San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge of Sonoma County

It is true that San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge does not limit its boundaries to Sonoma County alone, but it would be gravely negligent of me to remain silent about its majestic existence along the north shore of San Pablo Bay just because it is shared with two other neighboring counties in northern California; Solano and Napa.

In the not-so-distant past, less than 150 years ago, San Pablo Bay was enveloped by extensive and intricate marshlands perpetually permeated by surging and ebbing tidal waves of the Pacific Ocean and was regarded as one of the largest systems on the western coast of North America. These rich and sprawling swamps provided an ideal environment for aquatic plants which in turn offered safe havens and wealthy feeding grounds for migratory wintering waterfowl such as canvasback ducks, native shore and water birds as well as an abounding assortment of other land and water species.

Spanning over approximately twenty thousand acres, San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge is just one of sixty-seven wildlife refuges in the San Francisco Bay area, that was established in 1974 to restore the delicate equilibrium of the wetlands, to secure threatened wildlife habitats and to protect millions of vulnerable and endangered indigenous species of flora and fauna as well as the countless migratory birds. To accomplish this gargantuan task by attempting to reverse the damage inflicted to the local tidal marshes by expending agricultural, commercial and industrial activities such as hydraulic gold mining in the 1850s at the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, salt harvesting, rerouting and bleeding its waters and constructing dams, the management of the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge had formed a partnership with the Department of the Interior, the United .States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Sadly, only fifteen percent of this natural treasure remains unblemished but there is great hope for the future. Presently, San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge is a protected sanctuary for a thriving year-round local population of the California Clapper and Black Rails, the Salt Marsh Harvest Mice, the Song Sparrows of San Pablo and the Suisun Shrews. Furthermore, San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge is a welcoming winter resort for various species of birds especially the diving ducks, as well as eleven kinds of fish that annually cross the San Pablo Bay to their fresh water spawning grounds.

Now that we have seen what San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge does for wildlife, let us examine what it can do for you and me and I am please to inform you that it can do plenty with a capital "P." Being open to the public every day of the year from sun up to sun down it offers: hands-on educational programs for elementary school classes; off-water fishing in the open bay and sloughs accessible by boats; hunting grounds which are subject to State and Federal regulations and seasonal restriction; hiking and walking trails; and wildlife viewing and capturing on film.

And if you wish to turn your visit to San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge into a true vacation, you will find plenty of charming, rustic and beautifully maintained local accommodations such as B&Bs and inns.