Wildcat Creek Marsh
Map SatelliteAmidst the Richmond industrial area is this saltwater marsh, one of the larger in the East Bay. The dominant vegetation includes pickleweed, Salicornia spp., cord grass, Spartina foliosa, and salt grass, Distichlis spicata. There is an extensive mudflat adjacent to the marsh, with various algal forms present.
During migration a number of waterfowl and shore-birds rest and feed here. The short-eared owl, Asio flammeus, frequents the area. The endangered salt-marsh harvest mouse, Reithrodontomys raviventris, may occur here.
Integrity: Power line towers, levees, and nearby landfill have contributed to a degree of habitat destruction. There is a proposal to channel the creek and to install boardwalks in portions of the marsh as well as to develop an environmental interpretative facility.
Use: Educational, research, observational on public (near Bay) portion; remainder, private.
February 1976
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman