Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center
Pre-Trip Activities, Grades 3-6
Table of Contents
Title
Introduction to the Hayward Shoreline
What are the Habitats of the Hayward Shoreline?
Whose Clues?
Adaptation Artistry
Vocabulary
Plants of the Hayward Shoreline
Animals of the Hayward Shoreline
Common Spring and Summer Shoreline Birds
Common Fall and Winter Shoreline Birds
Bibliography of Bay-Related Sources
Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center
4901 Breakwater Ave., Hayward, CA, 94545
510-670-7270
www.haywardrec.org/hayshore
[email protected]
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Introduction to the Hayward Shoreline
History: The Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center opened in 1986 as a place
where school groups and the general public could learn about the ecology, history, and
significance of the wetlands surrounding the San Francisco Bay.
We call this a “salt marsh”, but in fact these wetlands consist of a complex set
of salt, fresh, brackish and tidal ponds. From 1856 through the 1940s this area was
used for salt production. In 1980, managers began removing dikes, restoring tidal
action to an area that was originally a mixture of tidal wetlands and associated
uplands.
Natural History: A marsh is where water and land come together. The 1800 acres
of marsh at the Hayward Shoreline constitute the largest section of the wetland
habitats in the San Francisco Bay. Wetlands offer a wide diversity of life as both a
nursery for sea life and a rich food source for the plants and animals that live there.
There are many plants and animals that call the Hayward Shoreline their
home. One of the most abundant plats is Pickleweed, which is found only in salt
marshes. Pickleweed is an important habitat for the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse, a
unique rodent that has become endangered due to destruction of wetlands around the
Bay.
San Francisco Bay is home to thousands of resident and migratory birds. The
Shoreline is part of the Pacific Flyway, a primary migratory bird route. During the
spring migration, a number of birds fly north and breed in the Artic, while others
return here from South America and build their nests to raise their young. During the
fall migration, many birds that have spent the breeding season farther north fly
through on their way to their southern non-breeding grounds. Some birds choose to
stay all year in the Bay.
What Good is the Marsh? The Hayward Shoreline is a vital part of the San
Francisco Bay ecosystem for many reasons.
-It is a rich habitat for many animals: birds, mammals, invertebrates and more. A
habitat includes shelter, food, water, air, and space. Every living plant and animal
needs a unique arrangement of these basic necessities to create a specific habitat.
Without these there would be no life.
1. Marshes are a nursery for marine life. Many fish, such as flounder and leopard
sharks, begin their lives in the protected channels of the Bay marshes, and move into
the Bay as adults.
2. Marsh plants help control water quality. Many marsh plants take up water
pollutants and convert them into non-pollutants, or store them in their tissues.
3. Marshes are a natural flood buffer. The marsh slows and absorbs water, protecting
human developments.
4. Marshes prevent erosion. Because water moves more slowly through a marsh, any
sediment that was carried along previously is dropped into the marsh and not carried
into the Bay.
5. Marshes store carbon dioxide. There is incredible plant biomass in salt marshes due
to the daily movements of tides, which bring in nutrients and flush waste products.
These plants store large amounts of carbon, which helps protect our atmosphere from
a greater accumulation of carbon dioxide.
Healthy marshes promote a healthy Bay, which in turn helps to keep the ocean
healthy. Were we to lose our remaining marshes, the Bay ecosystem would severely
damaged. We must all work to preserve areas such as this.
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How do People Use the Marsh? The Hayward Shoreline is part of the San
Francisco Bay Trail system. Currently you can walk, jog, or bike north from the
Center seven miles to San Leandro Marina. The trail will eventually be extended
south to the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, connecting to the rest of
the Bay Trail.
Image 1. Zonation of a salt marsh. From
http://www.amigosdebolsachica.org/birdsandscience.htm
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WHAT ARE THE HABITATS OF THE
SHORELINE?
Objectives: To have students understand and recognize the habitats they may observe when
visiting the Hayward Shoreline.
Skills: Discussion, analysis, comparing similarities & differences, evaluating, listing, describing.
Duration: 45-60 minutes.
Materials: Chalkboard or flipchart.
Background
Background: A habitat is the area needed to provide an animal with the food, water
oxygen, shelter and space that is necessary for survival. Animals have adaptations for
finding these things in different environments. For example, animals that live in the forest
may use trees and nuts for shelter and food. There are no trees in a salt marsh, so animals
like tree squirrels cannot live here. An animal that gets food or shelter primarily from
marsh plants like pickleweed or cordgrass could not survive in a forest.
Procedure: If your students are not already familiar with the concept of habitats, ask
them to list the things they think animals need to have in order to survive (food, water,
oxygen, shelter and space). A “habitat” is a place that provides an animal with these things.
Examine the habitat of a creature they are familiar with – themselves. A city or town is a
“habitat” for people – gardens and grocery stores are sources of food, water comes from
wells, reservoirs or lakes, and houses and apartment buildings provide shelter.
Once your students understand their own “habitat”, introduce the various habitats
present at the Hayward Shoreline (listed below). Have the students come up with a list of
animals they think might live in each habitat. What would each of these animals use for
food, water and shelter? (Remember what kind of water we have here at the Shorelinebrackish!). How much space would each animal need? (Will there be a lot of one particular
animal, or just a few?) How have humans changed the kinds and amounts of each habitat?
What effect do you think these changes have had on the kinds and numbers of animals
that live here?
Most of the natural habitats at Shoreline are dominated by the rhythm of the tides.
There are two low and two high tides of different heights during every 24:48 (hr:min) “lunar
day”. Use a tide table such as here at this website, where you can find tides for the east end
of the San Mateo Bridge, to see if you will be visiting the Shoreline at high or low tide. Will
the tide be rising or receding during class visit? How will that affect the habitats you will be
seeing?
Shoreline Habitats:
WATER – The San Francisco Bay is actually an estuary, a body of water in which salt
water from the ocean mixes with fresh water, primarily from the delta. The salinity
(saltiness) of the Bay fluctuates throughout the year, depending on the amount of fresh
river and rain water flowing into it. Salinity also varies depending on the depth at which
you sample it; salt water is denser than fresh water, so salinity increases the deeper you go.
Much of the Bay (65- 80%) is less than 15 ft. deep. Since the 1800’s, 12% of the Bay’s
waters have been filled in or diked in order to increase the amount of land available for
human use.
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Channels bring the water habitat into the marsh. These shallow, protected waterways
are important nurseries for young fish, giving them a place to grow large enough to survive
in the Bay or further out in the water of the open ocean.
MUD FLATS- At low tide, acres of mud stretch between the marsh and the Bay. This
seemingly barren land is home to a thriving community of organisms. A double handful of
mud from the tidal flats may contain as many as 10,000 living creatures. Denizens of this
habitat range from microscopic (phytoplankton and zooplankton) to moderate-sized life
forms such as snails, crabs and clams.
Many of these organisms are members of webs of interrelationships that extend beyond
the mud flats to other nearby habitats. For example, during the winter, hundreds of
thousands of sandpipers and other birds feed on worms and other mudflat animals. Many
mudflat animals, such crabs and clams, eat decomposing plant and animal material that
washes out of the nearby marsh.
SALT MARSH- Before the arrival of European settlers, the salt marsh habitat dominated
the Hayward shoreline. Since that time, many marshes have been filled in so that people
could build on them, or they have been cut off from the ebb and flow of the tide by dikes.
Researchers estimate that more than 90% of the Bay’s salt marshes have been eliminated
by development. Some animals that depend on the marsh have become endangered due to
the loss of their habitat. One of these animals is the California Clapper Rail, a federally and
state endangered bird; it is the mascot of the Interpretive Center.
Today, thanks to restoration projects that have re-introduced tidal water into formerlydiked areas, the shoreline has more than 600 acres of salt marsh habitat. The Interpretive
Center is just north of one of the newest and largest restoration projects, at the Eden
Landing Ecological Reserve. This project is part of the South Bay Salt Ponds restoration
project, begun in 2008, and when completed, will have restored 6,000 acres of marsh in
Eden Landing. This project is managed by the California Department of Fish and Game,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and by the California Coastal Conservancy. Look for
their website in the bibliography for more information about this exciting project.
The kind of plants that grow in the marsh depend on the elevation of the land above sea
level. During the course of the day, some areas of the marsh are under water for up to 21
hours at a time as the Bay’s water level rises and falls with the tides.
The most
common marsh plant around the Interpretive Center is pickleweed, a low-growing plant
with juicy leaves that look like a string of tiny pickles. Pickleweed can endure moderate
periods of time under water. Strips of cordgrass occupy the lower land areas, which are
submerged for longer periods of time. Cordgrass (Spartina foliosa) is native to the San
Francisco Bay, but most of the cordgrass growing on the Hayward shoreline these days is
an eastern species (Spartina alterniflora) that was introduced to the South Bay during an
Army Corps of Engineers marsh restoration project in 1973.
SALT PONDS- Many Bay area marshes were diked off from the tides to create salt
evaporation ponds. Although salt harvesting no longer occurs at the Hayward shoreline,
you can see some old, disused salt ponds on the south side of the main trail ½ mile from the
Interpretive Center. Water from the Bay cannot flow into these ponds. They fill with
rainwater during the winter, and dry up as summer progresses. Although the water that
comes into these ponds is fresh, there is so much salt concentrated in the soil from the
previous evaporation cycles that the water becomes hypersaline (saltier than seawater!).
Birds such as Black-Necked Stilts, egrets, and Bufflehead Ducks visit the ponds to feed on
brine shrimp, water boatmen and other animals that are able to survive in the salt pond
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habitat. Federally endangered snowy plovers also breed in these ponds, as they closely
resemble the open beaches that are the plovers’ natural breeding habitat.
UPLAND/DIKED AREAS- Uplands are areas that are high enough that they are not
flooded by high tides. Animals who normally live in the marsh depend on these areas to
escape from flooding during storms or extremely high tides.
Most of the natural uplands that surrounded the marsh have been developed for human
use. When people built dikes to create the salt ponds, however, they created new uplands.
The levees that form the Shoreline’s trails are upland habitat.
Of the plants researchers have found growing on the dikes, approximately 25% are
exotic species (not native to this area). These exotic plants often grow better than native
species in areas where the soil has been disturbed by human activities. How do you think
the introduction of all these new plants has helped or hurt the animals that live here? What
if the new plants are taking water and growing space away from a native plant that an
animal depends on to survive? Might some animals be able to use the non-native plants for
food and shelter? Why or why not? For a long time, scientists believed that clapper rails
could not hide in the Eastern Cordgrass because the blades of the grasses were too thick.
However, new research shows this may not be correct and more information is needed
before any conclusions can be made. An ecosystem’s relationship with non-native animals
is always complicated.
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WHOSE CLUES?
Putting together evidence (clues) to solve a mystery is fun, and it is also part of a scientific
approach to problem solving. From reading clues, students make inferences about who left them and the
circumstances under which they were left.
Objectives: Student will: 1) observe and identify clues to wildlife activities; 2) make
inference about the types of wildlife present in an area and their activities; 3) describe
some interrelationships between animals and between animals and between animals and
their environment
Methods: Look for and try to identify animal tracks and other signs of wildlife.
Skills: Interpreting information, drawing, observation, small group work, discussion.
Duration: One Hour
Materials: Brightly colored ribbon or flagging tape (two 1-foot pieces per student); ice
cream sticks (2 or more per student); 1 small (5x5’) flat plastic ground cover; 1 cp oatmeal, 1
cp peanut butter and lots of flour; copies of questions and pictures of signs provided (1 per
team); clipboards, pencils; (optional) poster-sized piece of absorbent paper, rags, or old
towel to wipe hands.
Background: Allanimals leave behind signs of their activities: what they’ve been
eating, where they’ve been walking, running, resting, and rearing their young. When a
classful of eyes start searching an area for these signs, fascinating – and wonderfully
gross – discoveries are sure to follow.
Tracks, among the most obvious clues of an animal’s presence, are most easily
found in mud or sand near puddles or waterways, where the ground is soft. Each type
of animal leaves a distinct footprint, distinguished by the number of toes, claw marks,
size, and arrangement of the tracks. Marks left by feet are not always distinctive, but
they may still be important clues. For example, claw marks on smooth bark indicate
where squirrels, opossums, or raccoons have been climbing. Narrow trails or pathways
indicate regular routes of mice, voles, rabbits or raccoons. Muskrats dig connecting
pathways and tunnels in the marsh mud – these are often visible when the water level
is low.
Animals leave an abundance of evidence about what and where they have been
eating. Deer and other browsers snip off tips of twigs and branches. Squirrels drop
stripped pine cones and nut shells fragments. Scattered feathers or tufts of fur show
where a predator captured or devoured a bird or mammal.
The form and contents of droppings, or scat, can reveal a lot about the types of
animals living in an area and what they’ve been eating. The scat of plant-eating
animals tends to be small and uniform in size and composition. Scat of carnivores and
omnivores tends to be larger and may contain hair, bones, and undigested seeds. Not
everything that looks like a dropping is necessarily scat, however. Among birds of
prey, such as owls, the undigestible part of the meal does not all pass through the
digestive tract. Instead, these birds regurgitate pellets of fur and bones, about the size
of the end of a thumb or larger, which often accumulate under a favorite roost.
Roosts of other birds might be recognized by white splatters from their droppings on
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the ground under trees. Another sign of a resting place may be compressed vegetation
in a thicket where animals, e.g. deer, have been lying.
Many animals, especially birds, build nests when they’re ready to raise young.
Although most nests in an area will be hidden, a few can usually be spotted. Song
birds’ nests are typically tucked away in thickets or in a leafy cover of trees, and may
be made of any of a variety of materials, such as grasses, spider webs, straw, hair, and
bark. Large birds of prey, such as hawks, eagles, or ospreys, build nests of sticks high
in the tree tops (osprey also nest on buoys and channel markers over water).
Woodpeckers excavate holes in dead trees or limb and nest within the hollow. A
marsh wren’s spherical nest is cleverly concealed, built among the tops of cattails and
reeds – but which is the real one? Marsh wrens build several “dummy” nests to fool
predators!
Procedure: There are two potential parts to this activity. Both can be done
separately or combined into one activity. Part I is good for a school site where there is
a lot of nearby natural animal habitat. Part II is good for a school site where there
may not be much natural animal habitat nearby, and is designed specifically to explore
animal tracks.
Part I
Before doing this activity, explore your school grounds or adjacent open space and
select a site with soft ground and as much diversity of animal life as possible.
1. In class, describe the area and brainstorm about the types of animals that
might live there and clues those animals might leave behind. Make a list on the
board.
2. Divide the class into small teams. Have each team make a set of flags (2 per
student) out of foot long pieces of ribbon tied to ice cream sticks. Explain that
they will look for animal clues at the site and mark the clues with the flags.
After the search time, each team will take the class on a tour to show their
clue. Each team member will talk about two clues, giving their team’s
inferences about the set of questions provided.
3. At the site, hand out copies of the questions for the teams to look over before
the search, and review the procedure. Define boundaries for each team making
them as large or small as necessary, considering the age of the students and the
diversity of the site. Set a time limit of 10-20 minutes. Each team searches
within its designated area for two clues per student, or as many as possible
(there may only be a few areas, depending upon the site). As clues are found,
they should be marked by poking a flag into the ground or tying it to a nearby
branch. Team members should plan their answers to the set of questions.
4. After the search time, regroup the class and take the tour, as described above.
As clues are presented, the flags should be removed. Encourage all students to
offer explanations as a part of the discussion.
Part II
This is a great activity to look for animal prints, in urban or rural areas. It requires
preparation the night before.
1. The night before your activity, spread your plastic ground cover in an area
where you believe many animals will travel during the night.
2. In the center of the plastic, place a ball of mixed oatmeal and peanut butter.
3. Cover your plastic with lots of flour.
4. Leave overnight. The next day, visit with your class and see the types of prints
that have been left from curious visitors. Find a website for your geographical
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area that will help you identify prints. There are also field guides that identify
animal prints.
5. Move through the questions and answers below as described in Part I.
Questions:
1. What kind of sign is it? Track, scat, evidence of feeding (such as a gnawed branch),
actual remains (such as a bone, feather, or shed skin,) nest, pathway, or other sign.
2. What type of animal do you think left the sign?
3. What was the animal doing when it left the sign? How can you tell?
4. If scat or owl pellets, what do you think the animal had been eating? (Neat stuff can be
found by examining pellets or poking around in scat with a stick. Most wild
animal scat is relatively odorless.)
5. For each of the above questions, how could you find out if your answers are correct?
A nice classroom activity is to carefully pick through owl pellets to retrieve the rodent
and bird bone inside. Carolina Biological Supply (1800-334-5551) is a source for obtaining
pellets and diagrams of skeletons that students can use to identify bones and skulls, and
they can put the skeletons back together!
Activity taken and adapted from: WOW! The wonders of wetlands, ©
1995 by Environmental Concern Inc. and the Watercourse
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ADAPTION ARTISTRY
Objectives: Students will be able to 1) identify and describe the advantages of bird
adaptations; and 2) evaluate the importance of adaptations to birds.
Skills: Analysis, application, media construction, observation, problem-solving,
reporting, synthesis, writing.
Time: One or two 45-minutes periods.
Materials: Drawing, painting, clay sculpture or paper mache materials;
construction paper and glue; pencil and paper.
Background: Birds have a variety of adaptations – including characteristics of beaks,
feet, legs, wings, and coloration. These adaptations have evolved so that the bird is
better suited to its environment and lifestyle. A variety of major adaptations are listed
below:
Adaptation
Beaks pouch-like
long, thin
pointed
curved
short, stout
slender, long
Feet
webbed
long toes
clawed
grasping
Legs
flexor tendons
long, powerful
long, slender
powerful muscles
Wings large
extended, pointed
Color bright plumage
drab plumage
change of plumage
with seasons
Bird
pelican
avocet
woodpecker
hawk
finches
hummingbird
duck
crane, heron
hawk, eagle
chicken
chicken
ostrich
heron, crane
eagle, hawk
eagle
swallow
male birds
female birds
owl,
ptarmigan
Advantage
can hold fish; a food source
can probe shallow water and mud for insects, a food source
can reach and probe bark trees, for insects, a food source
can tear solid tissues, like meat, a food source
can crack seeds and nuts, a food source
can probe flowers for nectar, a food source
aids in walking on mud, transportation, swimming
aids in walking on mud, transportation, perching
can hold solid tissues, like meat, a food source
aids in sitting on branches, roosting, perching
aids in perching, grasping
aids running, transportation
aids wading, transportation
aids in lifting, carrying prey, transportation
aids flying with prey, soaring while hunting
excellent maneuverability to catch insect prey
attraction in courtship, mating rituals
aids in camouflage while nesting, protection in shelter
provides camouflage protection (brown in summer,
white in winter), protection in shelter
The purpose of this activity is for students to understand that there are advantages
for birds in looking how they do, and recognizing some of the ways in which birds are
physically adapted to their environment.
Procedure:
1. Discuss with the students the various adaptations given in the background
section of this activity, listing the charts on a chalkboard for reference by the
students. Or, brainstorm a list of bird characteristics, name the birds with such
characteristics, and describe the advantage of the adaptation represented by the
characteristic. To add some fun, create some funky adaptations that are randomly
distributed between groups, such as super strength, the Force, a guitar, extra
limbs, fire-breathing ability…the possibilities here are endless.
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2. Tell the students they will each have a chance to design their own original bird –
one well adapted to it habitats. Each student should decide:
• Where the bird will live
• What it will eat
• Its type of mobility
• Its sex
3. Based on these choices, the students will decide the adaptations that are
necessary for their bird, and write them down before proceeding further.
4. Using their list of adaptations, each student will create his or her original bird by
drawing or sculpting it.
5. In conjunction with each drawing or sculpture, each student should write a short
report which includes the name of the bird and its food sources, habitat and
lifestyle.
6. Completed projects may either be submitted to the teacher, presented to the
class, or displayed in the classroom.
7. Optional: Go outside and identify adaptations of real birds!
Extensions:
1. Make mobiles of the completed birds
2. Prepare a slide presentation on an overhead projector showing different types of
bird adaptations.
3. Show students examples of bird adaptations on the overhead projector or in a
handout and have the students explain the reasons for these adaptations.
4. Collect pictures of birds to develop a bulletin board showing some of the
adaptations discussed. Look for pictures showing bird parts compatible with the
“invented birds”. Display the invented birds. Used the bulletin board during
parent conferences.
Evaluation: Name two bird adaptations for each of the following bird parts, listing
their advantages: beaks, feet, legs, wings, color.
Activity adapted from: Project Wild K-12 Activity Guide ©1983,1985, 1992 by the
Western Regional Environmental Education Council, Inc.
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VOCABULARY
Adaptation: Structural, functional, or behavioral changes of an organism in
response to a particular condition or environment. These changes help the organism
to better survive in this environment.
Algae: Simple unicellular or multicellular organisms that often perform
photosynthesis, but do not have the structures of plants like leaf, stem, or root
systems.
Amphipod: An order of crustaceans that includes the beach hoppers and sand fleas.
Arthropod: A phylum of invertebrates that have segmented bodies, jointed
appendages and an exoskeleton. Includes crustaceans, insects, centipedes, millipedes,
and arachnids.
Bacteria: A type of microscopic organism that generally gets its energy by stealing
nutrients from other living organisms (a parasite) or by breaking down dead organisms
(a saprophyte).
Barnacle: Filter-feeding marine crustaceans that are free-floating as juveniles, fixed
to rocks or floating objects as adults.
Benthic: To live at the bottom of the sea or other body of water.
Biomass: The total mass of the organic material of a single or group of species per
area or volume. Term is used when expressing population density.
Brackish: A combination of salt and freshwater.
Carnivore: An animal that eats other animals.
Class: A taxonomic grouping of related, similar orders; category above order and
below phylum.
Community: A group of living organisms in a given area that interact with each
other; the living component of an ecosystem.
Consumer: In an ecosystem, organisms that eat other organisms, plant or animal.
Crustacea: A grouping of related classes of arthropods that includes pill bugs, crabs
and barnacles.
Decomposer: An organism that breaks down dead organic material into simpler
things.
Delta: A discrete prominence of sediment formed where a sediment-laden current
enters an open body of water, at which point there is a reduction in the velocity of the
current. This results in rapid deposition of sediment, which forms a body, for
example, the alluvial deposit at the mouth of a river where the river discharges into
the sea or a lake.
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Detritus: Small particles of decaying plants and animals that form the bases of some
food chains.
Diatoms: Microscopic organisms with a silica-based cell wall; important members
of the phytoplankton.
Diked Uplands: Land lying above the level where water flows or where flooding
occurs, barricaded by an earthen dam called a dike.
Diurnal: Active during the day; opposite of nocturnal.
Ecosystem: The interactive community in which animals and plants live; includes
rocks, soil, air and water.
Endangered: A species of which there are so few that unless something changes,
they will all die out (become extinct).
Erosion: The process of wearing away by the action of water, wind or glacial ice.
Estuary: An area where fresh water meets and mixes with saltwater.
Exoskeleton: An external means of support for an animal’s body like the shells of
mollusks and arthropods.
Extinct: No longer found anywhere on this planet.
Extirpated: No longer found in an area where it used to live (locally extinct).
Filter Feeder: An animal that gets its food by straining small particles out of the
water that surrounds it.
Food Chain: The passage of energy (food), from producers (plants), up to herbivores
and carnivores.
Food Web: Many interlocking and interdependent food chains, including
decomposers.
Freshwater: Water containing little or no sodium chloride (salt).
Habitat: A place where an animal lives and has access to space, food, water,
protection and oxygen.
Halophyte: A plant that can tolerate salty soils.
Herbivore: An animal that eats only plants.
Intertidal: The zone along the shore between high and low tide lines.
Invertebrate: An animal without a backbone (crabs, insects, etc.)
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Mollusks: A phylum of animals that have soft bodies, usually protected by shells
(clams, oysters, snails, etc.)
Mudflat: The section of land along the edge of the Bay that is exposed at low tide,
but isn’t uncovered long enough for plants to be able to grow.
Niche: The role of an organism in a community, especially in regard to how it gets
its food.
Nocturnal: Active at night.
Nutrients: Substances that provide energy for plants or animals to live and grow.
Omnivore: An animal that eats both plants and animals (humans, etc.)
Order: A taxonomic grouping of related, similar families; the category below class
(isopod, amphipod, etc.).
Organism: A living individual, plant, animal, protist, fungus, etc.
Photosynthesis: The process by which plants and algae use sunlight and
chlorophyll to make simple sugars from carbon dioxide and water.
Phylum: A taxonomic grouping of related, similar classes; the high-level category
above class (arthropods, vertebrates, mollusks, etc.)
Phytoplankton: Microscopic plants that live in water (diatoms, etc.)
Predator: An animal that kills other animals for food.
Prey: An animal that is killed for food.
Producer: An organism that can make its own food without consuming other
organisms (plants, diatoms, and algae).
Refractometer: A device for measuring salinity, expressed in units of parts per
thousand (ppt) or as a percent.
Renewable Resource: A resource produced as part of the functioning of natural
systems at rates comparable with its rate of consumption.
Salinity: The saltiness of the water measured in parts per thousand (ppt. or 0/00).
The average salinity of ocean water is 35 ppt (or 3.5% salt).
Salt Marsh: An area of soft, wet land that is periodically flooded by saltwater and
inhabited by plants which are able to grow in salty water and soil.
Scavenger: An animal that feeds on dead animals or dead organic matter.
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Tide: The periodic rise and fall of bodies of water resulting from the gravitational
pull of the moon and the sun on the earth. There are two low and two high tides
every day along the Pacific Coast of North America.
Unicellular: Composed of one cell (diatoms, etc.).
Vertebrate: An animal with a backbone (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and
mammals).
Watershed: A region or area bound peripherally by a water parting and draining
ultimately to a watercourse or body of water.
Zooplankton: Microscopic animals that live in water
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PLANTS of the Hayward Shoreline
NATIVE
Pickleweed
Salicornia virginica
Cordgrass
Spartina foliosa
Alkali Heath
Frankenia grandifolia
Salt Grass
Distichlis spicata
Fiddleneck
Amsinckia intermedia
Gum Plant
Grindelia humilis
Jaumea
Jaumea carnosa
Tule (Bulrush)
Scirpus robustus
Coyote Bush
Baccaris pilularis
Fat-hen
Atriplex patula
Algae
Enteromorpha
Ulva taeniata
Vaucheria longicaulis
Indian Lettuce (Miner’s Lettuce)
Montia perfoliata
Marsh Dodder
Cuscuta salina
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NON-NATIVE
Eastern Cordgrass
Spartina alterniflora
Brass Buttons
Cotula coronopifolia
Wild Radish
Raphanus sativus
Australian Salt Bush
Atriplex semibaccata
Black Mustard
Brassica negri
Bedstraw (Goose Grass)
Eleusine indica
Sour Grass
Oxalis pes-capra
New Zealand Spinach
Tetragonia tetragonioides
Italian Thistle
Carduus pycnocephalus
Milk Thistle
Silybum marianum
Iceplant
Mesembryanthemum edule
Mesembyranthemum crystallinum
Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum
ANIMALS of the Hayward Shoreline
(This is a partial list of the animals found at the Shoreline)
NATIVE
MAMMALS
CA Ground Squirrel
Spermophilus beecheyi
Vagrant Shrew
Sorex vagrans
CA Horn Snail
Cerithidea californica
Bentnose Clam
Macoma nasuta
Eastern Oyster
Crassostrea virginica
Mitten Crab
Eriocheir sinensis
THREATENED-ENDANGERED
MAMMALS
Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse
Reithrodontomys raviventris
Black-Tailed Jackrabbit
Lepus californicus
Mud Crab/Yellow Shore Crab
Hemigrapsis oregensis
Lined Shore Crab
Pachygrapsus crassipes
Harbor Seal
Phoca vitulina
Olympic Oyster
Ostrea lurida
BIRDS
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus
BIRDS
American Avocet
Recurvirostra americana
NON-NATIVE
MAMMALS
Red Fox
Vulpes vulpes
CA Clapper Rail
Rallus longirostrus obsoletus
Snowy Plover
Charadrius alexandrinus
Muskrat
Ondatra zibethicus
CA Least Tern
Sterna albifrons browni
FISH
Striped Bass
Morone saxatilis
Brown Pelican
Pelicanus occidentalus californicus
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
Northern Harrier
Circus cyaneus
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
Rainwater Killifish
Lucania parva
EXTIRPATED (no longer here)
MAMMALS
Grizzly Bear
Ursus arctos
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
INVERTEBRATES
Oyster Drill
Urosalpinx cinerea
Gray Fox
Urocyon cinereoargenteus
Forster’s Tern
Sterna forsteri
Ribbed Horse Mussel
Geukensia demissa
Coyote
Canis latrans
FISH
Threespine Stickleback
Gasterosteus aculeatus
Mud Snail
Ilyanassa obsoleta
Sea Otter
Enhydra lutris
Atlantic Green Crab
Carcinus maenas
Gray Whale
Eschrichtius robustus
Japanese Littleneck Clam
Tapes japonica
Jaguar
Felis onca
Softshell Clam
Mya arenaria
BIRDS
CA Condor
Gymnogyps californianus
Great Egret
Casmerodius albus
REPTILES
Pacific Gopher Snake
Pituophis catenifer catenifer
Western Fence Lizard
Sceloporus occidentalis
INVERTEBRATES
Pygmy Blue Butterfly
Brephidium exile
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Japanese Oyster
Crassostrea gigas
Common Spring and Summer Shoreline Birds
American Avocet
(breeding plumage)
Male (top) and female
Mallard Duck
Black-Necked Stilt
Least Sandpiper
Barn Swallow
Song Sparrow
Cliff Swallow
Willet
Canada Goose
Great Egret
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Snowy Egret
Common Fall and Winter Shoreline Birds
American Avocet
(nonbreeding plumage)
Black-necked Stilt
Black Phoebe
(male is black)
Willet
Dowitcher
Least Sandpiper
Northern Shoveler
Song Sparrow
Ruddy Duck (female- male
has white head in winter)
Great Egret
(nares are white
in winter)
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Snowy Egret
Bibliography of Bay-Related Sources
Books
Cohen, A. 1991. An Introduction to the Ecology of the San Francisco Bay
Estuary. Save San Francisco Bay Association; Oakland, CA.
Conradson, D. 1996. Exploring our Baylands. San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society;
Fremont, CA.
Bakker, E. 1971. An Island Called California. U.C. Press; Berkeley, CA.
Gilliam, H. 1957. San Francisco Bay. Doubleday. (An overview of Bay industry and
history)
Howard, A.D. 1972. Evolution of the San Francisco Bay Region. U.C. Press;
Berkeley, CA.
Margolin, M. 1988. The East Bay Out. Heyday Books; Berkeley, CA.
Margolin, M. 1978. The Ohlone Way. Heyday Books; Berkeley, CA. (A
comprehensive description suggesting how the Native Americans once lived in the
Bay Area)
Mitchell, A. 1989. The Young Naturalist. Usborne Publishing Ltd., London,
England.
Articles
Ayres, D. “Spread of exotic cordgrasses and hybrids (Spartina sp.) in the tidal marshes
of San Francisco Bay, California, USA.” Biological Invasions, Vol. 6: 221-231. 2004.
Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Websites
John Bourgeois, Executive Director. http://www.southbayrestoration.org.
Cohen, Andrew N. 2011. The Exotics Guide: Non-native Marine Species of the North
American Pacific Coast. Center for Research on Aquatic Bioinvasions, Richmond, CA,
and San Francisco Estuary Institute, Oakland, CA. Revised September 2011.
http://www.exoticsguide.org
Other Resources
NOAA’s Education Page. Lots of good general marine information.
http://www.education.noaa.gov/Marine_Life/
Marine Science Institute (located in Redwood City) has a page with more detailed
information about the animals and plants of the San Francisco Bay.
http://sfbaymsi.org/schoolprograms/refrencelibrary/sfbayecology.html
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