From our blogs

10 Oct 2024

The Fall 2024 Issue of Tide Rising, our quarterly newsletter, is here

by Ceal Craig

Tide Rising: Volume 6, Issue 1, Fall 2024

Tide Rising: Volume 6, Issue 1, Fall 2024.

The San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society is happy to publish the latest issue of its digital newsletter, Tide Rising: Volume 6, Issue 1, Fall 2024. This issue’s theme is Partnerships & Supporters.

In this issue:

  • Partnerships and Supporters: Representative from long-term SFBWS partner answers questions about why the work they support is important to them. Community comes together for Latino Conservation Week; groups highlight resources of and raise awareness of Salinas River NWR. Volunteer hunters use own time, money, equipment to help maintain dozens of duck blinds across 10,000 acres of tidal areas and salt ponds. SFBWS, USFWS, Tamien Nation co-host US Rep. Ro Khanna’s staff for retreat at EEC, discussing challenges and need for Refuge funding.
  • SFBWS Perspectives: Volunteers keeping Visitor Contact Station open on weekends; SFBWS co-hosts Rep. Khanna staff visit; CORFA hosts open meetings.
  • Reports from the Field: CORFA shirt reminds public of importance of their votes for wildlife. Watershed Watchers outreach and education continues to educate communities about the importance of keeping our watersheds clean. Marsh-In Summer Camp encourages and inspires youth to grow up with a passion for science, conservation, and environmental activism. SFBWS associate explains why cow grazing is essential tool for maintaining the health of vernal pool grasslands.
  • Community Voices: Young environmentalists consider seasonal changes in marshland, call on community to reduce pollution.
  • News: SFBWS Staff Changes. FWS VC Retires. New Ravenswood Trail Opens October 19. Upcoming activities on the refuge and in the community: check them out!
  • SFBWS Volunteer Opportunities: Learn about places to support the Complex and the SFBWS: Nature store volunteers, SFBWS Operations support.

Editors: Clayton Ou, Ceal Craig, PhD
Contributors: SFBWS: Ceal Craig, Mary Deschene, Sirena Lao, Danielle McCormick, Armando J Valencia. USFWS: Melisa Amato, Matt Brown. Volunteers: & Supporters: Billy Roark, Da Potato Sisters. Photographers: C. Craig, SFBJV, A. Goswami, Delta Waterfowl, USFWS, CORFA, S. Lao, D. McCormick, A. Kakouros, A. Valencia, M. Marquez.

Thanks for reading!

01 Oct 2024

Celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week 2024 (Oct 13-19) at Don Edwards SF Bay NWR

Come celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week this year from October 13 through October 19 at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. This special week celebrates the important network of lands and waters that conserves and protects Americans' precious wildlife heritage.

Visit the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay NWR and take part in some or all of the activities listed below.

14 Sep 2024

Coastal Cleanup Day • September 22, 2024

Do you want to help wildlife and the environment? Join the thousands of people around the world for International Coastal Cleanup Day. It is an international day of action to protect our oceans, watersheds, and wildlife from trash and debris. This massive volunteering effort has an astounding impact on many of our local natural habitats and communities. In 2021, the Ocean Conservancy reported that over 318,000 volunteers collectively removed more than 5,595,000 million pounds of trash from beaches and waterways around the world.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Coastal Cleanup Day and is one of California's largest volunteer events with sites all over the state participating. Help us pick up litter from the roads and trails around the Environmental Education Center (EEC) to help keep our waterways and wetlands clean!

At Don Edwards SF Bay NWR you can remove invasive weeds or pick up trash along the parking lot and trails. We’ll supply plastic gloves (or bring your own) and trash and recycling bags. You supply energy, sturdy shoes, sun protection, and clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. Bring a reusable water bottle.

02 Jul 2024

The Summer 2024 Issue of Tide Rising, our quarterly newsletter, is here

by Ceal Craig

Tide Rising: Volume 5, Issue 4, Summer 2024

Tide Rising: Volume 5, Issue 4, Summer 2024.

The San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society is happy to publish the latest issue of its digital newsletter, Tide Rising: Volume 5, Issue 4, Summer 2024. This issue’s theme is Exploration & Discovery.

In this issue:

  • Exploration and Discovery: SFBWS and others hoping to address lack of federal funding and sufficient staff for US Fish and Wildlife Service through congressional advocacy and asking for community support.
  • SFBWS and Watershed Watchers Corner: Hear about what SFBWS has been up to over the past months, including Earth Day, Nature Store updates, staff changes, need for volunteers, April SFBWS BOD meeting, and more. SFBWS also led field trips at the Refuge for college classes, visited Boys & Girls Clubs and classrooms for activities, held several public programs and volunteer events, and hosted annual Volunteer Appreciation Banquet; now planning Marsh-In Summer Camp.
  • Reports from the Field: Sunset walk at Bair Island, trip to learn about weather and climate at Penn State, taking a restored train at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Unidentified and/or yellowfin Goby counts tend to surge around April; as of April 2024, the total baby fish count was 485.
  • News: Staff Updates. Activities coming up!
  • SFBWS Volunteer Opportunities: Learn about places to support the Complex and the SFBWS: Nature store volunteers, SFBWS Operations support.

Editors: Clayton Ou, Ceal Craig, PhD
Contributors: SFBWS: Ceal Craig, Mary Deschene, Sirena Lao.
Volunteers & Supporters: Jim Ervin
Photographers: Ambarish Goswami, Alyssa Clevenstine, Ceal Craig, Deepti Marella, Miguel Marquez, Jim Ervin, Danielle McCormick, Leila Inocentes, Ian McCormick, Larry Rosenblum, Ravi Kohli.

Thanks for reading!

01 Jun 2024

Pollinator Week 2024: June 17 - 23, 2024 - BioBlitz at the Refuge

The month of June is National Pollinator Month, and June 17-23, 2024 is Pollinator Week this year.

Pollinator Week 2024 is a celebration of the vital role that pollinators play in our ecosystems, economies, and agriculture. Under the inspiring theme "Vision 2040: Thriving ecosystems, economies, and agriculture," this year's event urges us to envision a future where pollinators not only survive but thrive.

Pollinators visit flowers to drink nectar or feed off of pollen and transport pollen grains as they move from spot to spot. Birds, bats, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, small mammals, and most importantly, bees are pollinators.

Pollinators play a crucial role in flowering plant reproduction and in the production of most fruits and vegetables. Without the assistance of pollinators, most plants cannot produce fruits and seeds. The fruits and seeds of flowering plants are an important food source for people and wildlife.

Self-Guided Volunteer BioBlitz at the Refuge

In honor of Pollinator Week 2024, please join us for a self-guided BioBlitz event, a volunteer opportunity that you can do outside on your own or with your family. It's a great way to explore nature and contribute to science. You may participate at any time from Monday, June 17 to Sunday, June 23. The Alviso Unit of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge is an excellent location for viewing local wildlife and checking out native plant species. Register here: https://PollinatorWeekBioBlitz2024.eventbrite.com and join the project here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/pollinator-week-2024-self-guided-vo...

Pollinator Week 2024. Photo Credit: Sirena Lao / SFBWS
28 May 2024

2024 Marsh-in Summer Camp Applications are open! • July 31-August 2, 2024

We are so excited to welcome campers back for another year of Marsh-In Summer Camp at the Don Edwards SF Bay NWR! This is the 45th year of free Summer Camp being offered to Bay Area youth entering Grades 1-6 and will take place at Refuge Headquarters in Fremont at 1 Marshlands Rd, Fremont, CA 94555.

This year's camp will be hosted from Wednesday, July 31 through Friday, August 2, 10:00am - 2:00pm each day at Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters in Fremont.

We welcome parents & guardians from all over the Bay Area to apply via this Google Form (one per family): https://forms.gle/nauSBXC44nMrpaYH7. Applications are due on June 21, and Summer Camp acceptances will be sent out by July 1. Campers are chosen through a lottery system.

Requirements: Campers must be entering grade 1-6 in Fall 2024 and attend and participate in all 3 days of camp. All activity materials will be provided. We will provide transportation from Santa Clara County for the in-person camp days. Camp is free to all participants.

We will share fun, self-guided activities with campers that may be completed at home prior to camp. Families will be invited to programs before and after camp!

Please reach out to summercamp@sfbayws.org or call (408) 515-1889 if you have any questions.

⮇ Click here to download the Marsh-In Summer Camp 2024 flyer in English and Spanish (PDF 1.2 MB) ⮇

23 Apr 2024

Interpretive Associate for the Watershed Watchers Program

Come join us! We are hiring an Interpretive Associate to work at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

  • Part-time, ~18 hours/week
  • Gain experience working in the non-profit sector and work closely with Refuge staff and volunteers.
  • Help with interpretive, education and restoration activities, and engage diverse audiences with nature.
  • Work outside on a National Wildlife Refuge
  • Hybrid working schedule
  • Apply now! First review of applications: May 1, 2024

Position Description

The San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society (SFBWS), a not-for-profit Friends group to the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, is looking for an enthusiastic Interpretive Associate to work at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) assisting with interpretive programs and environmental education and outreach. The Associate will work under the Watershed Watchers Program Coordinator and in close partnership with US Fish & Wildlife Service staff and volunteers to promote the Watershed Watchers mission, funded by Santa Clara Valley Urban Runoff Pollution Prevention Program (SCVURPPP).

14 Apr 2024

The Spring 2024 Issue of Tide Rising, our quarterly newsletter, is here

by Ceal Craig

Tide Rising: Volume 5, Issue 3, Spring 2024

Tide Rising: Volume 5, Issue 3, Spring 2024.

The San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society is happy to publish the latest issue of its digital newsletter, Tide Rising: Volume 5, Issue 3, Spring 2024. This issue’s theme is Endangered & Threatened Species.

In this issue:

  • SFBWS Perspectives: Endangered Species Day is May 17, 2024 - can we celebrate? Learn about what an endangered species is and how to help them thrive.
  • Endangered and Threatened Species: Protecting Habitats - Mary Deschene of SFBWS writes about key takeaways and highlights from Public Lands Alliance Convention and Trade Show. On 3/27, Deb Haaland, United States Secretary of the Interior, visited the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. At USFWS Workshop, Rachel Tertes of DESFBNWR shares her expertise using nature based solutions in managing landscapes. Sirena Lao, new SFBWS Watershed Watchers Program Coordinator, shares her perspective on what she has been learning in her role. Hear about highlights from walks at several refuges and preserves across the Bay - including a chorus of avian voices!
  • Community Voices: Two young environmentalists call for habitat protection. Hear from a young volunteer about ecopsychology. Meet a local high school robotics team recycling old printers into learning experiences that also promote responsible e-waste disposal. Learn about ways to conserve power and materials in an age of tech.
  • News: Join us for Earth Day on the Refuge on April 21! Farallon Islands webcam has been re-launched. Please welcome new members of SFBWS! Upcoming activities on the refuge and in the community: check them out!
  • SFBWS Volunteer Opportunities: Learn about places to support the Complex and the SFBWS: Nature store volunteers, SFBWS Operations support.

Editors: Clayton Ou, Ceal Craig, PhD
Contributors: SFBWS: Ceal Craig, Mary Deschene, Sirena Lao. USFWS: Matthew Brown, Chris Barr, Gerry McChesney. Community Voices: Da Potato Sisters, Riya Marella, Ethan Deng & Daigo Hayashi, Clayton Ou.
Photographers: Mary Bobik, USFWS, Aja Yee, Rachel Tertes, Sirena Lao, Ceal Craig, Geary Chew, Clayton Ou, Neels Kulshrestha, Elizabeth Olachea.

Thanks for reading!

23 Feb 2024

Marsh-In Summer Camp and Program Associate 2024

We are hiring! Want the chance to work outdoors on a National Wildlife Refuge and engage kids with nature? Apply to join our team at the San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society as the Summer Camp Associate!

We are looking for a passionate and tenacious team member to engage with our local youth and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards. Check out the details below to learn more and apply.

* Part-time, May to August 2024
* Gain experience working in the nonprofit sector and work closely with refuge staff and volunteers.
* Engage the next generation of young environmental stewards.
* Work outside on a National Wildlife Refuge
* Hybrid working schedule
* First review of applications: March 18, 2024

Marsh-In Summer Camp Associate 2024
12 Feb 2024

Great Backyard Bird Count • February 16 — 19, 2024

Join people from around the world count wild birds on the February 16 to 19 weekend and then submit your data online for scientists to use in their research. The kid-friendly event is run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, plus other sponsors and international partners.

Whether you’re a sage expert or a first-time birder, you can help create a snapshot of avian populations and provide critical information for future conservation efforts just by reporting what you see and hear. Every observation you submit gives scientists more insight into research areas such as how birds are adapting to suburban sprawl, West Nile Virus, and climate change. It’s free, it’s fun, and it makes a difference.

So how do you take part? Read on at https://www.birdcount.org/participate/ to learn how to participate and then share your photos: https://www.birdcount.org/photos/ of the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) 2024.

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