Water may be life‚ but without salt‚ the human body cannot retain its benefits. And for thousands of years‚ a stretch of coastline south of San Francisco has been a vital source of salt.  The South Bay Salt Ponds‚ as they’re now known‚ were once thousands of acres of thriving tidal marsh‚ which formed a natural barrier against regional flooding and provided an important stopover site for migratory birds and habitat for estuary-dwelling flora and fauna. The Ohlone peoples historically harvested salt from the area’s natural deposits‚ a resource later exploited first by German immigrant John Johnson in the mid-1800s and then by salt-harvesting companies including Cargill‚ which still operates in the area.  Today‚ saltwater evaporation ponds sprawl across the area‚ forming a man-made waterscape that resembles an artist’s palette — courtesy of saline-loving microorganisms that give each pond its richly saturated hue. The post A Tidal Wetland Restoration of Epic Proportions appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.