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Sunday’s top of the scroll: Spring at San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Posted by: Maven on June 7, 2009 at 10:02 am

From the Contra Costa Times:

Winter storms give way to sunshine and longer, warmer days as spring arrives at the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge complex.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established the refuge 35 years ago as the first urban national wildlife refuge in the country. Spring brings new life to the seven refuges of the complex, which protects both the wildlife and their habitats.

In a small saltwater marsh nestled alongside homes and businesses in East Palo Alto, a secretive bird appears during a warm April evening. As the tide pushes into the marsh, the California clapper rail forages along the mud bank of a small slough lush with pickleweed. With a few steps into the dense vegetation, it is gone.

A staggering 80 percent of tidal marsh in the Bay has been lost to development, agriculture, freshwater runoff and other urban encroachment. This has been disastrous for species such as the endangered California clapper rail. One of the largest rails, this hen-like bird has seen population numbers dwindle through the years because of hunting and habitat loss. Figures from the National Audubon Society show that the population has dropped from about 5,000 in the mid-1970s to fewer than 1,000 in 2007.

The Antioch Dunes evening primrose and the Contra Costa wallflower have managed to keep their roots planted in the ancient dunes formed along the San Joaquin River after the Mojave Desert receded in prehistoric times. Petals from their flowers shine with color as they stretch out of the sand and toward the spring sun.

Read more from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.

June 7, 2009 · Filed Under Uncategorized

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