National Wildlife Refuge

The Don Edwards San Francisco National Wildlife Refuge is a part of the United States Fish and Wildlife within the Department of the Interior.

U.S. Department of the Interior was established 3/3/1849

The mission of the Nation Wildlife System is to preserve a network of lands and waters for the conservation and management of fish wildlife and plants resources of the United States for the benefit of the present and future generations.

The Service is the principal agency through which the federal government carries out its responsibilities to conserve, protect and enhance the nation’s fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the people. The Service has facilities across the country, including a headquarters in Washington D.C. eight regional offices and over 700 field units. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service includes the following programs, among others not listed:

Nation Wildlife Refuge System

More than 545 National Wildlife Refuges have been established to;
protect migratory birds;
preserve endangered/ threatened species and marine mammals;
provide a secure habitat for native plants and animals;
offers a wide variety of wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities such as wildlife –viewing, photography, hunting, fishing, and environmental education.

Ecological Services

The Ecological Services Program identifies species that ate endangered or threatened, places them on the “List of Endangered and Threatened Wild life and Plants” and then develops recovery plans to increase/restore their numbers.

The Service also works with other federal agencies’ that permit, license and construction programs to assure fish and wildlife needs are considered in the project development.

Fisheries and Federal Aid

The fisheries Division operates 80 National Fish Hatcheries in order to restore nation significant fisheries that have been depleted by habitat damage or overfishing.

Wildlife and Sport fisheries restoration laws are administered by the Division of Federal Aid to provide federal grant money to support projects carried out by state and territorial fish and wildlife agencies.

International Affairs

The Service is also working with other countries to preserve their native wildlife. The United States is just one of more than 160 countries involved with an international treaty that is aimed at preventing the over – exploitation of rare wildlife from commercial trade (CITES Convention on International Trade in endangered Species).

Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge

This is the first urban National Wildlife Refuge established in the United States, is dedicated to preserving and enhancing the wildlife habitat, protecting migratory birds, protecting threatened and endangered species, and providing many opportunities for wildlife-oriented recreation and nature study for the surrounding communities.

As of 2004, the Refuge spans 30,000 acres of open bay, salt pond, salt marsh, mudflat, upland and vernal pool habitats located throughout south San Francisco Bay. This Refuge is located along the Pacific Flyway and is the Refuge hosts over 280 species of birds each year. Millions of shorebirds and waterfowl will stop to refuel at the Refuge during the spring and fall migration. In addition to its seasonal visitors, the Refuge provides critical habitat to resident species like the endangered California clapper rail and salt marsh harvest mouse. Today, hundreds of thousands of people visit the Refuge each year to enjoy its diverse wildlife and habitats.

Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge is part of a complex made up of six other wildlife refuges in the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded in 1974 and administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, It was renamed Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in 1995 in recognition of Congressman Don Edwards' efforts to protect sensitive wetlands in south San Francisco Bay.

Free field trip and educational programs are offered at both of the two sites at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Both Refuges offers Wetland Round-Up field trips at the Refuge Headquarters in Fremont, and at the Environmental Education Center in Alviso. The San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society, the City of San Jose, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Society offer the Living Wetlands program at the Environmental Education Center in Alviso. For more information on this and visit the web site: http:ww.fws.gov/desfbay this web site will take you to the Tideline publication of current and past publications.

Tule reads grow extra tall in the Coyte Creek slough, because the salt level is so low.

Enviromental Educational Center - Alviso