In the 1950s, Richardson Bay faced the proposed Reeds Port Project, a development of several thousand homes that would have transformed the view ahead. Concerned local residents blocked the housing project and saved this vital habitat. Today, 960 acres of bay waters are protected by the Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary for the thousands of wintering birds and other wildlife that live there, and the sanctuary is closed to all watercraft each year from October 1st to March 31st to protect migrating waterbirds.