MARTINEZ — It took $25 million and 22 years to restore the 122 acres of Pacheco Marsh, the historic saltwater marshland just northeast of downtown Martinez, where Walnut Creek flows into the Carquinez Strait.
Now, kayakers paddle through tidal currents past native wildflowers and coyote brush, while young families and seniors plod along nearly 2.5 miles of flat, paved trails and pedestrian bridges while migratory birds fly overhead – a peculiar juxtaposition of concrete, steam and steel on the horizon from the first Bay Delta project stewarded by the John Muir Land Trust.
Griffin Berry, 6, of Castro Valley, uses his binoculars to observe wildlife as his mother Erin Griffin, middle, and Jessica Gavello, left, of Concord, look on during the Pacheco Marsh opening event in Martinez on Saturday, May 3, 2025. The 122-acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)Visitors tour the Pacheco Marsh and all its foliage during opening event in Martinez on Saturday, May 3, 2025. The 122-acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)Visitors stand on the watercraft launch dock as they tour the Pacheco Marsh during the opening event in Martinez on Saturday, May 3, 2025. The 122-acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)Show Caption1 of 3Griffin Berry, 6, of Castro Valley, uses his binoculars to observe wildlife as his mother Erin Griffin, middle, and Jessica Gavello, left, of Concord, look on during the Pacheco Marsh opening event in Martinez on Saturday, May 3, 2025. The 122-acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)ExpandBut the property, located at 2501 Waterfront Road off Interstate 680, once served as dumping ground for sand mined near Alcatraz Island and offloaded by boat, where it would be dried in basins not dissimilar to the salt ponds further south before being shipped to a cement factory.
While not as hazardous as the many refineries and chemical plants that dot the Suisun Bay’s industrial shoreline, the land weathered decades of dysfunction.
Once again influenced by the tides, the functional ecosystem is a crucial, transitional habitat – home to the endangered saltwater harvest mouse and other terrestrial wildlife that flourished along the newly constructed dendritic canals after the last levee holding sea water at bay was broken in October of 2021. Its undulating topography was built from sediment dredged from the creek below, and now provides food, nutrients and refuge for an estimated 75% of fisheries species.
Visitors Jerry Johnson, left, and Mike Conrad, both of Martinez, carry their kayaks back to the parking lot after paddling for about two miles along the creeks during the Pacheco Marsh grand opening in Martinez, Calif., on Saturday, May 3, 2025. The 122-acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)By correcting this byproduct of 1960s development that redirected the flood-prone water’s flow with concrete, Pacheco Marsh is designed to soften the blow of climate change and sea level rise.
Linus Eukel, who has served as John Muir Land Trust’s executive director for nearly 20 years, said there was never anticipation that the dirt left over from 1960s development would ever be restored to its original, natural beauty – let alone be valued at $50 million.
“It had been diked and damned and de-watered entirely – very scarred with industrial use,” Eukel said, adding that the project’s most significant obstacle was decommissioning the creek from the Army Corp. of Engineers, thanks to then-Representatives Mike Thompson and and George Miller, and a vote of Congress. “Had that not been resolved, the restoration would have never happened within our lifetimes.”
A male and female mallard duck fly over the Pacheco Marsh during the grand opening to the public in Martinez, Calif., on Saturday, May 3, 2025. The 122-acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)Visitors tour the Pacheco Marsh during its grand opening to the public in Martinez, Calif., on Saturday, May 3, 2025. The 122-acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)Visitors begin the tour of the Pacheco Marsh during its grand opening to the public in Martinez, Calif., on Saturday, May 3, 2025. The 122-acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)Visitors tour the Pacheco Marsh during its grand opening in Martinez, Calif., on Saturday, May 3, 2025. The 122-acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)Visitors tour the Pacheco Marsh during its grand opening in Martinez, Calif., on Saturday, May 3, 2025. The 122-acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)Show Caption1 of 5A male and female mallard duck fly over the Pacheco Marsh during the grand opening to the public in Martinez, Calif., on Saturday, May 3, 2025. The 122-acre marsh restoration project was created by the John Muir Land Trust in partnership with the Flood Control District. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)ExpandDozens of community members trekked out to the park May 3 to celebrate its quiet, yet lively grand opening. As kayakers ventured through the 2-mile aquatic loop, many stayed on dry ground – walking along the park’s nearly 2.5 miles pf winding, paved trails – ADA compliant designs that welcome young families and seniors alike.
Eukel said while the restoration, public access and conservation project started with an unusually smooth foreclosure sale in 2001, the final $25 million price was hit with inflated construction costs during the design, engineering and re-design of the marsh restoration, including 135 feet of aluminum bridges that span the unstable bay mud without sinking.
Decades after the John Muir Land Trust first partnered with Contra Costa County flood district officials and the East Bay Regional Park District to acquire the property, Eukel said Pacheco Marsh will be conserved as an idyllic respite for both wildlife and the public for years to come.
“If it’s preserved, protected and well stewarded, the benefits that accrue from that are an order of many magnitudes greater than the effort that went into it – more and more people can use it, and it never gets used up,” Eukel said. “It’s a whole different perspective – there’s harbor seals and birds, you can see the (Benicia-Martinez) Bridge’s infrastructure and all of the industry around it that all comes together to support our being able to live in this area.”
Supervisor Shanelle Scales-Preston said Pacheco Marsh is transformational for both wildlife and residents of District 5, lauding the numerous community partners that worked alongside the John Muir Land Trust to provide equitable access to a natural buffer from the stresses of day-to-day life.
“We’re not just celebrating land, we’re celebrating legacy,” Scales-Preston said. “This is a sanctuary.”
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