was significant for much more than 5 years, and the permit requirement for a "fully vegetated" marsh within 10 years of levee breaching, was not met by a long shot. (Just look at the current Sonoma Baylands restoration on Google Earth today, to see whether the permit-promise of fully vegetated tidal marsh by 2005 was kept.) The Sonoma Baylands pilot unit finally turned to marsh by the late 2000s, but the main unit today is still mostly mudflat, with fringing low cordgrass marsh.

The fact that the Sonoma Baylands eventually showed some signs of recovery from its tidal choking-induced developmental delays was cold comfort to Phil. He was frustrated, but completely undeterred, by what he perceived as high-handed, exclusionary agency stonewalling and rejection of his critical analysis. One letterwas perceived to be at stake with Sonoma Baylands, and unquestioning cheers were what agencies were seeking. [l incidentally mentioned to a senior wetland official around 1996 that I routinely sent Phil photos and updates from the field about Sonoma Baylands to keep him updated and informed. He looked at me with the same mix of astonishment and horror that George C. Scott displayed in "Dr. Strangelove" when his character learned that the Soviet ambassador was allowed to see the big screen in the War Room!] It was not a fluke that Phil personally received defensive correspondence from the top executives of lead federal and state agencies. His analysis and opinions mattered a lot.

I think Phil has had a huge and lasting influence on wetland professionals' "common sense"