From our blogs

03 Feb 2016

Migratory Bird Treaty Celebrates 100 Years 1916-2016

This year we mark the centennial of the Convention between the United States and Great Britain (for Canada) for the Protection of Migratory Birds - also called the Migratory Bird Treaty - that was signed on Aug. 16, 1916. This  Migratory Bird Treaty (446.6KB), and three others that followed, form the cornerstones of our efforts to conserve birds that migrate across international borders.

The treaty connects the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service with our federal, state, private, non-government, tribal, and international partners who share a long, successful history of conserving, protecting, and managing migratory bird populations and their habitats. Celebrating the centennial of the first treaty allows us to bring together those who have contributed to its success, and to galvanize efforts to protect migratory birds for generations to come.

18 Jan 2016

Levee Breach Celebrates Wetland Restoration on San Francisco Bay

by Doug Cordell, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

As the morning skies cleared of threatening clouds at a December 10, 2015 ceremony in Redwood City, CA, a hundredplus guests cheered a levee breach that reintroduced tidal water to inner Bair Island on the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge for the first time since the area was diked off for agriculture in the 1880s.

A levee breach at the Dec. 10 event caps a multi-year restoration that will return the diked-off site to tidal wetlands. Photo courtesy U.S. FWS / Julie Kitzenberger.

A levee breach at the Dec. 10 event caps a multi-year restoration that will return the diked-off site to tidal wetlands. Photo courtesy U.S. FWS / Julie Kitzenberger.

The breach culminates a $7.5 million restoration project overseen by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service that will enable the 1500-acre site, the largest undeveloped island in South San Francisco Bay, to grow back into to the marshland it was 150 years ago.

10 Jan 2016

Christmas Bird Count for Kids • January 17, 2016

Introduce your child to bird watching and learn how the Christmas Bird Count contributes to conservation at Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge and Coyote Hills Regional Park on January 17, 2016 from 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Go with an experienced birdwatcher and count all the birds you see. We will reconvene at the Don Edwards Refuge to tabulate our data and report our findings.

Recommended for ages 8-16. Minors must be accompanied by an adult. Driving to specific birding sites may be necessary. Bring binoculars if you have them, water, and a bag lunch.

Register at http://xmasbirdcount4kids.eventbrite.com.

Meet at the Visitor Center in Fremont at 2 Marshlands Rd, Fremont, CA

01 Jan 2016

Goodbye to Sue TenEyck, Welcome Mary Deschene!

Effective in 2016, we are saying goodbye to a long-term Board of Directors member and San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society Program Administrator, Sue TenEyck.

After serving the organization for more than two decades, she is beginning a well-deserved, full-time retirement.

The Board of Directors, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and volunteers all join in thanking Sue for her dedication and service to the San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society and the Refuge Complex. Best wishes, Sue!

23 Dec 2015

Congress passes bill to ban microbeads that pollute aquatic habitats

by Ceal Craig

Microbeads set against a penny for comparison of size. Photo courtesy 5 Gyres

Microbeads set against a penny for comparison of size. Photo courtesy 5 Gyres.

Yesterday, the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 passed both Congress and the Senate by unanimous consent, and was presented to the President for his signature.

Microbeads are tiny plastic beads that are added to consumer products such as body and face scrubs to enhance exfoliation and to produce a “feel good factor”. Microbeads wash down the drain, escape sewage treatment and enter our watersheds, lakes and oceans where they are eaten by marine life. A 2013 study found that plastic in the diet of marine life could negatively impact their health.

These destructive small particles first came to my attention at a reception for our Litterati.org exhibit earlier this spring held at the Environmental Education Center, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I had no idea of their potential for destruction or impact until then.

22 Dec 2015

Work to save San Francisco Bay only just begun

La Riviere Marsh at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Photo courtesy Oleg Alexandrov via Wikipedia.

La Riviere Marsh at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Photo courtesy Oleg Alexandrov via Wikipedia.

According to the San Francisco Estuary Institute, the San Francisco Bay baylands have been disappearing since the 1800s. In 1999, the Bay Area community set out to ensure that the bay had 100,000 acres of tidal marsh. This year the bay has 58,000 acres, some of them newly restored and evolving into marshlands.

An editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle urges Bay Area residents to "help spread the vision of a restored bay and persuade officials in the 101 Bay Area governments to share in it."

18 Dec 2015

New Viewing Scope at EEC, Alviso

Viewing scope at EEC, Alviso. Photo courtesy US FWS.

Viewing scope at EEC, Alviso. Photo courtesy US FWS.

Just in time for the busy holiday birding season, a new viewing scope has been installed at the Environmental Education Center, Alviso with funds provided by the San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society (SFBWS).

A commemorative plaque on the viewing scope honors Jed Somit who volunteered on the Board of Director of SFBWS for many years. An attorney based in Oakland, Jed Somit volunteered his time to draw up the Society's initial charter documents and provided the guidance that got the not-for-profit organization started in 1987.

11 Dec 2015

Decades-long Bair Island Restoration Project comes to fruition

by Ceal Craig

Yesterday morning, the last levee on Inner Bair Island was breached. The salty waters of the San Francisco Bay gurgled into its sloughs and began reclaiming the land that had been diked off decades ago. And so came to fruition a 33-year long project to restore all parts of Bair Island to marshland.

Final levee break at Bair Island on Dec 10, 2015. Photo courtesy Ceal Craig. Copyright CC-BY-SA 3.0

Final levee break at Bair Island on Dec 10, 2015. Photo courtesy Ceal Craig. Copyright CC-BY-SA 3.0

08 Dec 2015

Volunteer Opportunities: Winter 2015

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Volunteer Opportunities: Winter 2015 at the Environmental Education Center (Alviso, California).

If you have an interest in wildlife and their conservation, enjoy working with people, and are enthusiastic and dependable, the Environmental Education Center’s Volunteer Program is for you! As a volunteer, you’ll receive on-the- job training from staff and other volunteers in the project area you choose.

Prior to volunteering at the Environmental Education Center, you must attend a Volunteer Orientation. You can also attend the orientation just to see what opportunities there are, and if it is the right fit for you.

Upcoming Volunteer Orientations

Volunteer orientations will meet in the auditorium of the Environmental Education Center in Alviso from 11 a.m. to noon:

  • Tuesday, January 5
  • Tuesday, February 9
  • Sunday, January 24
  • Saturday, February 27
01 Dec 2015

Give the Gift of Membership

This winter give the gift of membership in the San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society to your family and friends.

Your donations will support the environmental education and public outreach programs at the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

Remember your friends and loved ones through a donation in their name. Send a donation by December 7, 2015 and we’ll send you a gift card by December 21, 2015.

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