SUISUN MARSH

Most plants need fresh water to survive, but brackish-marsh plants can survive in salty water. The common tule or bulrush is one of the plants native to the Suisun Marsh that flourishes in the Marsh’s changing water-salinity conditions. The tall, dense thickets of tule provide excellent cover for wildlife and were heavily used by the Patwin people for shelter, boats, clothing, and food.

The Marsh supports many sensitive plant species. The Suisun thistle, for example, is endemic, meaning it is found nowhere else in the world.

Saltgrass and pickleweed are found along shorelines with the greatest tidal exposure. Pickleweed can be so briny that is tastes like—you guessed it—salty pickles! 

Unfortunately, the Marsh is also host to many plants that did not evolve naturally in the area, like the perennial pepperweed and the invasive strain of common reed. These invasive, nonnative plants thrive in the brackish marsh, but choke out native vegetation that wildlife species use for food and shelter.

Public agencies and private landowners are diligently working to prevent the spread of invasive plants in the Suisun Marsh. You can help prevent the introduction and spread of nonnative plants by cleaning boats and boots before visiting the Marsh.

To learn more about invasive common reed, watch the video below.

Suisun Marsh is home to nearly every wetland bird species in the region, often in very large numbers. Resident bird species include songbirds, wading birds, and many raptors, like northern harrier and bald eagle.

Herons and egrets can be seen stalking frogs and fish along slough banks, while rails hunt the Marsh for crabs, insects, and other small invertebrates.

Some raptors use tidal marsh habitats for food, preying on rodents and fish throughout the wetlands.

The Marsh also supports many thousands of migratory birds, including ducks, geese, and shorebirds. Mallard, northern pintail, green-winged teal, American widgeon, and other waterfowl species rest and feed throughout the wetlands in winter.

For species like tule greater white-fronted geese, Suisun Marsh is one of two primary wintering areas.

Some waterfowl are year-round residents, feeding, resting, and raising young. Others, like the American white pelican, are only here for a short time in fall. Birds are the most fun to watch in spring, when they nest and raise their young.

The Suisun Marsh is also home to many animal species that depend on the remote, wild marshlands for survival. Some are relatively common, but others are very rare. Large mammals, like the tule elk, are exciting to watch from a safe distance. In the spring, look out for newborn calves nursing from their mother in safety of the thick marsh vegetation.

At least twelve rare or endangered species live in Suisun Marsh's habitats, including salt marsh harvest mouse, Suisun shrew, and delta smelt. Aquatic invertebrates, like opossum shrimp and California bay shrimp, serve key ecosystem functions—they make nutrient cycling easier and serve as food for other marsh species.

Reptiles and amphibians, like the western pond turtle and the Sierran treefrog, also thrive in the Marsh ecosystem.

North American river otters are playful and exciting to watch, especially after their pups are born in spring.

Fish species found in the Suisun Marsh, like steelhead, provide food and recreation opportunities. Many fish species found in Suisun Marsh are euryhaline, which means that they can live in a wide range of saltwater conditions, including freshwater rivers, brackish marshes, and the bay/ocean.

Delta smelt, longfin smelt, Sacramento splittail, steelhead, white sturgeon, green sturgeon, and striped bass all use the Marsh during parts of their lifecycles.

State agencies and Suisun Marsh landowners collaborated to sponsor, support, and enact laws to preserve, protect, enhance, and restore the Suisun Marsh and ensure that it remains a healthy ecosystem for wildlife.  

The  2014 Suisun Marsh Habitat Management, Preservation, and Restoration Plan  (also known as the Suisun Marsh Plan) is a 30-year effort to balance the benefits of tidal wetland restoration and managed wetland enhancements.

To restore tidal marshes, scientists focus on restoring tidal action, the natural movement of tide water, across the Marsh. This is done by creating new channels, breaching levees, and removing water-control structures. It takes many years to complete a project from initial planning and design to construction. Visitors may see cranes, barges, and other heavy equipment during construction.