Eden Landing Ecological Reserve facts for kids
Eden Landing Ecological Reserve is a special nature area. It's located in Hayward and Union City, California, right on the eastern side of San Francisco Bay. This reserve is like a big home for many animals, especially birds.
The California Department of Fish and Game takes care of this huge area. It's about 5,040 acres, which is like 3,800 football fields! This land used to be industrial salt ponds. Now, it's a perfect place for waterbirds to live, especially those that like water that's not too salty.
What is Eden Landing?
Eden Landing Ecological Reserve is a very important place for nature. It sits between the Hayward Regional Shoreline and the Alameda Creek Regional Trail to the north. To the south, it's next to the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge and Coyote Hills Regional Park.
You can also find it near the San Mateo–Hayward Bridge. On the other side of the bridge is the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center. Sometimes, people are allowed to hunt certain waterfowl here. You can even see the old buildings of the Oliver Salt Company inside the reserve.
Bringing the Salt Ponds Back to Life
Eden Landing is a big part of the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project. This project is the largest one of its kind on the entire west coast of the United States! The goal is to turn old salt ponds back into natural wetlands.
So far, over 1,000 acres of marsh have been brought back to life. Many of the old salt ponds have been made better for wildlife. New trails and a place to launch kayaks were opened to the public in April 2016. This means more ways for people to explore and enjoy the area.
The environmental group Save the Bay is also working hard here. They are planting native plants along the edges of the salt marshes. This helps the environment and provides more food and shelter for animals.
