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Seasoning Sonoma

Sonoma rancher Fred Dickson says rain doesn't pond up in his hayfields for long if he can help it. Dickson's land is adjacent to Sonoma Baylands - 322 acres of similar hayfields slated for tidal wetland restoration. The restoration project, though endorsed by Clinton himself this December as an answer to Oakland's dredging disposal problems, has been criticized for not addressing the potential loss of seasonal ponds. But Dickson says that even with the 1993 rains, ponding occurred on his ranch and the Baylands for no more than five days and covered no more than 2-5 percent of the land.

Sparking the debate over whether or not ponds occur in the area was a recent U.S. Fish & Wildlife demand that the restoration project include seasonal wetlands mitigation. A somewhat exasperated California Coastal Conservancy, the Bayland's sponsor, responded to the Service's demand by proposing a new berm around the entire project perimeter, which would allow water to pond in a 100-foot-wide, 26-acre area. Despite this concession, the Conservancy and other key agencies continue to believe the mitigation unnecessary. In a recent letter to the Army Corps, the Conservancy documents how pumping to promote hay growth, as well as low migratory bird counts, show little historic ponding in the area. The brouhaha over the mitigation issue has divided project supporters, to the extent that State Resources Secretary Doug Wheeler recently wrote to Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt urging him to intervene "to prevent collapse of the project."

Contact: Laurel Marcus, Coastal Conservancy (510)286-4164

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