The San Francisco Estuary Institute

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SFEI is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All of your contributions are therefore tax-deductible.
We welcome you to learn more about us below...

Who We Are

The San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) is one of California’s premier aquatic and ecosystem science institutes. Our mission: provide scientific support and tools for decision-making and communication through collaborative efforts. We provide independent science to assess and improve the health of the waters, wetlands, wildlife and landscapes of San Francisco Bay, the California Delta and beyond. SFEI’s 50 scientists and experts provide data, technology and tools that empower government, civic and business leaders to create cost-effective solutions for complex environmental issues--from cleaner water and sustainable communities to climate change. We have three primary programs: Clean Water, Resilient Landscapes, and Environmental Informatics.

Who We Serve

We advise federal, state and regional agencies as well as business and NGO leaders. Our partners include the Environmental Protection Agency, state and regional water boards and many land use and resource agencies.

Our Programs

Resilient Landscapes

Adapting to climate change while maintaining ecological functions vital to our communities is the challenge of our time. SFEI develops innovativeecosystem restoration, management and green infrastructure strategies that balance the priorities of healthy ecosystems and healthy communities. History is our teacher. SFEI’s Historical Ecology studies determine the original function of landscapes, helping to guide future wise management decisions.

Clean Water

Our cutting-edge water quality monitoring, data systems and assessment tools inform and empower resource managers, policy makers and citizens, with the goal of fostering effective policies to manage water quality and supply issues. SFEI’s Clean Water division administers the SF Bay Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality, tracking Bay health and assessing the effectiveness of protection efforts.

Environmental Informatics

Provides sophisticated technology and user-friendly tools that translate complex environmental data into dynamic visual presentations for governments, businesses and the wider research community. Our widely-used ecosystem tracking and assessment tools including EcoAtlas and the California Rapid Assessment Method help clients and the public understand our landscapes and watersheds, leading to smarter decision making.

 

Our History

A precursor to SFEI, known as the Aquatic Habitat Institute, was formed in 1986, after several years of discussion among organizations interested in pollutants and pollutant effects in the Estuary. Substantial contention existed at that time among water quality regulatory agencies, dischargers, and environmental advocates over the condition of the Estuary and the importance of contamination in the decline of aquatic resources. Representatives of these interests believed that management of the Estuary would be enhanced if all sides in debates over water quality policy had access to sound, objective scientific information about pollutants and pollutant effects in the Estuary. AHI was created with a broadly representative board of directors, and charged with developing scientific information valuable to water quality managers, but was prohibited from recommending water quality policies. AHI was instrumental in synthesizing existing information about pollution and pollution effects for the State Water Resources Control Board D.1485 Bay Delta Hearings and for the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, (SFEP) established through the Clean Water Act.

AHI was transformed into the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) in 1993, responding, in part, to the call in the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) developed by the San Francisco Estuary Partnership for a comprehensive, coordinated Regional Monitoring and Research Strategy to assess the chemical, physical and biological health of the Estuary. The other motivating force was a realization by AHI’s staff and Board of Directors of changes needed in order for the Institute to recognize its potential. These changes included adopting a more holistic approach to “health of the Estuary” beyond pollutant stressors on aquatic resources and creating a different organizational structure to enable the Institute to actually conduct monitoring and research programs, rather than deal entirely with compiling and synthesizing existing information. A new governance structure was formed, and the new name of the organization, San Francisco Estuary Institute, signified an anticipation of a close working relationship with the San Francisco Estuary Partnership.

While dedicated funding for implementing a comprehensive monitoring and research strategy for the Estuary has not yet materialized, over time, the Institute has strengthened its ties to the Estuary Partnership. SFEI has continued to develop programs that fit within the framework of a comprehensive monitoring and research program as envisioned by the CCMP, but has done so through obtaining grants and contracts from a broad array of federal, state, local and private sources.

The Strategic Plan

Strategic planThe Institute's latest five-year Strategic Plan was developed and released in December 2019. We welcome your review. Learn about SFEI's Mission, Vision, and future direction to accelerate progress in addressing the environmental challenges of the region and beyond.