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Title Description Type of Content
BayBoards The BayBoards project utilizes billboards and bus-shelters as signpost reminders of this forgotten… Project
U.S. Coast Survey Maps of SF Bay Under the direction of some of the leading American scientists of the 19th century, the United… Project
Rodeo Lagoon (Marin County) This report is submitted in the context of transportation planning and improvement of public access… Project
Historical Ecology of Lower San Francisquito Creek The primary goal of this project was to produce GIS layers and georeferenced imagery for use by the… Project
Re-Oaking “Re-Oaking” is an approach to reintegrating oaks and other native vegetation within the developed… Project
T-Sheet User Guide This guide discusses the historical maps of San Francisco Bay produced by the United States Coast… Project
San Gabriel River Historical Ecology Project The goal of this project was to use a variety of historical resources to answer the following… Project
Coyote Creek Watershed Historical Ecology Study This report synthesizes historical evidence into a picture of how Coyote Creek looked and… Project
Napa Valley Historical Ecology Study Friends of the Napa River, the Napa County Resource Conservation District, and SFEI have carried… Project
Historical Wetlands of the Southern California Coast: An Atlas of US Coast Survey T-Sheets 1851-1889 This project is the first regional assessment of the relative distribution and abundance of… Project

Publications

Title Abstract Year of Publication
Restoring Sediment Pathways: A Resilient Landscape Vision for the Adobe Creek Baylands Restoring Sediment Pathways: A Resilient Landscape Vision for the Adobe Creek Baylands synthesizes science and community priorities into a nature-based approach for improving the resilience and… 2026
Sacramento Valley Historical Ecology Study Technical Appendix 2025
A Valley Shaped by Water: Uncovering the Historical Landscape Patterns of the Sacramento Valley [ArcGIS StoryMap] 2025
Mission Bay-Tecolote Creek Historical Ecology Reconnaissance Study 2025
Guadalupe River Watershed Reassessment 2022: 10-Year Reassessment of the Ecological Condition of Streams Based on the California Rapid Assessment Method The baseline survey of ecological condition of streams within the Guadalupe River watershed was completed in 2012, and this reassessment survey was completed ten years later in 2022. The survey… 2024
Restoration Plan for the Laguna de Santa Rosa The Laguna de Santa Rosa is an expansive freshwater wetland complex that hosts a rich diversity of plant and wildlife species, and is also home to a thriving agricultural community. Since the mid… 2023
Restoration Vision for the Laguna de Santa Rosa  The Laguna de Santa Rosa, located in the Russian River watershed in Sonoma County, CA, is an expansive freshwater wetland complex that hosts a rich diversity of plant and wildlife species, many… 2020
The Historical Ecology of the Tijuana Estuary & River Valley (Restore America's Estuaries 2018 Conference Presentation) This talk was given at the 2018 Restore America's Estuary Conference in Long Beach, CA as part of a special session titled "Restoration Perspectives from the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research… 2018
Petaluma Valley Historical Hydrology and Ecology Study This study reconstructs the historical landscape of the Petaluma River watershed and documents the major landscape changes that have taken place within the watershed over the past two centuries.… 2018
Resilient Landscape Vision for Upper Penitencia Creek 2018
Building Ecological Resilience in Highly Modified Landscapes Ecological resilience is a powerful heuristic for ecosystem management in the context of rapid environmental change. Significant efforts are underway to improve the resilience of biodiversity and… 2018
Re-Oaking Silicon Valley: Building Vibrant Cities with Nature In this report, we investigate how re-integrating components of oak woodlands into developed landscapes — “re-oaking” — can provide an array of valuable functions for both wildlife and people. Re… 2017
Historical Ecology and Landscape Change in the Central Laguna de Santa Rosa This study synthesizes a diverse array of data to examine the ecological patterns, ecosystem functions, and hydrology that characterized a central portion of the Laguna de Santa Rosa during the mid… 2017
Tijuana River Valley Historical Ecology Investigation The Tijuana River Valley Historical Ecology Investigation addresses a regional data gap by reconstructing the landscape and ecosystem characteristics of the river valley prior to the major… 2017
Primary Production in the Delta: Then and Now To evaluate the role of restoration in the recovery of the Delta ecosystem, we need to have clear targets and performance measures that directly assess ecosystem function. Primary production is a… 2016
From past patterns to future potential: using historical ecology to inform river restoration on an intermittent California river Context  Effective river restoration requires understanding a system’s potential to support desired functions. This can be challenging to discern in the modern landscape, where natural… 2016
San Francisquito Creek Baylands: Landscape Change Metrics Analysis Major Findings Over the past 150 years, lower San Francisquito Creek and the adjacent baylands have been modified for the sake of land reclamation and flood control. This study focused on developing… 2016
Ecological implications of modeled hydrodynamic changes in the upper San Francisco Estuary: Phase II Technical Memorandum The physical and ecological environment of the upper San Francisco Estuary has been profoundly altered since the early 1800s. Recent efforts have utilized maps of the upper estuary’s historical… 2016
Mission Bay Historical Ecology Reconnaissance Study: Data Collection Summary and Initial Findings (Presentation) 2016
Primary Production in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: A Science Strategy to Quantify Change and Identify Future Potential 2016
Mission Bay Historical Ecology Reconnaissance Study: Data Collection Summary (Technical Report) The goals of the Mission Bay Historical Ecology Reconnaissance Study were to collect and compile high-priority historical data about the Mission Bay landscape, identify sources that could help to… 2016
Shifting Shores: Marsh Expansion and Retreat in San Pablo Bay EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As sea level rise accelerates, our shores will be increasingly vulnerable to erosion. Particular concern centers around the potential loss of San Francisco Bay’s much… 2015
Novato Creek Baylands Historical Ecology Study Project Background Over the past century and a half, lower Novato Creek and the surrounding tidal wetlands have been heavily modified for flood control and land reclamation purposes. Levees were… 2015
Mt. Wanda Historical Ecology Investigation 2015
RipZET User's Manual v1.0 2015
The Baylands and Climate Change: What We Can Do. Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals Science Update 2015 2015
The Tijuana River Valley: An Ecological Look into the Past Hot springs in the Tijuana River? Antelope by the beach? Zip-lines over the international border? Come find out what the Tijuana River Valley looked like in the not-so-distant past and how the river,… 2015
A Delta Transformed: Ecological Functions, Spatial Metrics, and Landscape Change in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta 2014
Delta Landscape Metrics: Creating a Spatial Framework to Inform Restoration Planning 2014
Northern San Diego County Lagoons Historical Ecology Investigation 2014
North San Diego County Lagoons Historical Ecology GIS data 2014
Landscape Scale Management Strategies for Arroyo Mocho and Arroyo Las Positas: Process-Based Approaches for Dynamic, Multi-Benefit Urban Channels 2014
Natural Flow Hydrodynamic Modeling Technology Support Phase 1 Technical Memorandum This technical memorandum summarizes the work to date carried out by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) to generate a bathymetric-topographic digital elevation model (DEM) of the historical… 2014
Futures Past: Exploring California Landscapes with SFEI 2014
A landscape ecology analysis of San Francisco Bay-Delta marsh then (1850) and now 2013
An Assessment of the South Bay Historical Tidal-Terrestrial Transition Zone 2013
South Bay Historical Tidal-Terrestrial Transition Zone GIS Data 2013
Landscape Patterns and Processes of the McCormack-Williamson Tract and Surrounding Area: A framework for restoring a resilient and functional landscape 2013
Alameda Creek Historical Ecology GIS Data 2013
Exploring the Traditional Use of Fire in the Coastal Mountains of Central California 2013
RipZET Python 3x User's Manual v1.0 2013
Watching Our Watersheds: Santa Clara Valley Past 2012
Building a Landscape Perspective for the Delta: Lessons from Historical Ecology 2012
Historical Ecology and Landscape-Scale Restoration. Application to the McCormack-Williamson Tract 2012
Delta Historical Ecology GIS Data 2012
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Historical Ecology Investigation: Exploring Pattern and Process The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta has been transformed from the largest wetland system on the Pacific Coast of the United States to highly productive farmland and other uses embodying California’s… 2012
Upper Penitencia Creek Historical Ecology Assessment 2012
Developing Tools for Landscape-Scale Restoration in the Delta 2012
Historical Ecology of the McCormack-Williamson Tract: A Landscape Framework for Restoration 2012
Napa Valley Historical Ecology Atlas: Exploring a Hidden Landscape of Transformation and Resilience 2012
Contra Costa County 1939 Aerial Photomosaic 2011
Habitat Characteristics of Past Delta Landscapes: Knowledge for Improving Future Ecosystem Resilience 2011
Historical Ecology of Alameda Creek: Niles Cone to Tidal Marsh 2011
Historical Wetlands of the Southern California Coast: An Atlas of US Coast Survey T-sheets, 1851-1889 2011
East Contra Costa Historical Ecology Study 2011
East Contra Costa Historical Ecology Study GIS data 2011
Historical Ecology of the Ballona Creek Watershed 2011
Historical Ecology of the lower Santa Clara River, Ventura River, and Oxnard Plain: an analysis of terrestrial, riverine, and coastal habitats 2011
Napa Historical Ecology Atlas GIS data 2011
Oak Landscapes in the Recent Past 2011
Santa Clara Valley Historical Ecology GIS Data 2011
Ventura Historical Ecology Study GIS data 2011
Historical Vegetation and Drainage Patterns of Western Santa Clara Valley: A technical memorandum describing landscape ecology in Lower Peninsula, West Valley, and Guadalupe Watershed Management Areas 2010
The Historical Ecology of Alameda Creek: recent findings 2010
Historical Delta Landscapes: Conceptual models for building a diverse and resilient future 2010
The Historical Yolo Basin Landscape: What parts make the whole? 2010
Historical Ecology of the Delta: Habitat characteristics of a fluvial-tidal landscape 2010
Historical San Francisco Bay Shoreline: Perspectives on the Past and Future 2010
Using GIS to Recreate Historical Habitat Patterns 2010
Shifting Baselines in a California Oak Savanna: Nineteenth Century Data to Inform Restoration Scenarios. For centuries humans have reduced and transformed Mediterranean-climate oak woodland and savanna ecosystems, making it difficult to establish credible baselines for ecosystem structure and… 2010
Clues on the Map: Using Historical Maps to Recreate California Indigenous Landscapes in a GIS 2009
Historical Ecology of the California Delta: Emerging Concepts of a Complex and Dynamic System 2009
Historical Significance of creosote-treated structures 2009
The Historical Ecology of Eastern Contra Costa County: Preliminary Findings 2009
The Historical Ecology of the South Santa Clara County from Coyote Creek to the Pajaro Basin. 2009
Historical Wetlands of the South Coast: Landscape Patterns at the Regional and Local Scale 2009
Reoccupying historical maps to recreate historical landscape 2009
Historical Ecology Helps Design Natural Flood Protection Strategies 2009
Historical Ecology Informing Restoration in East Contra Costa County: Wetland Restoration Opportunities on a Tributary to Brushy Creek (Souza II Property) 2009
Re-Oaking the Valleys: Bringing Native Trees Back into California’s Suburban Landscapes 2009
Historical Ecology of Lower San Francisquito Creek Phase 1 2009
The Historical Ecology of Alameda Creek: Introductory Brochure 2009
The Historical Ecology of Miller Creek 2008
The Historical Ecology of Miller Creek 2008
Pre-Modification Habitat Mosaics of the Delta: Looking to the Past to Envision the Future 2008
An Introduction to the Historical Ecology of the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve: a Tool for the Critical Coastal Area Action Plan 2008
An Introduction to the Historical Ecology of the Sonoma Creek Watershed: a Tool for the Critical Coastal Area Action Plan 2008
An Introduction to the Historical Ecology of the Watsonville Sloughs: a Tool for the Critical Coastal Area Action Plan 2008
Napa Watershed Symposium 2008
The Historical Ecology of Napa Valley: An Introduction 2008
The Historical Ecology of Napa Valley: An Introduction 2008
CMARP Phase III Technical Support: Highlighting Monitoring Activities and Recommendations for Addressing Shortfalls and Improving Monitoring Coordination in the Delta-Suisun Bay Planning Area 2008
South Santa Clara Valley Historical Ecology Study, including Soap Lake, the Upper Pajaro River, and Llagas, Uvas-Carnadero, and Pacheco Creeks 2008
South Santa Clara Valley Historical Ecology Study, including Soap Lake, the Upper Pajaro River, and Llagas, Uvas-Carnadero, and Pacheco Creeks 2008
The Historical Ecology of Contra Costa County: An Illustrated Preview and Guide 2007
The Historical Ecology of Contra Costa County: An Illustrated Preview and Guide 2007
Streams, Wetlands, and Woodlands in the Napa Valley: New Perspectives from Old Maps 2007
Streams, Wetlands, and Woodlands in the Napa Valley: New Perspectives from Old Maps 2007
Native American Management and the Legacy of Working Landscapes in California 2007
Historical Ecology of South Santa Clara County: Preliminary Findings. A Technical Memorandum to the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Conservation Plan/Natural Community Conservation Plan 2007
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