About

It is easy to overlook some of those aspects of the world with which we are in intimate contact every day. The Tiniest Salt Marsh in The World is a cluster of marsh vegetation that has begun to colonize a small corner of the Albany Bulb landfill. Although easily looked over, it is emblematic of the state of San Francisco bay marshes: fragmented by roads, strewn with garbage, and surrounded by concrete, but persisting. In 2008, The Tiniest Salt Marsh in The World was declared a Preserve.

Location

The Tiniest Salt Marsh in The World is located at the northwestern tip of the Albany Bulb, a landfill jutting into the San Francisco Bay in Albany, California. To get there, one might wander about the maze of paths that crisscross the Albany Bulb until finding oneself facing an enormous statue of Poseidon, then turn left and walk to the edge of the water.

Flora and Fauna

The following species have been documented as living in The Tiniest Salt Marsh in The World:

Salicornia virginica, or pickleweed, is one of the most prominent of San Francisco Bay's native salt marsh species. It is able to survive in salt water due to its ability to remove salt from water and sequester it in specialized compartments within its cells. It later excretes some of this salt from the outer edges of its leaves.

Grindelia is a slow-growing perennial which displays bright yellow flowers in the summer. It provides crucial nesting habitat for the endangered California Clapper Rail and large amounts of mature Grindelia are typically one sign of a healthier marsh ecosystem

Salsola soda is a non-native originally from the Mediterranean coast. Commonly referred to as Russian Thistle in the United States, it played a prominent role in sixteenth century European life as a source of soda ash, a substance that was vital to the manufacture of both soap and glass. Though somewhat more obscure now, small amounts of Salsola soda are still cultivated as a culinary vegetable, primarily in Italy.