The State - News from July 14, 1988

A dispute over the current expansion plan for the San Francisco Bay Wildlife Refuge is a “tempest in a salt marsh,” said Rep. Gerry E. Studds (D-Mass.), who ordered further examination of the proposal. Studds’ comments came at a hearing of the subcommittee on fisheries and wildlife conservation and the environment that examined a proposal to double the size of the refuge. The 21,662-acre tract of land and water was set aside by Congress 16 years ago to protect remnant tidal wetlands and their indigenous species at the south end of San Francisco Bay. Last December President Reagan signed legislation authorizing additional appropriations to complete acquisition of the original boundaries of the refuge. But Administration officials at the hearing opposed buying acres of “seasonal wetlands” and “salt ponds,” saying they do not believe “additional land purchases are warranted at this time.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials said $13.1 million has already spent on land acquisition.