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�-3� CONDITIONS PRECEDING THIS PLAN Bair Island and Redwood Shores, in the Ciry of Redwood Ciry, were a part of a larger complex of former tidal salt marsh. Diked in the late 1800's the Redwood City marsh habitat was used initially for cattle grazing and later as evaporarive salt ponds. Bair Island is divided into three islands separated by slough channels: Inner, Middle and Outer Bair. Inner Bair Island is connected to Redwood City and can be direcdy accessed by Whipple Street. A current loop trail surrounds Inner Bair on the levee top. Inner Bair is separated from Middle Bair by Smith Slough. Middle Bair is separated from Outer Bair by Corkscrew Slough. Inner Bair Island is the smallest of three salt marsh habitat islands within the city limits of Redwood City. The island is within the Don Edwards National Wildlife refuge (refuge), a non-contiguous refuge of San Francisco Bay estuarial habitat. The National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS), starting with its office at the refuge and then the regional office in Sacramento, will propose a plan for rehabilitation and use of Bair Island according to the mission of the refuge system. An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) with the preferred alternative included will soon be published in the Federal Register for public comment. The land is now a mosa.ic of habitats including tidal salt marsh, mud flats, seasonal �vetlands, former diked salt ponds and dry upland. The Bair Island complex is composed of 3200 acres of potential quality habitat. The San Carlos Airport, operated by an independent airport authority, adjoins Bair Island as does the Redwood City harbor at the opposing end. San Carlos .'�irport owns fee interest in a portion of Inner Bair Island, designated as Airport Saferi� Zone. Adjoining U.S. 101,the Bair Island Complex will see over 250,000 vehicle trips per day passing its borders. In 1997, the Peninsula Open Space Trust (I'OS'I� purchased the remaining pomons of Bair Island in private ownership and turned it over to the NWRS as a part of the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge. The Bair Island complex is the last and one of the most unport pieces of salt marsh habitat remaining unrestored on the San Francisco Bay. Inner Bair Island, which on all NWRS alternatives serves at the location of human use, is over 323 acres. Rehabilitation of Inner and Middle Bair, breaching the levees to allow tidal flow and restoring Inner Bair to accommodate that flow, will cost the federal government millions of dollars. Redwood Shores has been developed into a high quality residential development on the San Francisco Bay. The housing development is protected from flooding by a levee wall. At the top of the levee wall a pedestrian path allowed foot and bicycle 19