• Play Ball! But Where?

    By Carla Din

     

    It’s been over two years since the Oakland A’s proposed building a new baseball stadium alongside Lake Merritt. Golden Gate Bird Alliance led the environmental opposition to this proposal that threatened to undermine the progress made in reconnecting Lake Merritt to the Bay and providing healthy habitat for waterbirds there.  It was gratifying to see GGBA partner with other community opponents of the Lake Merritt site, including Laney College students and faculty unions and the Asian Pacific Environmental Network that were concerned about gentrification to surrounding cultural communities.

    In December 2017, the Peralta Community College District responded to the strong opposition and nixed plans for a ballpark on Laney College land near Lake Merritt. The A’s then shifted their focus to another site – Howard Terminal alongside the Port of Oakland, next to the Oakland-Alameda Estuary.

    (INSERT A MAP GRAPHIC THAT SHOWS THE HOWARD TERMINAL LOCATION AND POSSIBLY A DRAWING OF BALLPARK)

    This waterside site also presents potential dangers to wildlife. Like many other ballparks, possible hazards include:

    • Bright scoreboard lights and parking/security lights that can disrupt birds’ sleep patterns, facilitate nocturnal predation, and disrupt night foraging. Migratory bird behavior is radically impacted by light sources such as stadiums, according to a University of Oxford study
    • Glass walls located next to large bodies of water or green space can cause fatal bird collisions. Since birds cannot see reflective glass as a barrier, they fly into that which is reflected by the window, such as the sky or the trees and collide with the glass
    • Noise from crowds, traffic, public address systems, and amplified music can frighten birds away from their habitat and into roadways.
    • Fireworks can panic birds and sometimes lead them to abandon their nests and young. The Port of Oakland discontinued its annual 4th of July fireworks show over Jack London Square after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ruled that fireworks displays would harm the Least Tern, an endangered species that nests across the estuary in Alameda.
    • Plastic and other trash dropped into waterways that can kill birds who eat it or get tangled in it.

    (place doug’s photo of shorebirds here)

     

    GGBA Enters the Policy Arena

    In 2018, to streamline the A’s ballpark development process, State Assembly member Rob Bonta proposed a measure limiting the time during which environmental lawsuits could be filed against an A’s ballpark at Howard Terminal.…

  • GGBA Launches New Strategic Plan

    GGBA Launches New Strategic Plan

    By Carol Baird

     

    How often have you come across a bird and stood motionless to determine what it was doing— whether it was near its nest, what does it eat, or how many eggs are in that nest? You’re certainly not alone: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates there are some 48 million Americans who watch birds. And, if you enjoy watching birds, you doubtless are also reminded that you are a member of a species that poses a colossal threat to global avifauna.

    Black-crowned Night-Heron (the official bird of Oakland) by Jerry Ting

    In an effort to further protect bird life, face the challenges and opportunities for birds in this new millennium, expand our horizons, and deepen our outreach, the Golden Gate Bird Alliance Board of Directors devoted a full year to reinvigorating our 100 plus year-old organization through strategic planning.

    In January, 2019, we created a planning committee to lead this effort. That committee subsequently hired a consultant, who met frequently with the committee throughout the year. From March onward, the consultant also conferred with over 200 GGBA members who represented various parts of the organization.

    Black Phoebe by Carree Michel

    For many of us on the Board, it was an eye-opening venture. At first, we prepared the traditional papers and entertained the usual ideas about the status of GGBA in the community. But we soon had to confront a truer reality: we are not at all reflective of the Bay Area and its diverse human populations, all of whom do interface with birds in one way or another. 

    We realized that it is vital that we “step out of our silos and start working with the community as a whole.”

    One of many examples of GGBA’s community outreach. Here, Salesforce volunteers collaborate with GGBA to help restore Pier 94. Photo by Janet Carpinelli

    What are some of our key takeaways from the planning process? First is proclaiming anew the importance of birds in our living landscape, and how birds play a pivotal role in ecosystem functioning. 

    Christmas Bird Count 2019. Volunteers admiring both the landscape and birds. Photo by Chris Okon

    And, of course, a second key point is the need to share the astounding diversity of our local avifauna with others and the need to learn the myriad ways local people already do celebrate our birds.  Bay Area residents connect with birds in many ways that go beyond taking part in organized field trips or birding classes.…

  • Thanks and Farewell to Noreen Weeden

    An interview conducted by Melissa Ramos

     

    On Friday, January 17th, Noreen Weeden, Golden Gate Bird Alliance’s extraordinary Director of Volunteers, retired from her position. A former GGBA board member and chair of the San Francisco Conservation Committee, Noreen joined the GGBA staff in 2005. In addition to her work with GGBA, she’s volunteered with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, and the Yerba Buena chapter of the California Native Plant Society. Noreen’s passion for habitat restoration has led to phenomenal breakthroughs at San Francisco’s Pier 94, among other habitat restoration projects throughout the Bay Area. Before signing on full-time to GGBA, Noreen worked in tech for large corporations and small businesses. We are in eternal awe and gratitude for Noreen’s dedication and contributions to GGBA. 

    Before she retired, Noreen sat down for an interview with Melissa Ramos, GGBA’s new Communications Manager.

    Noreen at a volunteer party in 2013. Photo by Ilana DeBare

    Melissa: Can you describe the first time you realized you were passionate about birds? How did you get into birding?

    Noreen: Well, I was always interested in getting outside and going hiking. Going outside was a way to escape from my indoor telecommunications job. Bigger escapes included vacations to places such as Central America and Mexico where, at the time, they couldn’t reach me by phone.  Birds quickly became a way to further enjoy nature. Going on bird walks in those places helped me notice that some of the birds in the south traveled to and from San Francisco! From that point on, I wanted to learn more about bird migration.

    My love of birding started with those Mexico and Central American trips, but over time I really wanted to learn a lot more about birds in general. There are so many different species and so many different aspects about birds. There’s listening to their songs and their calls. Watching their behavior. Learning about evolution. The different foods they eat and different dangers that they face. Some that migrate long distances and others short. All of this is pretty fascinating and a gateway to virtually all of the other nature sciences.

    The beautifully restored Pier 94, one of Noreen’s most successful long term conservation projects. Photo by Lee Karney

    Melissa: What are your favorite birds and why?

    Noreen: This has got to be one of the cryptic birds, like the Wilson’s Snipe, a bird that’s sometimes difficult to see even though you’re looking directly at it.…