ABSTRACT
With the creation of the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge in 1972, the trajectory of marsh development began to point along a different course, leading eventually to the current salt ponds restoration project, which implies that the ultimate “highest and best use” of the Bay marshlands is to return them to a more natural form and function. But as the restoration project moves forward, it must accommodate several differing goals: rewilding some ponds by breaching levees and allowing tidal fl ow to return, creating habitat for several endangered marsh species; continued management of additional ponds to provide habitat for shorebirds and other wading species; and the very human-centered goals of fl ood protection while providing recreational spaces around the Bay. The resulting restored landscape will likely be an eclectic mix of wild and managed space, yet the concept of “restoration” does not easily acknowledge the continuing role of human intervention, instead implying a return to a more natural state.
