page_title: Richmond, California
section_title: Environment
hierarchical_section_title: Richmond, California / Environment
caption_attribution_description: English: River otter swimming in San Francisco Bay stop to sun themselves on rocks at Richmond, CA Marina
context_page_description: Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905 and has a city council. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area's East Bay region, Richmond borders San Pablo, Albany, El Cerrito and Pinole in addition to the unincorporated communities of North Richmond, Hasford Heights, Kensington, El Sobrante, Bayview-Montalvin Manor, Tara Hills, and East Richmond Heights, and for a short distance San Francisco on Red Rock Island in the San Francisco Bay. Richmond is one of two cities, the other being San Rafael, California, that sits on the shores of both San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay.
  During Gayle McLaughlin's mayoralty, Richmond was the nation's largest city with a Green Party mayor. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the city's population was 103,710, making it the country's second-largest city named Richmond. The largest is Richmond, Virginia.
context_section_description: Richmond is home to many species of animals. Canada geese visit the city on their annual migrations. Harbor seals live in the Castro Rocks, and pigeons and gulls populate the sidewalks and parking lots. Tadpoles and frogs can be found in the local creeks and vernal pools. Field mice and lizards are also found. Herons and egrets nest in protected areas on Brooks Island. Deer, falcons, raccoons, ducks, foxes, owls, and mountain lions live in Wildcat Canyon and Point Pinole Regional Shoreline.
  A license is needed for fishing on the waterfront or city waters but not on the piers, where in addition to crabs, sturgeon are plentiful and manta rays may also be found. Striped bass, bat rays, leopard sharks, surf perch, jacksmelt, sturgeon, white croaker, and flounders are also found. Richmond is one of the few places where you can find the rare Olympia oyster on the west coast, in the polluted waters along the refinery's shoreline. Rainbow trout have recently returned to San Pablo and Wildcat creeks.
  Red-tailed hawks patrol the skies. Monarch butterflies migrate through the city on their journey between Mexico and Canada. Wildcat Marsh has two ponds where Canada geese often rest, and is also the home of the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse and California clapper rail. Another endangered species in the city is the Santa Cruz tarweed which survives alongside Interstate 80. Wildcat Canyon also hosts falcons and vultures. Threatened black rails also live in the city's marshes.
  After a baby grey whale was beached on the Point Richmond shore in May 2007, its rotting corpse became bothersome to neighbors. It took a while to remove it since various agencies argued over which would have to pay for it. It ended up costing $18,000.
  Richmond is also home to one of the last pristine moist grassland habitats in the entire Bay Area at the former Campus Bay UC Berkeley Field Station near Meeker Slough. Richmond residents, however, have limited access to other environmental benefits. Because of the refineries located in Richmond, air quality is particularly low, and residents are especially at risk of air-pollution-related health issues.
  In 2006 the city was sued by an environmental group for dumping raw sewage into the Bay. Councilmember Tom Butt was very vocal on the subject accusing the city council of turning a blind eye to the problem.
  Mayor McLaughlin has set a goal of installing five megawatts of solar photovoltaic generation in Richmond.
caption: Otters at the Richmond Marina.
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