Wetlands Regional Monitoring Program

Wetlands landscape view

Collaborative Science for Healthy Wetlands

The Wetlands Regional Monitoring Program (WRMP) is convening stakeholders from a broad range of backgrounds and expertise to develop a regional monitoring program plan for wetlands in the Bay Area. This program will help to implement Action 8 in the Estuary Blueprint, and will help local, regional, state, and federal agencies evaluate the effectiveness of efforts to sustain healthy aquatic habitats and resources.

SFEP Staff of the WRMP

Sasha Harris-Lovett

Sasha Harris-Lovett

Lead Environmental Scientist

Alex Thomsen

Alex Thomsen

Environmental Scientist

THIS PROJECT ADVANCES THE FOLLOWING ESTUARY BLUEPRINT GOALS AND ACTIONS

Goals

Habitats and Living Resources

Resilience

Water Quality and Quantity

Stewardship

Actions

Action 8

FUNDERS

US Environmental Protection Agency Region 9, Wetland Program Development Grant and Water Quality Improvement Fund

Program Structure

The WRMP is co-administered by SFEP and the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI). Its work is collaboratively driven by Committees representing a wide range of stakeholders:

  •  The WRMP Steering Committee is a consensus-based decision-making body that guides the overall priorities of the Program. All recommendations and information from various groups in the WRMP governance structure ultimately flow to the Steering Committee to inform and support its decision-making.
  • The WRMP Technical Advisory Committee is an advisory body that provides technically sound guidance to the Steering Committee. The Technical Advisory Committee implements the Scientific Framework developed initially in the WRMP Plan, which is subject to update over time.
Program structure of the WRMP
WRMP Plan cover

An ambitious regional program to monitor tidal marsh habitat in the San Francisco Estuary

The San Francisco Estuary restoration community is working rapidly to protect and restore wetlands that can provide flood protection, recreation, water quality improvement, and habitat for surrounding communities. In order to meet a regional target of 100,000 acres restored by 2030, close coordination is needed between land managers, scientists and regulators. The WRMP will improve wetland restoration project success by putting in place regional-scale monitoring increasing the impact, utility and application of permit-driven monitoring to inform science-based decision-making. Once in place, the WRMP will be a robust, science-driven, collaborative regional monitoring program that includes:

  • Monitoring site network
  • Open data sharing platform
  • Comprehensive science framework

Visit the Wetlands Regional Monitoring Program website for more information, including guiding documents, Steering Committee and Technical Advisory Committee meeting schedules, and more.