The Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge

By Dana Edwards:

The San Francisco Bay area has had a significant human presence stretching back thousands of years. The earliest residents of the South Bay were the Ohlone, indigenous peoples who lived in ecological balance with their surroundings. The Ohlone were the region's only human habitants for thousands of years, until Spanish settlers emigrated to the area in the late 1700s.

Major changes occurred in the San Francisco Bay environment following the California gold rush in 1849. Explosive growth and development placed greater demands on the sensitive lands surrounding the Bay. The newly introduced salt industry, for example, converted tens of thousands of acres of salt marsh into commercial salt ponds. Conversion of wetlands to support development continued well into the 20th century, and today nearly 85 % of the Bay's original marshes and shorelines have been altered. 

Don Edwards grew up in San Jose. In San Jose there were some peach and apricot canneries that were dumping pollution into the swampy wetlands. Don did not like that.  He became an FBI agent, and then a navy officer and then a congressmen. He passed a bill in 1972 called the Wetlands Reform Act. Then he started the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. If you go off the Dumbarten bridge you will see it. It is good because it helps the wildlife. He saved an endangered species called the Clapper Rail.  When it began it had 20,000 acres. In 1988 it doubled because congress authorized it. Now it is becoming 60,000 acres with the Citizens Committee to complete the refuge. They must raise 100 million dollars to do this. There are many orginisations supporting the expansion of the wildlife refuge. For example, the Defenders of wildlife, the Audabin society, trout unlimited.

Congressman Don Edwards, responding to concerned local citizens, worked with Congress to approve the purchase of lands for the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, which was officially established in 1974. The Refuge was later renamed "Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge" in 1995 in honor of Congressman Edwards' dedication to the Refuge and its mission.

The urban areas surrounding the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge continue to expand. As a "wildlife island in an urban sea," the Refuge faces unique challenges. Nearby developments affect the Refuge in many ways. Power lines and levees criss-cross Refuge grounds. The high cost of land in the Bay area makes acquiring additional property difficult. Most importantly, Refuge managers and biologists must work hard to balance different land use practices - habitat and wildlife conservation, public recreation, and commercial salt production, for example - so that both the Refuge and the community benefit. Despite the difficulties of an urban setting, the Refuge also benefits from and provides unique opportunities for the surrounding community. Local partner organizations aid the Refuge in acquiring sensitive habitats for migratory birds, and threatened and endangered species. An extensive network of community volunteers (including high school students, corporate employee volunteers, and retirees) provide valuable support to Refuge staff. School groups take advantage of Refuge educational activities, teachers attend orientations that prepare them for environmental education, and people of all ages come to enjoy a wide variety of weekend interpretive programs which provide further opportunities for wildlife-oriented recreation\