be deposited later.
Unfortunately, during this first phase there have been numerous incidents of vandalism, cutting of barrier chains, fences, and locks, trespassing off of the marked trail, pedestrians venturing dangerously close to the trucks and earth-moving equipment, and even an incident of people riding all-terrain-vehicles on Bair Island. For these reasons, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) has decided to close Bair Island and the loop trail until further notice. The initial restoration work is expected to last from three-to-five years.
Please visit the links below for more information on the Bair Island Restoration Project.
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