Delta Suisun Marsh Recreation Plan

Growing Benicia's Tourism - Plan Proposes Expanded Recreation in Delta, Bringing Boost to Local Economy

This past Tuesday, May 17, the State Parks, in cooperation with the Water Education Foundation, hosted a day-long tour of sites highlighted in the draft Delta-Suisun Marsh recreation plan, which State Parks is preparing as its bit of the overall Delta planning. I participated in the tour as part of the Parks' key step in State Parks interagency coordination process for the plan.

The plan highlights Benicia as a community with extensive recreation and tourism opportunities that can be a gateway for visitors to Suisun Marsh and the Delta.  I was invited to talk about Benicia's community's visitor attractions for a few minutes as the tour bus traveled between East Bay Regional Park's Big Break shoreline and Suisun Marsh. Dan Ray, Chief of Parks Planning said, "There are so many wonderful things happening in Benicia and other Carquinez Straight communities - they deserve more recognition."

As I described the Carquinez Strait and the natural resources and industry, the tour participants could follow the bike trail from Martinez to Benicia and the Clock Tower and historic Arsenal in the distance. The tour participants included key people from the Coastal Conservancy, Delta Conservancy, Delta Protection Commission, East Bay Regional Parks, Solano Parks, CalTrans, Department of Water Resources, the Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Lands, and others as well as the State Parks. 


The report, Recreation Proposal for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Marsh, makes recommendations which are designed to meet the growing demand for recreation, which in turn will draw added visitors and lead to a more sustainable economy throughout the Delta. It points out that travel and recreation spending in Delta counties in 2006 was $4.8 billion, but that it could be much more in the future.

The five Delta counties’ population (Sacramento, San Joaquin, Contra Costa, Solano and Yolo Counties) is projected to almost double, approaching 7 million by 2050. Almost 10 million people will live in the San Francisco Bay Area, while the Central Valley population will swell to 13 million. As populations grow, so too will the demand for recreation; therefore, as the report concludes, the time to plan for the Delta’s future is today.

“We may not have the money in a tight economy to invest today,” said Ruth Coleman, director of California State Parks, “but we must prepare for the future. This plan sets the stage for future investments that will expand recreation, draw added visitors and improve the area’s economic vitality.”

The report points out that the Delta and Suisun Marsh waterways are already inviting to boaters, with about 7.4 million visitor boating days every year. However, marinas and boater equipment rentals will be in even greater demand in coming years, as will other types of recreation that could be expanded and improved, such as: camping and picnicking, participating in historic site and nature tours, exploring water trails, wildlife viewing and bird watching, fishing and waterfowl hunting, attending local festivals, visiting farmer’s markets with local Delta farmers, and more. With increases in those types of recreational opportunities, the private sector will expand with Delta visitors needing more hotels, motels, restaurants, camping and boating supplies, and recreational equipment rental businesses to serve their increased demand.

The key to the report is how all of this gets started and gets done. The report says no one agency or private entity can do it alone. This is a long-term vision to be implemented over many years. It calls for partnerships and collaborations between local, State and Federal agencies, private businesses, Delta farmers, non-profit organizations and other stakeholders.

The draft plan provides the following:

Benicia Capitol SHP and Benicia SRA:

• Partner with Solano County stakeholders and DBW to develop water trail interpretation of the heritage, recreation and environmental resources of the Delta, Carquinez Strait, and San Francisco Bay.


• Provide information and interpretation on regional history and heritage tourism.

The plan is available for public review through Tuesday, May 31. The report can be downloaded from www.parks.ca.gov/deltarecreation  starting on Tuesday, May 3. The plan was prepared in response to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Reform Act of 2009, with funds provided by the Delta Stewardship Council. It will be submitted to the Delta Stewardship Council and the Delta Protection Commission for review and possible inclusion in their respective strategic management plans for the five counties and 1,300 square miles within the region. Benicia city staff will review and comment during the public comment time.