Baylands Ecosystem Species and Community Profiles was released in January by the San Francisco Bay Area Wetlands Ecosystem Goals Project. This 408-page, large format publication contains the life histories and environmental requirements of more than 100 key species of fish and wildlife that live in the baylands, as well as descriptions of the habitats that support them. The report is a companion to the Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals Report that came out in March 1999. The Goals Report presented a vision for the types, amounts, and distributions of habitats that are needed to sustain healthy and diverse populations of fish and wildlife in the San Francisco estuary. We know we're not supposed to mix editorial content with advertising, but it's difficult not to comment on the ad placed by the Muir Heritage Land Trust on page 37.
Habitat loss is the number one cause of loss of wildlife.
Development, roads, and even fencing that cuts wildlife off from their natural habitats are all to blame. Like other land trusts, Muir Heritage works to preserve natural habitats and raises money to purchase conservation easements. The Muir Heritage Land Trust is interested in saving open space everywhere, but focuses primarily on Contra Costa County. This is done through the acquisition of agricultural conservation easements that prohibit subdivision and non-agricultural use forever. Because farms make up 40 percent of the total acreage of Marin County and produce 20 percent of the Bay Area's milk, this is vital work.