MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project is set to begin constructing 275 acres of tidal marsh habitat restoration, sea-level rise adaptation, public access, and carbon sequestration in a former salt pond adjacent to the City of Mountain View’s Shoreline Regional Park. The construction and monitoring are made possible with support from Google, which has called Mountain View home for over 25 years, as well as from other public grant programs.
Tidal marsh once lined the South Bay, cushioning shores from storms and tides and providing important habitat for native fish and wildlife. But over the course of the 20th century, approximately 85% of San Francisco Bay wetlands, over 150,000 acres, were lost to development. This project will return tidal flows to this former industrial salt pond and enable the natural reestablishment of marsh wetlands.
Google’s support of this large-scale, long-term restoration effort in southern San Francisco Bay will fund much of the estimated cost of construction at Pond A1 in the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) in Mountain View, as well as monitoring of carbon sequestration, water quality, and other environmental conditions in and around the restored marsh.
“Google’s generous support demonstrates the importance of this kind of project, both locally, in terms of habitat restoration and improvements to public access and shoreline resilience, and globally, in terms of the carbon sequestration benefits we expect in the coming years,” said South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project Executive Project Manager, Dave Halsing.
"This project expands Google’s long-standing work to create wildlife habitat across our South Bay campuses, allowing us to foster climate resilience and carbon removal while improving water quality and local biodiversity right in our own backyard," said Brid Morton, General Manager of Bay Area Real Estate and Workplace Services at Google. "We are proud to support Ducks Unlimited and the State Coastal Conservancy in the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project and contribute to the rigorous science needed to scale nature-based carbon removal globally."
Pond A1 abuts the 750-acre Shoreline Park in Mountain View, one of the region’s most popular recreational amenities. In addition to tidal wetland restoration, the project will construct a new public trail, viewing areas, and interpretive signage. The funding will also be used to assess the carbon sequestration within Pond A1, giving scientists critical information about the climate mitigation potential of tidal wetlands.
Construction is anticipated to begin late in 2026 or in 2027 and conclude in 2028, with the carbon and other monitoring extending for many years beyond that.
"Conservation takes a community,” said Jeff McCreary, Director of Western Region Operations for Ducks Unlimited, the construction management partner for the project and a recipient of the Google funding for construction. “Through support of DU’s California Wetlands Initiative, Google is uniting our citizenry and businesses in support of one of the largest wetland restoration efforts in our country. Ducks Unlimited is proud to help bring this work to life for the South Bay.”
Pond A1 is one of several restoration efforts the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project is implementing at this National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The Restoration Project breached a 435-acre pond in the Refuge’s Pond A2W in January 2026 and a 300-acre pond in the Refuge’s Ravenswood complex in December 2023.
“The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project is an ambitious, multi-decadal push to make our Bay healthier, more accessible, and more resilient to climate change. Google’s support of Pond A1 shows its commitment to the Bay Area. I am deeply grateful for their funding and excited to see this important restoration project break ground in 2027,” said Amy Hutzel, Executive Officer of the State Coastal Conservancy, which administers the project.
Additional Information About Tidal Marshes
Locally, tidal marshes provide habitat for a wide range of native birds, mammals, fish and plants, including several endangered or threatened species. They are highly productive ecosystems that support an important food chain. Marshes also improve regional water quality by filtering pollutants, which contributes to a healthier bay ecosystem overall. They also help protect human communities by absorbing flood waters and buffering against sea level rise. On a global level, tidal marshes absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) and store the carbon in soils for hundreds to thousands of years, helping offset global emissions and related impacts of climate change.
“Restoring wetlands is one of the most effective, shovel-ready, and nature-based carbon dioxide removal solutions. We’re excited to work with Google to progress this approach by revitalizing an ecosystem right here in California,” said Adina Paytan, Professor in the Departments of Earth and Planetary Sciences, UC Santa Cruz.
Similar tidal wetland restoration projects in San Francisco Bay have suggested that these high salinity wetlands have unusually high carbon sequestration potential and immediate cooling impacts on the atmosphere. However, since only a few studies have addressed these questions, Google’s funding will help expand carbon monitoring to a more comprehensive monitoring framework. “If we can quantify all the ways these wetlands sequester carbon in soils and the coastal ocean, we can build greater support for this important nature-based climate solution and pave the way for more wetland restoration in San Francisco Bay and beyond.” said Patty Oikawa, Professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Sustainability Sciences at California State University, East Bay.
The City of Mountain View is also a project partner in designing and implementing improvements to enhance protection of infrastructure and communities. Related city infrastructure improvements in raising levees and adding erosion protection will be integrated into this construction effort, reducing costs, disruption, and environmental impacts. The added public access trails and viewing areas help people get close to and more easily experience nature, especially by adding connections to the city’s Shoreline Regional Park.
“The City of Mountain View is proud to be a partner with these agencies on the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, which will help mitigate sea-level rise, provide habitat restoration, and offer wildlife-oriented public access and recreation right here in Mountain View,” said Mayor Emily Ann Ramos. “The City has shown a strong commitment to environmental efforts, sustainability, and climate change mitigation, so we could not be more pleased with this generous donation from Google that will benefit our environment, community, and region.”
Other Background Information
The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project is the largest tidal wetland restoration project on the West Coast. It is a collaborative effort of federal, state and local agencies – for more information, please visit www.southbayrestoration.org. The South Bay Salt Ponds were acquired in 2003 from Cargill Inc. in a deal brokered by the late Senator Dianne Feinstein, a long-time champion of the restoration effort. The 15,100-acre transfer is the largest single acquisition in a larger campaign by multiple partners to restore 40,000 acres of lost tidal wetlands to San Francisco Bay.
Media Contact
Molly Jarone
Regional Communications Coordinator
Western United States Region
Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing wetlands, grasslands and other waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has restored or protected more than 20 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science, DU’s projects benefit waterfowl, wildlife and people in all 50 states. Learn more at www.ducks.org.
