As part of a large-scale restoration effort for the San Francisco marshland, an 850-foot long section of a natural stream – which has been buried for some time, blanketed by concrete – will be resurrected, helping to add another seven acres of saltwater glade to Crissy Field.

As reported on by the SF Examiner, the Presidio Trust will start working on the Crissy Field's Quartermaster Reach Marsh Project starting next week, an undertaking that's expected to take a half-year to complete. (But, let's be honest: What're the odds that any construction plan in SF will keep to time? Not good ... at all.)

Part of this overdue environmental righting, too, will involve various traffic headaches, including the closing of a slice of Mason Street, between Halleck and Javowitz Streets, come Monday morning.

Working in tandem with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and National Park Services, the Presidio Trust-spearheaded endeavour will bring new life to the Tennessee Hollow Watershed. A keystone environment in San Francisco, the health of Crissy Field is crucial to safeguarding populations of native salamanders, frogs – including the California red-legged frog, a dietary staple of the endangered San Francisco garter snake – chromatic fence lizards, and other flora and fauna. The project will also reintroduce the Olympia oyster to the wetland.

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Meet the western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) whose most distinguishing characteristic is its bright blue belly (although this coloring is faint or absent in females and juvenile lizards). . Currently this species of lizard is only found on the western side of the Presidio even though suitable habitat exists (woodland, brush land, dunes) on the central/eastern side of the park as well. So last month, our Natural Resources team began a translocation project in order to spread our current population of western fence lizards throughout the Presidio. This move is a great ecological benefit - as western fence lizards begin to thrive on the central/eastern side of the park near the El Polin area, they will help to balance out the area's food web. This lizard feeds on insects while acting as a food source for predators, such as the garter snake. . During the translocation process, lizards are only captured briefly to be relocated to suitable habitat where they will thrive! While on Presidio adventures, please stay on trail and do not try to touch or catch any wildlife. . . . #lizard #reptile #lizardsofinstagram #reptilesofinstagram #lizards #outdoors #trees #forest #wildlife #mountain #hiking #hike #camping #wilderness #yosemite #nps100 #nps #findyourpark #nationalparks #nationalpark #goparks #sanfrancisco #sf #bayarea #nationalparkservice

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Migratory birds, especially, use the area as a stop along the Pacific Ocean leg of the North American Flyway to rest and refeed; more residential birds, like great egrets and "Killdeers," use the marsh as nesting and rearing ground, per the Golden Gate Audubon Society.

The restoration is expected to include new vantage points at Quartermaster Reach for birdwatching, an elevated bridge where visitors can gawk at other wildlife and the expansive landscape in front of them, as well as giving hikers the option to traverse along the entire Tennessee Hollow Trail, a 1.2 mile journey from the bay at Crissy Field through the Presidio and up to the natural springs near Presidio Gate.

To boot, a landfill will be removed to allow the installation of water tunnels beneath Mason Street. Come spring, volunteers will plant native seedlings in the newly cultivated areas.

While we can't wait to see this natural treasure come to fruition, it's clear San Franciscans are going to experience some traffic issues until it's complete. The Presidio Trust says to plan for "a few extra minutes" to get to the following locations in the area:

  1. Sports Basement
  2. Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center
  3. Greater Farallones Visitor Center
  4. University of San Francisco
  5. Planet Granite
  6. House of Air
  7. Roaring Mouse Cycles
  8. La Petite Baleen / Batter's Box SF
  9. Warming Hut

*Detours are routed along Halleck Street and McDowell Avenue

Also, The PresidiGo Crissy Field Route is going to be re-routed up Halleck Street, and stops at the Crissy Field Center, Girard Road, and the Presidio Community YMCA aren't going to be operating; new stops are to be added on Halleck Street and Mason​.

Crissy Field, itself, and other destinations along the north-facing waterfront are to remain open throughout the process.

Related: Crissy Field Due For $2.5 Million Facelift This Fall [2016]

Image: Flickr via Golden Gate National Recreation Area