From our blogs

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.

by Ceal Craig

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!

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.

Very high tides known as King Tides are coming to shorelines across California Friday, February 9, 2024. King Tides are caused when there is alignment of the gravitational pull between the sun, moon and Earth. They are predictable and happen a few times of year. They are the highest tides of the year, and offer a glimpse into what life along the coast and bay could be like of sea levels continue to rise. They also provide visibility to the trash polluting our water ways and the San Francisco Bay.

The California Coastal Commission’s King Tides Project is asking for people to document the coast for a citizen-science project that aims to give decision-makers a look at how to address sea-level rise in future years.

When: Friday, February 9, 2024 - 11:00am to 12:30pm
Where: Don Edwards SFB NWR EEC, 1751 Grand Blvd San Jose, CA 95002

Sign up today to learn about this year’s King Tide events! The CCC uses the Survey123 app to track community science king tide photos.

We are inviting you as well to participate in this year's King Tides Project in Alviso!

We have a few spots at and around Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge where you can witness the year’s highest tides.