Endangered Species at the Regional Shoreline

A clapper rail at the shorelineEnshrouded in mist, the shoreline resounds with the ratcheting cry of the California clapper rail. For centuries, this bird has inhabited the lush, extensive wetlands ringing the Bay. Another bird species, the least tern, dances over the water on tiny crescent shaped wings, hunting for fish from Bay waters. Both of these species tied so closely to the natural areas of the San Francisco Bay estuary are now in danger of becoming extinct due to loss of habitat. More than 90% of the Bay's fresh and saltwater marshlands have been lost due to landfill and development. The fragments that remain, such as those protected by the East Bay Regional Park District, are vital to the continued existence of these and other creatures and plants.

Sharol Nelson-Embry
East Bay Regional Park District

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