Chapter 11: Great Plains

Where the Great Plains is known to be the habitat for the American Bison, San Francisco and the bay Area are known to have important habitats of its own. The Dungeness crab, Pacific halibut, and Pacific salmon are three typical sea creatures that rely on the bay. Also, a few of the remaining salt marshes are located in this area. These salt marshes support a number of endangered species as well as providing services to animals such as the most famous route for birds in the Pacific; the Pacific Flyway.

The Pacific Flyway in green

 The San Francisco Bay provided the nation's first wildlife refuge, the artificial Lake Merritt, and America's first urban National Wildlife Refuge, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. 

Lake Merritt

Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Many Aquatic mammals have been recently recorded to re-colonize the Bay Area including the California Golden Beaver, and the North American River Otter.

North American River Otter

  The San Francisco bay has had issues of pollution which has been known to harm the wildlife in that area. Industrial mining and other uses of mercury however have resulted in poisonous metal in the bay. Also, an incident in November 2007, where a ship collided with the Oakland Bay Bridge, had spilled over 58,000 gallons of bunker fuel which created the largest oil spill in that region since 1996.

Source:
http://articles.latimes.com/2007/nov/09/local/me-bay9

http://www.bepress.com/archive/skinner_1962
http://www.birdnature.com/pacific.html

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