From our blogs

Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge presents Coastal Cleanup Day at the Environmental Education Center, Alviso on Saturday, September 21, 2019 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Do you want to help wildlife and the environment? Join the thousands of people around the world for International Coastal Cleanup Day. 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.

Volunteers can choose to be shuttled to areas along the Shoreline Trail to reach areas farther away. For more information, call 510-792-0222, ext. 362 for the Visitor Services Intern or Paul Mueller at ext. 361. No reservations necessary.

Children under age 18 must have parental approval. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. To expedite the registration process, log on to http://www.fws.gov/refuge/don_edwards_san_francisco_bay to download the forms and bring to the registration table. Forms are also available at the registration table.

A FREE summer camp filled with fun activities, games, crafts, and adventures.

Date and Time

• July 29 - August 2, 2019
• Grades 1-6: Monday - Wednesday 9:15 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
• Monday - Bird Day
• Tuesday - Fish Day
• Wednesday - Mammal Day
• Grades 4-6 only: Overnight 6:00 p.m. Thursday - 9:30 a.m. Friday
• Overnight - Night hikes, star gazing, sleeping under the stars and ice cream making!

Location

Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Environmental Education Center
1751 Grand Blvd, Alviso, CA 95002

by Anne Morkill, Refuge Manager, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The Summer 2019 issue of the Tideline quarterly newsletter is our last in print format. Following trends in the business community and across government, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service transitioned from print to digital newsletters and reports several years ago. We have been a bit slower in this transition, but we now find ourselves at a crossroads and decided to follow a new path. The reasons are various, ranging from staff changes and realigned priorities, to new technologies and ever-present budget challenges.

Going digital is not free, but it is less expensive than print. The savings on printing and postage are substantial, and we’d rather re-allocate those funds toward a more multi-faceted communications strategy, as well as on-the-ground resource conservation and public engagement projects. I want to especially recognize the support of the San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society for funding the layout and printing of Tideline for many years. We will continue to collaborate with the Society on developing and distributing the next generation of the publication.

by Ceal Craig

In December 2018, I visited Turnbull Refuge. A retired Project Leader, now a Friends BOD member, and the President of their Friends group took the time to drive me around this unique Refuge, with its rock formations, ponderosa pines, marshes, wetlands, and lakes all within 18,000-acres.

While we did not see any elk, the drive through quiet forests with still falling snow was a sharp contract to our own Refuge Complex. A half-hour’s drive southwest of Spokane, Turnbull is in the northeastern Washington Scablands created over 15,000 years ago after incredible ice age floods created a maze of channels and depressions.

Also, quite impressive was the Friends of Turnbull’s large Nature Store and the renovated Environmental Education Building, retrofitted primarily by loving volunteer hands and donated materials: shelving, murals, education materials, and construction.

Every year, over 18,000 students participate in programs and learn about Refuge plants and wildlife, who make their home in the scablands at Turnbull.