Best National Reserve Santa Clara Near Me

4worldlovers: The Ohlone Indians lived in the Rancho San Antonio area for over 3,000 years prior to the arrival of the Europeans. A large village, known as Partacsi, was located in this general area. An expedition led by Colonel Juan Baptista de Anza passed through this area in March of 1776. Mission Santa Clara de Asis was founded in October of the same year. In 1822, Mexico became independent and the Secularization Act stripped the missions of their holdings. After 1833, land grants were mainly given to army veterans and many ranchos were established. The chief commercial products of the ranchos were cattle hides and tallow. Governor Alvarado granted Rancho San Antonio to Juan Prado Mesa in 1839. This 440-acre rancho was bounded by Adobe Creek to the north and Stevens Creek to the south, and included Permanente Creek. Mesa had been a soldier at the San Francisco Presidio since 1828, served as a corporal in the Santa Clara Guard. Mesa died in 1845. California became part of the United States in 1848 and all land grants issued by the Mexican government became subject to review under U.S. law.

4worldlovers: Did you know that you could survey for bats using acoustic detectors that record echolocation calls? The calls are unique to each species so it's a valuable non-invasive technique to survey for bats. This year, the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay NWR was part of the North American Bat Monitoring Program. Staff from Bat Conservation International deployed a single recorder for one week at Bair Island and recorded two bat species: the Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus) and the Brazilian free-tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis). Bats play an important role in the ecosystem by consuming insects and pollinating plants. To learn more about bats, visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service story about bats and Bat Conservation International (batcon.org).

Mallard Slough Trail and sections of Alviso Slough Trail are Closed due to construction at Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Alviso California. South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Project (Phase I) between the Alviso Slough/Guadalupe River and Coyote Creek is underway.


For more information see the South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Fact Sheet


In the heart of California's high-tech industry lies a wildlife oasis in an urban sea with 30,000 acres of habitat for millions of migratory birds and endangered species. Established in 1972 through local activism, the refuge provides not only critical habitat for threatened and endangered species, but opportunities for people to enjoy the benefits of nature.


We are so excited to welcome your campers back for another year of Marsh-In Summer Camp at Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. This is the 44th year of free Summer Camp being offered to Bay Area youth entering Grades 1-6. Campers will have the opportunity to learn, complete fun self-guided activities, interact with Refuge Rangers & Biologists, learn to fish, explore the Refuge in Fremont, and much more!


Applications are due on June 9th. Here is the application link: https://forms.gle/cq6vCc9uYtM37ddR6. The form provides the rest of the camp details.


Please reach out to summercamp@sfbayws.org if you have any questions.


Sits on the southern end of San Francisco Bay. It is indeed a wildlife oasis in an urban sea. The refuge, created in 1972, was largely the result of grassroots efforts by the local community to protect the San Francisco Bay ecosystem. Today, it provides not only critical habitat for threatened and endangered species, but opportunities for people to enjoy the benefits of nature.


Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge was established to preserve and enhance wildlife habitat; protect migratory birds and threatened and endangered species; and provide opportunities for wildlife-oriented recreation and nature study for the surrounding communities.


Fifteen habitat types exist on the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, contributing to the diversity of wildlife on the refuge. More than 340 plant species and 280 species of birds call the refuge home, and millions of individual birds fly through the area during peak migrations. In addition to plants and birds, the refuge provides habitat for fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates!

4worldlovers: Nestled between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Diablo Range at the southern edge of San Jose, lies the stunning Coyote Valley. As our top conservation priority, it encompasses a unique combination of nature’s benefits such as floodplains, local water supply, wildlife connectivity, agriculture, recreation, and more.

Coyote Valley offers a rare opportunity to connect over one million acres of core habitat in the surrounding mountains, creating a Landscape Linkage allowing species to disperse, migrate, and shift ranges in response to climate change. With California’s prolonged droughts and more frequent flooding and wildfires, protecting and restoring Coyote Valley's natural benefits is the smartest long-term investment we can make together for the health and sustainability of our region, especially in the face of a changing climate.

The Authority, through an innovative partnership with Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) and the City of San Jose, has protected 1,000 acres of open space in North Coyote Valley, creating the North Coyote Valley Conservation Area. As identified in the Coyote Valley Landscape Linkage vision, protection of the North Coyote Valley is a key link in connecting wildlife habitats, providing opportunities to restore natural floodplains and improve water quality, and helping to build a climate resilient future for the residents of the 10th largest city in the nation.

Recognizing the importance of protecting nature for the benefits it provides our communities, this landmark transaction pulled together funding from the Authority’s Measure Q, San Jose’s Measure T, and POST, with support from multiple local and state agencies to take the first step towards a re-imagined and greener future for Coyote Valley and put an end to sprawl in the Santa Clara Valley.