Work Sites

Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Don Edwards is in the middle of an industrial park on an extension of southern San Francisco Bay. Created in 1974, this 30,000 acre refuge hosts millions of migratory birds and is becoming a last-remaining home for some endangered species.

I chose this site for several reasons. The fact that it was nearby was a good reason, but I wanted to learn more about the refuge since I had never heard about it prior to seeing a presentation. I worked closely with Diane, an intern herself, as well as all the other volunteers during the restoration days. Going into working here, I hoped to walk away with an understanding of all the work and effort it takes to keeping a habitat the way it is meant to be, as well as the effort it takes to educate the populous about why this area is so important.

The most important part of this site is the salt marsh. It is home to the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse, and is one of few remaining salt marshes. There is also the California Clapper Rail that calls the marsh its home. Thousands of other birds inhabit the area, making it a great place for bird watching.

Resource Management Benchmark

It is difficult to say that there is not a place where invasive species are located, and this is unbelievably true for the refuge. Most of the marshland is covered in an invasive plant called ice plant. This plant can be bought at any nursery as a ground cover; and what a ground cover it makes. Most of my work and my project was spent on removing bunch after bunch of iceplant.

Interpretation Benchmark

Several elementary schools surround the Wildlife Refuge, making it a hub for environmental education. While working with the staff of Environmental Education Center on the refuge, I would often travel out to the schools and talk about different aspects of the refuge. Often times, it would be about the migratory birds or the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse (termed as "Salty"). As my project, I gave an hour presentation on the mysteries of the red fox and its place within the salt marsh ecosystem.

Internship_Hours_Log.pdf
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