The Suisun Marsh comprises approximately 85,000 acres of tidal marsh, managed wetlands, and waterways in southern Solano County. It is the largest remaining wetland around San Francisco Bay and includes more than ten percent of California's remaining wetland area. The Marsh is also a wildlife habitat of nationwide importance. It plays an important role in providing wintering habitat for waterfowl of the Pacific Flyway and, because of its size and estuarine location, supports a diversity of plant communities. These provide habitats for a variety of fish and wildlife, including several rare and endangered species.

Recognizing the threats to the Suisun Marsh from potential residential, commercial, and industrial developments, and the need to preserve this unique wildlife resource for future generations, the California Legislature passed and the Governor signed in September, 1974, the Nejedly-Bagley-Z'berg Suisun Marsh Preservation Act of 1974. The Act directs the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission and the Department of Fish and Game to prepare the Suisun Marsh Protection Plan "to preserve the integrity and assure continued wildlife use" of the Suisun Marsh.

The California Department of Fish and Game prepared a Fish and Wildlife Element to be used by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission in the preparation of the Suisun Marsh Protection Plan. The Fish and Wildlife Element includes an inventory of the ecological characteristics of the Marsh and its surroundings, and a recommended natural resource protection plan. Information and recommendations provided by this element have been incorporated into the Suisun Marsh Protection Plan.

The planning program conducted by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission involved the preparation and tentative adoption of a series of nine background planning reports: Suisun Marsh Environment; Suisun Marsh Aquatic and Wildlife Resources; Water Supply and Quality in the Suisun Marsh; Natural Gas Resources of the Suisun Marsh; Recreation and Access in the Suisun Marsh; Utilities, Facilities and Transportation in and Around the Suisun Marsh; Water-Related Industry Adjacent to the Suisun Marsh; Suisun Marsh and Upland Resource Management; and Developing an Implementation Program for the Suisun Marsh Protection Plan. These reports provided the information needed to prepare the findings and policies of the final Suisun Marsh Protection Plan, as well as allowing extensive opportunities for public involvement through hearings before the Commission. The Fish and Wildlife Element and the background planning reports are the basis for the Plan and will be submitted to the Governor and Legislature as a supplement.

The objectives of the Protection Plan are to preserve and enhance the quality and diversity of the Suisun Marsh aquatic and wildlife habitats and to assure retention of upland areas adjacent to the Marsh in uses compatible with its protection.

The Protection Plan consists of four sections. Part I, the Introduction, describes the planning program and Plan objectives. Part II provides the Plan's Findings and Policies. Part III describes the program for carrying out the Plan, and Part IV consists of the Protection Plan Map and a map illustrating the Marsh natural factors.