Posts Tagged ‘Wetlands’

Vanishing Tidelands

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Most of the tidelands in San Francisco Bay have been diked or filled. In the South Bay, tidal salt marshes were turned into salt ponds. View this segment to learn

  • how different the Bay shoreline used to be.
  • how tidal marshes were exchanged for grasslands and salt ponds.
  • about solar salt production in the South Bay.

Download the Viewing Guide for pre- and post-viewing discussion questions, activities, and additional resources to use with students.

Restoring San Francisco Bay

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Agencies and organizations are currently working to restore tidal marsh around San Francisco Bay. View these segments to learn

  • how historical ecologists use a variety of historical documents to piece together how an ecosystem used to function for restoration purposes.
  • how dredge material is moved to the Hamilton Field Restoration Project to fill in subsided lands and restore tidal marsh.
  • about the restoration of the South Bay salt ponds.
  • about the importance of San Francisco Bay to migrating birds.

Download the Viewing Guide for pre- and post-viewing discussion questions, activities, and additional resources to use with students.

Discovering San Francisco Bay

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Upon reaching the San Francisco Bay, Spanish explorers came upon the largest inland network of tidal wetlands and marshes they had ever seen. View these segments to learn

  • how Portolá discovered the San Francisco estuary by mistake.
  • how the appearance of the San Francisco Bay Area has changed dramatically since its discovery.
  • why the San Francisco Bay–Delta region is one of the most productive ecosystems in the western Americas.

Download the Viewing Guide for pre- and post-viewing discussion questions, activities, and additional resources to use with students.