$63 million wetland restoration could be a blueprint for how California adapts to climate change. But it’s taking forever.
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San Francisco Chronicle (tiered subscription)
An ambitious project to restore tidal wetlands on almost 1,200 acres of delta farmland in Oakley has just completed its first phase, and the hoped-for transformation is already flourishing. River otters, rare seabirds, and a single black bear have all returned to once-drained-out pastureland. The catch is the slow pace of the overall project: The remaining restoration is not expected to see completion until roughly 2025 — more than two decades after the property was purchased in 2003.