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Where
did we go?
We went
canoeing in Arrowhead Marsh near the Oakland Airport. This is our own
"backyard" – a place to observe wildlife right here in
Oakland. Arrowhead Marsh is an island of wildlife habitat surrounded by
an urban landscape. The Oakland Airport is one mile west of the marsh.
The passing traffic on Interstate 880 and the jets flying over the marsh
creates constant noise pollution.
Jordan, Jessica and Zak, paddling in the marsh |
| What
did we do? Guides from Save the Bay's "Canoes in Sloughs" program led our group through the marsh in canoes. Naturalists and museum curators explained the history of Arrowhead Marsh and identified plants and animals that live in the marsh habitat. |
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| What
did we observe? |
The majestic great blue heron
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"We
even saw a Harbor Seal!"
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Important
facts about Arrowhead Marsh Although Arrowhead Marsh looks like it has been around forever, it was accidentally created by human activity a little more than a hundred years ago. In the 1870’s Chabot Dam was built in the Oakland hills. The dam was poorly engineered and soon after its completion a heavy rain destroyed the dam’s bypass. The rain washed 22,000 cubic yards of mud (or the equivalent of 400 standard dump trucks) down the San Leandro creek. The deposition of this sediment in south Oakland bay waters led to the creation of Arrowhead Marsh. The name of the marsh is an appropriate one as the marsh looks like an arrowhead from the air. |
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| Is
this native or exotic cordgrass? It is very difficult to distinguish
these two species. |
Today, Arrowhead
Marsh is an important habitat for estuary plants and animals. The salt
marsh harvest mouse and the clapper rail are two endangered animals that
depend on the conservation of Bay Area marsh habitats like Arrowhead Marsh.
Thousands of waterfowl make pit stops at Arrowhead Marsh during their
seasonal migrations. If you are lucky, you might see the small and cute
burrowing owls.
Despite the tremendous efforts to preserve and rehabilitate this important
marsh habitat, several problems are still unresolved. Noise pollution
from overhead jets and freeway traffic may deter many birds from Arrowhead
Marsh. Scientists are baffled about eradicating an exotic cordgrass plant
(Spartina alterna flora) that is displacing native marsh plants at a disturbing
rate. If this non-native cordgrass continues to spread unchecked, scientists
worry that the ecology of the marsh may be irreparably altered. So far,
no easy solution has presented itself. Removing non-native cordgrass is
expensive and wrought with legal problems. Furthermore, it is hybridizing
with native cordgrass species that makes it even more difficult to distinguish
these two similar looking species.
| Let’s
Go!
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