SUISUN CITY – An osprey carves lazy figure eights high above as coots bobble down one of myriad channels lined with tule and bulrush.
A group of sit-top kayakers is following them deep into Suisun Marsh; the paddlers will have to find their way back to open water and their starting point at the Suisun City Marina.
No matter. The channels usually narrow and end before going in too deep. But, even if they don't, what's an extra random loop or two when there is so much to see?
More than 200 bird species, 45 animal species, and 16 varieties of reptiles and amphibians live here or pass through seasonally, plus more than 40 fish species.
If you fear you'll get so lost that you'll become one of the marsh species, take a portable global positioning system unit – or, better yet, a naturalist guide.
Dip your feet and hands into the cool waters, a melding of the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers that constitutes the largest remaining contiguous brackish- water marsh left in the West – over 80,000 acres.
Virtually alone, you will marvel that barely three miles away on Interstate 80, thousands of travelers are racing past Fairfield's malls in their air-conditioned cocoons, oblivious to this amazing place of tranquility that teems with life.
"Suisun Marsh is an incredible wetland treasure built up over thousands of years by sediments washed down the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers," says Cathleen Cannon, a naturalist and teacher who runs a science-education consulting firm called Lepus Californicus.
"For the longest time we just didn't understand the importance of estuarine marshes and wetlands. Even my father, who was a wonderful man, believed that marshlands and wetlands were wastelands, and should be filled."
Suisun Marsh was, at one time, following that path to oblivion. Fortunately, the high salinity in the soil was toxic to most crops. Suisun Marsh was protected from further development by the Legislature in 1977, when it passed the Suisun Marsh Preservation Act.
Today, paddlers have a couple of options for getting on the water. You can rent your kayak from Sunset Bay Kayaks, run by Trish Abbatiello, which operates out of the Suisun City Marina in Suisun City.
Since the number of kayaks she has available is limited – eight total, seating a maximum of 12 people – call ahead to reserve.
Or bring your own kayak.
You'll find an alternative launch site, albeit a more primitive and remote one, at Belden's Landing near the Montezuma Slough Bridge on Grizzly Island Road.
This weekend might be just the time to go for a paddle, then enjoy some food and the Fourth of July celebration on the Suisun waterfront. Then put your kayak into the water for the best seat in the house for fireworks from 9:15 to 9:40 p.m. (Note: You'll likely have to bring your own kayak.)
While kayakers can have a great day exploring on their own, a naturalist can greatly enrich the experience. You provide your own equipment, and someone such as Cannon will share a storehouse of knowledge and experience, from spying muskrats, otters and beaver, to pointing out the features that distinguish one species of tule from another.
Cannon is certainly better than any GPS in making sure that what goes into the most labyrinthine of channels will come out. There are tide swings, of course, and winds to consider.
"You're in a protected slough, and kayakers aren't affected very much by tides and wind, but it can blow pretty hard in the afternoon," says Gus Barkas of the Suisun City Marina.
In fact, the wind inspired the marsh's name. The Patwin Indians, who populated the area in the tens of thousands before being decimated by European diseases, named it Suisun, Land of the West Wind.
Consequently, Barkas said, "It's a good idea to start out paddling toward the west, and time your return back to the marina when the wind will be at your back."
Cannon points out that the waters of the main channel can get rough on windy afternoons on an outgoing tide. She prefers to do her paddling in the morning, when it's usually calm and there are fewer motorized boats or other watercraft.
Kayakers can combine their paddle with a hike and tour of historic buildings at Rush Ranch, a working ranch encompassing more than 2,000 acres of marsh and grassland. Owned and managed by the Solano Land Trust, it is two miles south of Highway 12 along Grizzly Island Road.
RESOURCES
Cathleen Cannon, naturalist available for Suisun Marsh tours, (707) 763-9810 (You must provide your own equipment.)
Fairfield Suisun Chamber of Commerce, (707) 425-4625 www.ffsc-chamber.com
Solano Land Trust (for information on Rush Ranch) (707) 432-0150, www.solanolandtrust.org
Suisun City Marina (707) 429-2628, general information on getting there and kayaking
Suisun City Waterfront District, July Fourth celebration, www.visitsuisuncity.com/event/fourth-july
Sunset Bay Kayaks, www.sunsetbaykayaks.com. (707) 365-2436
Tide table predictions for Suisun City, Suisun Slough, Suisun Bay: www.tides.info/?command=view&locid=15457
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