Could there be a bright future for the Estuary & Ocean Science Center?
For 47 Years, The Estuary & Ocean Science (EOS) Center, formerly known as the Romberg Tiburon Center, has been a Tiburon peninsula fixture. Locals know it as Romberg or even the Net Depot, referring to its former days as a U.S. Navy base where anti-submarine/torpedo nets were made for use under the Golden Gate. You may have attended the EOS Center’s annual Discovery Day Open House or other events like art/science workshops, film nights, or public lectures, but you may not be aware of the extent of what the EOS Center is and does and what would be lost if it closes, as is now proposed by its owner/sponsor, San Francisco State University (SFSU).
We spoke with Dr. Katharyn Boyer, a biology professor whose research has been based at the EOS Center for 21 years and who has served as the center’s director since 2022. Last year, Bay Nature magazine named her a local hero for her environmental education work, including mentoring and minting more than 30 graduate students, award-winning classroom teaching in applied marine ecology topics, and her leadership of the EOS Center. We asked her: What is the EOS Center, and why is it important that it remains open? Here is what we learned.
As the only marine lab on San Francisco Bay (there are six on Chesapeake Bay!) and with direct access to the water, the EOS Center is uniquely situated to lead the region in coastal science and education. The Center’s faculty are known as cutting-edge problem solvers for San Francisco Bay and nearshore coastal California on topics ranging from how to reduce ship strikes on whales, detecting and preventing harmful algal blooms, and whether sea otters reintroduced to the bay would find enough food. On-site partnerships with the National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center enrich opportunities for collaborative research and student training.
A substantial portion of the EOS Center’s research and education portfolio supports science-informed adaptation and conservation planning, including innovative, nature-based solutions to climate change impacts. The EOS Center is recognized for its strong leadership in these so-called “living shorelines” projects that provide habitat while reducing shoreline erosion—an increasing concern with rising sea levels. A new Regional Climate Science Consortium, funded by the California State Coastal Conservancy, just launched at the Center and convenes experts in the science of shoreline restoration to examine novel approaches not yet used in the region. They are determining what is known and what is needed for these approaches to be used along the San Francisco Bay’s shores at scale. This consortium is using the Center’s bayside location and mile of shoreline to evaluate some of these coastal climate adaptation solutions.
In parallel, a nature-based solutions educational pathway program has been underway for about a year, and faculty have been working with 10 community colleges to bring skills in nature-based solutions to climate change to these students at the EOS Center. This program will create a pathway to San Francisco State or other universities for these students to continue with their studies. Or they may go straight into jobs, and it is expected that there will be many with the recent passage of Proposition 4, the climate bond.
In addition, a new pilot restaurant oyster shell recycling program to be based at the EOS Center is scheduled to launch in June, working with the two largest Hog Island restaurants (Ferry Building and Larkspur) and the Conservation Corps North Bay. Oyster shells will be gathered for use in shoreline restoration projects to attract native oysters and the whole food web up to marine mammals while reducing the impacts of rising sea levels. “This is an incredible opportunity for public education on climate change adaptation approaches,” says Boyer. “More than 250,000 restaurant patrons per year will learn how they can help while enjoying their Hog Island oysters on the half shell.”
The EOS Center is the only location that supports large-scale eelgrass restoration projects in the San Francisco Bay. A submerged plant, eelgrass slows water flow (reducing erosion along shores), stores carbon from the atmosphere, and reduces the effects of ocean acidification. It is a climate change powerhouse and a major target for restoration in the bay. Birds, fish, invertebrates (e.g., crabs and shrimp-like amphipods), and mammals use eelgrass beds for habitat and food. The EOS Center’s scientists and students collect eelgrass from natural beds around the bay and rig the plants into transplant units (biodegradable anchors that hold the plants in place until they root) in a vast system of bay water tanks and tables before taking them out on boats to restoration sites the next day for planting. Seventy-five acres of eelgrass restoration have already been completed in Richardson Bay, and 75 more are planned in the coming years. As illegally moored boats in Richardson Bay are removed from the eelgrass bed, the “crop circle” scars will be repaired through this effort, restoring the health and vitality of this important habitat.
EOS Director Boyer also revived releases of hatchery-raised Chinook salmon, which readers may know occurred for years on the site. It’s done differently these days: in the dark to avoid attracting predators of the baby fish (smolts). However, the reason to use this site is the same as before: the deep, cool water supports the survival of the smolts as they head out to sea. With high success of the salmon at this life stage, they are more likely to come back to San Francisco Bay as adults and support the Chinook recreational fishery.
Closing the Center would weaken California’s leadership in marine and estuarine science, environmental policy, and sustainability. The EOS Center is not only a hub of scientific innovation but also a crucial training ground for future environmental leaders. Its research, education, and outreach programs provide students with unparalleled opportunities to engage in hands-on learning and apply science to real-world environmental challenges. However, SFSU is facing a severe budget shortfall and can no longer support the cost of operating the 53-acre campus. Boyer seeks to fundraise $5 million over four years to cover the EOS Center’s current annual budget gap for a period that permits the development of partnerships and facilities that would generate revenue and help support its vital operations over a longer term. If you can help, please contact her at katboyer@sfsu.edu. See eoscenter.sfsu.edu/closure for more information and what you can do.