Roving the Refuge

Created in 1972, the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge comprises many separate parcels of bay and marshlands on both sides of San Francisco Bay. The wildlife refuge provides critical habitat for many species of plants and birds.

We'll hike the LaRiviere, Newark Slough, and Tidelands trails to understand the critical importance of wetlands in providing climate resilience.

Our route includes some fascinating flora, fauna, and geology, including a strange parasitic marsh plant called "devil's sewing thread," graceful shorebirds, and outcrops of California's official state rock, serpentinite. The park's hilltop overlook area will provide us with a panoramic view of San Francisco Bay and the Newark shoreline.

In 2025, Don Edwards Refuge Park Ranger Miguel Marquez received the Hidden Heroes Award for his educational work in connecting multiple generations to nature. Learn more about his story and incredible work.

Newark is also a Greenbelt Alliance Resilience Hotspot. Newark’s unique shoreline is a vital natural resource to protect the region from sea level rise and flooding, which pose serious threats to residents and industries. Learn more at .

Leader

Archana Paladugu

Total Distance

This is an easy hike of 2-3 miles with less than 100 feet in elevation change.

Cost

Free; Reservations required.

Where to Meet

We will meet in front of the Refuge Visitor Center. There are restrooms nearby.

Notes

Bring water and snacks, dress in layers, and wear good walking shoes. Dogs are not allowed on one of the trails we will be hiking, so no dogs on this outing (Sorry). If you have questions, please email Ken Lavin at [email protected].

Photos: 1 and 2. Greenbelt Alliance; 3. Allie Caulfield via Flickr

About the Outing Leader

Archana Paladugu is on a quest to cure her plant blindness by learning about the native plants and animals that share their land with us. She is inspired by her great-grandmother, who raised her in a little village in India and lived indigenously alongside a forest in a farming community.

"The trees are your cousins. Care for them," she often heard her great-gran say. "On the last day of the world, I would plant a tree," are the words from her favorite poem by the US Poet Laureate, M.S Merwin. Archana volunteers as a climate worker for CCL and SL2050. For a living, she is a computer scientist who works in Green Energy Tech.

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