Policy Corner: The San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act

Diego Barraza • December 3, 2025

In October, Tuleyome hosted a community walking tour showcasing Mare Island’s southwestern coastal wetlands, a notable potion of the six distinct parcels proposed to be included in The San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act. By law, National Wildlife Refuges overseen by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), are legally mandated to conserve migratory bird and endangered species habitat while allowing for public access and recreation compatible with those mandates.


This boundary expansion legislation is expected to be introduced in the 119th Congress by Representative John Garamendi (D-CA-08), Jared Huffman (D-CA-02) and Mike Thompson (D-CA-04) and Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA). Approximately 6,934 new acres would be included in the boundary expansion.


The boundary expansion aims to enhance the existing refuge’s 24,390 acres of essential wetland habitats along the coastlines of Sonoma, Solano, and Napa Counties. These tidal marshes, mud flats, and seasonal wetlands all host migratory birds, small

mammals, and form the nursery grounds to sensitive fish species. Some iconic species include the California clapper rail, salt marsh harvest mouse, San Pablo song sparrow, and Suisun shrew.


Current owners of the parcels that are proposed to be included within the refuge boundaries are the State Lands Commission, the State Coastal Conservancy, and the Sonoma Land Trust, all who support the proposal.

The community tour represents a key tenet in Tuleyome’s mission: to highlight public opinion, ensuring elected officials translate their constituent’s community values regarding public lands into policy debates and legislative action. Local conservation and

environmental efforts to preserve and restore wild habitat must be founded on unequivocal public support to succeed. During the tour, non-profit organizations and individuals took advantage of the attendance of Garamendi’s legislative staff to ask questions and voice concerns.


Two important questions seemed to be on everyone’s mind. “How does this boundary expansion affect land use rights on lands owned by the City of Vallejo that border the acquisition boundary?” and “Why now?”


The expansion has no effect on Vallejo’s lands. U.S. Representative Garamendi ensured that the expanded boundary would not affect private land ownership or local land use decisions in any way and the proposal prohibits the use of eminent domain or condemnation.


Along with questions regarding land use rights, many people remained concerned with allowing the federal government to increase federal land during an administration which seeks to rollback regulatory public land protections such as the Roadless Rule and the Public Lands Rule. Bryan Pride, Tuleyome’s Policy Director, explained why action now is important, “The San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge expansion is a slow process. Even with an unpredictable federal administration, we can’t afford to wait until a more ‘favorable’ time. We must preserve land now as leaving it unprotected does not shield it from development, industry pressure, or policies that don’t reflect community values.” Furthermore, the boundary expansion is a preliminary step that would only allow for agreements of co-management or land acquisition by the USFWS with the consent of existing owners. This does not mean that existing landowners would be forced to make land transfers now, or in the future, but does give them the legislative framework to voluntarily do so.


In essence, while political cycles are short, habitat fragmentation, biodiversity decline, sea-level rise, and growing need for flood mitigation are all long-term issues that require action now. While it is understandable some may feel hesitant to rely on the federal government during period of uncertainty, fear should not paralyze progress.


Perfect political conditions simply do not exist and by waiting we risk further degradation or loss of the landscapes we love and recreate on. Expanding the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge boundary is a community commitment to safeguarding and stewarding a crucial ecosystem even during times of uncertainty. 


- Diego Barraza (dbarraza@tuleyome.org)

Tuleyome Policy Intern

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