Nature Comes Home at the Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge

The day after tomorrow I'm headed down towards the Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge along the southeast edge of the Bay, next to Fremont and Union City.

I'm going to get an update on the huge baylands restoration project underway on Cargill's old salt ponds. Ultimately, more than 16,000 acres will be returned to nature. It is the largest urban wetlands restoration ever undertaken, and it will breathe new life into the Bay. Among many other things, it will be a critical resting and feeding place for migrating birds whose habitat has been severely degraded along the eastern flanks of the Pacific.  And it will become a sanctuary for us humans seeking respite from the crush of city life nearby.

A generation ago, the fate of the Bay was uncertain. Much of it had been filled and plans were being implemented to fill even more. Many feared that the Bay would be reduced to a river someday, and so they fought successfully to literally turn the tide of development. In the past four decades, the Bay has experienced a shoreline renaissance. New wetlands and parks have been developed and the Bay Trail has given millions of us greater access to the water's edge. We live, after all, in the Bay Area. The Bay is our most unique and, perhaps, our most valuable asset. In any case, it's beautiful for sure and it's definitely getting healthier with the coming of the Cargill restoration. We're very lucky that concerned people saved the Bay......and made its improvement possible. With all the bad tidings on Wall Street and in global markets, I'm looking forward to seeing the good tides roll back into the salt ponds....carrying with them the denizens of nature coming back home.

For more information about the Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge, click here. To read about travel in the West, visit Doug McConnell's web site, www.openroad.tv.

Posted at 07:36 AM in Doug McConnell’s OpenRoad.TV Tips | Permalink