RICHARDSON BAY REGIONAL AGENCY ANNOUNCES ALMOST $5 MILLION IN GRANT AWARDS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP AND RESTORATION EFFORTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 24, 2026
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RICHARDSON BAY REGIONAL AGENCY ANNOUNCES ALMOST $5 MILLION IN GRANT AWARDS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP AND RESTORATION EFFORTS
Grants from the Environmental Protection Agency and San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority will support debris removal and eelgrass protection projects.
Sausalito, CA— The Richardson Bay Regional Agency has secured two new grants totaling nearly $5 million for efforts to remove debris from the Bay and to restore the local eelgrass ecosystem.
The grants, which were accepted by the RBRA Board of Directors at its September 10 meeting, include a $3.051 million award from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) San Francisco Bay Program. That will support an initiative to remove marine trash and debris from the Richardson Bay seabed. The other grant was awarded from the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority for $1.9 million to plant up to six acres of new eelgrass beds.
“These grant awards speak volumes about the expertise of the RBRA and our partners,” said RBRA Board Chair Jack Ryan. “We are in an incredibly competitive moment, so receiving grants of any kind is very challenging, yet our team has secured $5 million for critical environmental protection projects. These new initiatives will build on our already successful efforts to clean up the Bay and plant more eelgrass—collective projects that will help our ecosystem flourish.”
The RBRA will manage the grant projects alongside the agency’s environmental consultant, Coastal Policy Solutions.
“These grants are particularly exciting because we can continue building on the momentum of our current restoration efforts. As Chair Ryan mentioned, receiving funding now is incredibly challenging, so our ability to continue doing this type of work is incredibly exciting and vital. said Jess Bode, Director of Programs for Coastal Policy Solutions. “These projects are complimentary with our ability to remove legacy marine debris and restore eelgrass. I am also particularly excited to pilot climate technology in both of these projects to help understand how to scale restoration efforts. We are incredibly grateful to the EPA and the Restoration Authority for these generous grant awards.”
The EPA grant will build on past debris removal efforts led by the RBRA. In April 2025, the RBRA and its partners collected some 4,000 pounds—more than two tons—of litter, refuse, and discarded objects as part of a weeklong marine debris removal undertaking on Richardson Bay.
Similarly, the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority grant will continue past eelgrass restoration and protection initiatives undertaken by the RBRA. This June, the agency announced that it had achieved a 15-acre eelgrass planting goal one year ahead of schedule. That eelgrass planting project had been supported by a $3 million EPA grant.
“The Restoration Authority directs regional Measure AA tax dollars to projects that restore the health of the San Francisco Bay,” said Amy Hutzel, Executive Officer of the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority. This project was a priority for us because restoring eelgrass in Richardson Bay will improve water quality, strengthen habitat for fish and wildlife, and help rebuild one of the Bay’s most important underwater ecosystems. Healthy eelgrass meadows naturally filter the water, stabilize sediments, and support keystone species like Pacific herring, salmon, Dungeness crab, and countless birds. By combining proven restoration methods with new technology, this project not only repairs damage caused by decades of debris and anchor scouring, but also advances innovative, nature‑based solutions that increase the Bay’s resilience to climate change.”
The eelgrass planting is a key part of the RBRA’s 10-year Restoration and Adaptive Management Plan. That plan includes the establishment of an Eelgrass Protection Zone (EPZ), an area of the water off-limits to anchoring that will help restore and protect a critical ecological component of the Bay. The EPZ was officially established in October 2024.
In 2022, there were more than 100 vessels in the area that is now the EPZ. Through various efforts, there are no longer any vessels in the EPZ. Just one boat remains in the RBRA’s total anchorage area and it is set to be relocated soon.
The new grants secured by the RBRA continue a banner year of funding achievements for the agency totaling $5.2 million. This summer, the agency accepted a $250,000 grant award from the Marin Community Foundation to help support eelgrass monitoring on the Bay floor. The grant will fund efforts to map out the Richardson Bay seabed through the use of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs).
“The RBRA has demonstrated time and again that we are effective, efficient stewards of public funds,” said RBRA Executive Director Brad Gross. “These grants reflect that excellence and professionalism. Regional and federal agencies have faith that we will deliver the objectives of these programs on time and within our budget, just like we have repeatedly in the past. We are excited to start this next phase of work to protect and support Richardson Bay.”
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The Richardson Bay Regional Agency (RBRA) is a local government agency serving Belvedere, Mill Valley, Tiburon, and unincorporated Southern Marin County. RBRA is dedicated to maintaining and improving the navigational waterways, open waters, and shoreline of Richardson Bay.