Public Input Sought on Future of Don Edwards Refuge

Around the southernmost edges of the bay is a national wildlife refuge that provides a sanctuary for migrating birds and other species amid encroaching stretches of concrete, asphalt and office parks.

Although the main purpose of the refuge is wildlife conservation, the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge wants to accommodate visitors as well.

The refuge plans to adopt a management plan for the next 15 years, which includes public use.

"This is the opportunity for people to make their case," said Doug Cordell, spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

 will take place at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in Alviso at the . Comments from the public can also be submitted by mail, email or fax until the end of April. 

Within the 30,000 acres, the refuge already accommodates a variety of activities—educational programs, , biking, fishing, , kayaking and wildlife photography. But should those activities be expanded to make the refuge more accessible to people, such as an auto tour along Marshlands Road?

Newark resident John Lennon, who was walking a trail with his dog, said it should stay the way it is.

"You want it to be rustic," said Lennon. "You don't want paved roads. Packed gravel is as developed as I'd like to see it."

Jeff Watanabe, an associate professor of biology and environmental studies at Ohlone College, sees an opportunity at a site where he takes his class for field observation.

"There could more information about the salt ponds, their history and how they are currently being converted back to natural marsh habitat in the west part of the Dumbarton Bridge," he wrote in an email.

More walking trails, such as the ones in Mountain View, would be nice, said Carlos Vidrio, who works at the Alviso Youth Center.

"At Shoreline, it's more like people go out there and jog and exercise," he said. 

"The access is kind of hard," said San Jose resident Lan Do, who chaperoned his child on a third-grade class trip to the Alviso side of the refuge. "It's hard to get to the marshland."

Here are some other ideas presented by Winnie Chan, refuge planner, during a public input meeting on Wednesday at the Newark headquarters:

• Research potential sites for water-based tours near the Alviso or Newark sloughs; purchase kayak or canoe equipment. 

•Build a visitor's center at the Newark slough to replace the smaller visitor's contact station, using LEED standards. 

• Upgrade or replace the fishing pier at Newark. 

• Remodel the Environmental Education Center, using LEED standards, at Alviso.

• New seasonal duck hunting area inside Alviso's  (340 acres) could require hunting fees. 

• Build a fishing platform/boardwalk; right now, there is only a levy. (Faber-Laumeister, East Palo Alto)

The 15-year plan is required by the 1997 Refuge Improvement Act, according to Chan.  

"The Improvement Act tells us to manage the refuge for public uses," she said.

She said there is a balance between public access and the mission of refuge, which is protecting habitat and endangered and threatened species.

"How can we have people understand it, experience it without damaging it?" she asked.

A draft plan will be unveiled in November, and the public will be able to comment on it. The final plan will be adopted in late 2012.

For more information about the Comprehensive Conservation Plan and how to submit a comment, click here.