Skaggs Island

A former tidal marsh that was drained to allow agriculture, Skaggs Island was converted in the 1940s to a secret U. S. Navy facility. <br><br> Photo Credit: William Bowen The Navy vacated Skaggs Island in 1994, and it was expected that the property would transfer to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be restored as tidal wetlands. As the Navy’s clean up activities were nearing completion in 2000, a new federal administration balked at the transfer, delaying it another eight years. <br><br> During that time, The Bay Institute traveled to Washington, D. C. along with colleagues in an attempt to resolve the impasse. Diplomatic assistance from Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey played a critical role in the negotiations. <br><br> An agreement was reached to allow the transfer in summer of 2008. <br><br> Photo credit: Larry Wyckoff, California Department of Fish & Game