Ruth Askevold
Ruth Askevold, MA
Design Manager
Design and Communications
Resilient Landscapes Program
510-746-7341
Ruth Askevold is Design Manager at the San Francisco Estuary Institute. She has over twenty years of experience in geographic information systems, remote sensing, and cartography. Her experience includes project management, spatial analysis, and information design. Ruth is also trained in graphic and cartographic design, working as a senior designer for Lonely Planet Publications. She is experienced in using historical maps and photographs to assist in visualizing the past, and designs historical ecology publications and educational material at SFEI. She has provided consultation and developed exhibit content for the Exploratorium and the Oakland Museum of California. She received her master's degree from San Francisco State University in Geography and Human Environmental Studies, where she specialized in geographic information systems and historical geography.
Related Projects, News, and Events
![](https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/styles/portfolio_sm/public/news/FullBay3.jpg?itok=p3DfrrwQ&c=09cb3d175c639c76a62405aede39b094)
The Baylands Habitat Map 2020 is the first complete map of San Francisco Bay wetland and aquatic habitats produced since 2009. It provides updated maps of tidal habitats and diked baylands, expanding our understanding of the full impact of recent habitat change and restoration.
Created by the Wetland Regional Monitoring Program and San Francisco Estuary Institute, and funded by the US EPA Water Quality Improvement Fund, this effort marks a major advancement in tracking habitat change in the Bay.
![Big Break, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Shira Bezalel](https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/styles/portfolio_sm/public/projects/Big%20Break%2C%20Central%20Sacramento-San%20Joquin%20Delta_Shira%20Bezalel.jpg?itok=rAQHjNTE&c=ca5de73814b12c5801fae3f8786cccaa)
The State of Our Estuary (formerly the State of the Estuary Report) evaluates the status and trends of a suite of indicators selected to represent ecosystem health in the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (the Estuary).
![Photo credit: Pete Kauhanen, SFEI](https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/styles/portfolio_sm/public/projects/DSC02354%20%28Cortemadera-%20edge%2C%20tree%29.jpg?itok=r2cfiFBU&c=6fb4907077a2732933434c8bd857daf7)
The Baylands Habitat Map 2020 (BHM 2020) updates the existing map of tidal marsh, tidal flats and diked baylands and incorporates the many changes in baylands distribution and abundance that have occurred over the last two decades. It also includes new information about land use and infrastructure that affects baylands restoration and management constraints and opportunities.
Catalyzed by the extensive damages caused by the Winter 2016-2017 storms and the opportunity to align flood response with major habitat improvement, Preparing for the Storm is an innovative public-private partnership to improve watershed health and resilience in the Alameda Creek watershed.
![](https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/styles/portfolio_sm/public/projects/Web_schematic_ss.png?itok=3QHKanpc&c=1f15ab645a4a38757532341c3d33851c)
Sediment Solutions is a timely and innovative project that builds on SFEI’s past work, operationalizing cutting-edge science to inform management approaches that take advantage of natural processes to provide more creek sediment to baylands, increase climate resilience, and enhance creek health. With study areas in North Bay, East Bay, and South Bay, the project will provide new guidance for management strategies that support flood risk management and ecosystem health benefits throughout the region.
![](https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/styles/portfolio_sm/public/projects/GoogleAdvising.jpg?itok=oV-4lJjy&c=53b67507d4466b8661e77e413b52d647)
SFEI collaborates with the Google Ecology Program to advance the science and application of urban biodiversity and nature-based sustainability planning.
![Photo by Shira Bezalel](https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/styles/portfolio_sm/public/projects/20160621-P6210247.jpg?itok=A7SnuIsf&c=25f939090a6a350e6ef54aaa286ce8f6)
Restoring wetlands in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) can mitigate subsidence, sequester carbon, reduce GHG emissions, and provide habitat for wetland dependent species. These benefits–their magnitude, scope, and resilience to future sea level rise–depend on the type and siting of new wetlands; rates of carbon accumulation, GHG emissions, and vertical accretion; and opportunities for wetlands to migrate upslope.
![](https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/styles/portfolio_sm/public/news/CoastalHabitatProfile.png?itok=tA8NIr-y&c=b686e5e0eed5490b5e03cba61073f4e9)
EcoAtlas is a mapping and geographic data visualization tool that continues to evolve to meet emerging needs. The toolset now includes new data layers and summaries to support the watershed planning, tracking, and reporting needs for the state. Within EcoAtlas, the Landscape Profile Tool provides easy access to summaries and data visualizations on watershed characteristics, ecological condition, habitat connectivity, and coastal habitats for an area of interest.
![](https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/styles/portfolio_sm/public/projects/Screenshot%20WRAMP.png?itok=qlbypWvz&c=92f34424a5058e4031a44dcaf8278f72)
The California Wetland Monitoring Workgroup’s (CWMW) State Wetland and Riparian Area Monitoring Plan (WRAMP) requires information consistent with EPA’s Level 1‐2‐3 framework for monitoring and assessment of wetland and stream resources.
![](https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/styles/portfolio_sm/public/news/richey%20Laguna_2019_DSCF8255.jpg?itok=7MlPvdzY&c=babf762f83964a60c2173d192cdf01ee)
The Laguna de Santa Rosa, an expansive freshwater wetland complex located in the Russian River watershed of Sonoma County, CA, is a vital ecological and cultural resource that has undergone considerable change over the past 150 years. Land conversion for agriculture and development have led to a decrease in habitat for native species within the Laguna and an increase in the delivery of streamflow, fine sediment, and nutrients to the Laguna.
![Laguna de Santa Rosa](https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/styles/portfolio_sm/public/projects/richey%20Laguna_2019_DSCF8255_0_0.jpg?itok=6e0Cx1od&c=463f29d8f49e48c5faaf8b19ccd96374)
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-19th century, modifications to the Laguna and its surrounding landscape have degraded habitat conditions for both wildlife and people.
![](https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/styles/portfolio_sm/public/news/5-3-EFH-cover1%5B1%5D.png?itok=XQxeGxCq&c=bad23ec12babbb0d65e51cbe954abd87)
The same features in urban parks that support biodiversity can also benefit human health. Even biodiversity itself may help us — and the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) wants to see more of it. To that end, the nonprofit released an innovative report in September called Ecology for Health. It’s a practical guide for planners and designers to aid both biodiversity and human health in urban settings.
![](https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/styles/portfolio_sm/public/projects/Cover%20Pages%20from%20SFEI_RMP_Update%202023_v13_101123%20130pm.png?itok=pgR4InCF&c=1f64562500333563b23eaead1616fa94)
The Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay is an innovative collaboration of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, the regulated discharger community, and the San Francisco Estuary Institute. It provides water quality regulators with the information they need to manage the Bay effectively. The RMP produces two types of summary reports: The Pulse of the Bay and the RMP Update. The Pulse focuses on Bay water quality and summarizes information from all sources.
![Photo credit: Shira Bezalel, 2016](https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/styles/portfolio_sm/public/projects/delta.png?itok=4xgtI46K&c=1955a9df86ff042ce0f2b2c9d412c015)
DARI is the Delta Aquatic Resources Inventory of surface waters, wetlands and other aquatic resources in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta). The goal of the DARI project is to develop a geospatial inventory of aquatic resources that will be used as a common base map for the Delta. A similar mapping approach used to create the California Aquatic Resource Inventory (CARI) will be applied to provide a map of the aquatic resources and their associated attributes.
![](https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/styles/portfolio_sm/public/projects/Next%20Generation%20Urban%20Greening.jpg?itok=W9nFrQYL&c=f8626af029b1c1e624186a80317e700b)
SFEI is working with partners across the Bay Area to design tools to help cities achieve biodiversity, stormwater, and climate benefits through multifunctional green infrastructure.
The Ecology for Health guide is based on an extensive review of ecological literature on the potential of cities to support native plants and wildlife, as well as research exploring the health benefits of access to biodiverse greenspace. Anyone making decisions about land use and urban design in cities across the world can benefit from the recommendations in this guide (including community-based organizations, local non-profits, local leaders and policymakers, city planners, urban designers, landscape architects, engineers, gardeners/horticulturists/arborists, residents, and landowners).
![](https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/styles/portfolio_sm/public/projects/report%20cover.jpg?itok=f673LjUn&c=5486ded785a458c8c56a9f01b9dee0c7)
Cities will face many challenges over the coming decades, from adapting to a changing climate to accommodating rapid population growth. A related suite of challenges threatens global biodiversity, resulting in many species facing extinction. While urban planners and conservationists have long treated these issues as distinct, there is growing evidence that cities not only harbor a significant fraction of the world’s biodiversity, but also that they can also be made more livable and resilient for people, plants, and animals through nature-friendly urban design.
![Restoration Plan for the Laguna de Santa Rosa](https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/styles/portfolio_sm/public/news/Screenshot%202023-08-29%20094403.png?itok=gzlxlKmO&c=7a6d90ad56ba291a8e0d11823e15d338)
SFEI completed a Restoration Plan for the Laguna de Santa Rosa in the Russian River watershed. SFEI, Sonoma Water, and the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation worked with technical advisors, stakeholders, tribal representatives, and local landowners to develop the Restoration Plan that provides a restoration planning framework and conceptual designs for multi-benefit habitat restoration projects that support people and wildlife.
![Report Cover: SAW Restoration and Enhancement Suitability Study](https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/styles/portfolio_sm/public/news/SAW%20Restoration%20and%20Enhancement%20Suitability%20Study%20SFEI%20and%20HT%20Harvey%20070523%20high%20res_Page_01.jpg?itok=x4jnQQec&c=6a7639a58c42762e09e61b26869b0135)
The “Sycamore Alluvial Woodland Restoration and Enhancement Suitability Study” addresses distribution and regeneration patterns and restoration strategies of sycamore alluvial woodland (SAW) habitat, a unique and relatively rare native vegetation community adapted to California’s intermittent rivers and streams. The report was produced by SFEI and H. T.
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Protecting carbon stocks and increasing carbon sequestration can support climate change mitigation and maintain healthy, resilient ecosystems. To support SFPUC managers in making informed carbon management decisions, the Alameda Watershed Carbon Assessment offers scientific guidance on the watershed’s current and potential performance as a natural climate solution. This assessment was framed by two main objectives: to quantify current carbon stocks in the Alameda Watershed, and to evaluate opportunities to enhance carbon sequestration in its vegetation and soils.
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