San Pablo Bay Walking Trail Self-Guided Walk Hosted by Weston Solutions, Inc. and Swarovski Optik
Repeats Friday and Saturday 8:00am-5:00pm

Explore the wetland habitats of Mare Island on a self-guided bird and wildlife viewing trail beginning at the Wildlife Expo from Building 223 if walking to the trailhead, or if driving, at the parking lot at 750 Dump Rd. the end of A St at Azuar Dr.

Bruce Webb, Swarovski Field Technician will be set up on the trail with scopes and binoculars and give digiscoping demonstrations throughout all 3 days. Check at the Swarovski booth for times and locations. All ages. Bring binoculars and cameras if you have them.

Explore Lynch Canyon Open Space
Repeats Saturday 9:00am-5:00pm

After being closed due to budget cuts, Lynch Canyon reopens today for weekends through June, so now is the time to get out and experience this Solano County Park. A 3-hour guided birds of prey tour will be given at 10:00am by raptor experts Larry Broderick and Jim Walsh and Bay Ridge Trail and the Solano Land Trust host a Volunteer Day 9:00am-12noon. Details in the Regional Outings Saturday schedule at 9:00am and 10:00am. No dogs are allowed at Lynch Canyon. $5 parking fee (parking fee waivers are available for volunteers)

Directions: From I-80 westbound, exit American Canyon Rd. Cross the overpass and turn left onto McGary Road. Continue to Lynch Canyon Rd. and drive under the freeway to the entrance gate and parking lot.
From I-80 eastbound, exit at American Canyon Rd./Hiddenbrooke. Turn right then immediately left onto McGary Rd. and follow directions above.

Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve Self-guided Walk
Repeats Friday 10:00am-5:00pm and Saturday 9:00am-5:00pm

Preserve volunteers will greet you at the "Palmer Hut". Walk or bike at your own pace as far as you like on the 1.3 mile paved road with 14 points of interest along the route to the hilltop scenic vista an beyond. Stop at the Mare Island Naval Cemetery. The Visitor Center is open. Dogs are allowed on leash.

Directions: From the Mare Island entrance take the first left on Nimitz and go to 15th St. Turn right and follow to Railroad Ave. Go left on Railroad Ave. and follow to gate. From Marin or Napa take the Mare Island exit off of Hwy 37 and follow Walnut Ave. south to stop sign at "G" St. Turn left. Turn right at the 2nd right at Nimitz Ave. Follow directions above.

Photograph by John Klycinski

Mare Island Historic Southshore Walk
With Kenn Browne,
Sierra Club Solano Group hike leader
Repeats Saturday 9:30am with Brian Collett

Hike along the Historic Southshore of Mare Island to Pier 35 for great views of San Pablo Bay and Carquinez Strait. Visit the Mare Island Naval Shipyard Cemetery dating from 1858, and see Great Blue Heron and Osprey nests not active until spring and summer, but expect resting and feeding waterbirds in the protected waters off the Mare Island Southshore Heritage Preserve. This is a level 4 mile roundtrip walk on paved and gravel roads. Meet at the end of Railroad Ave. at the Palmer Hut in the Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve. No facilities along route and group must stay together with no early exits. Leader Kenn Browne 707-319-1846.

Directions: From I-80 in Vallejo take the Tennessee St. exit west towards Mare Island. Once on Mare Island take the first left on Nimitz and go to 15th St. Turn right and follow to Railroad Ave. Go left on Railroad Ave. through the gate to the parking area. From Napa take Hwy 29 south to Tennessee St., turn right towards Mare Island and follow above directions.
From Marin or Sonoma Counties take the Mare Island exit off of Hwy. 37 and follow Walnut Ave. south to "G" St. (1st stop sign) and turn left. Take the 2nd right at Nimitz and follow above directions. Leader Kenn 707-319-1846.

Mare Island Native Plant and Mushroom Walk
Repeats Saturday 1:30pm with Jake Rugyt

Join Brian Collett, Preserve Naturalist and Mare Island Heritage Trust founding board member for a combination native plant and mushroom scouting outing at the Shoreline Heritage Preserve. Expect to see some of the greatest variety of mushrooms in the region and remarkable native plant communities, both of which are still being "discovered" on the unique "island habitat" of the former military base. Meet at the "Outing Tent" at the front of Building 223 to form a carpool.

Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain
Visitor Center, Fremont
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Wetlands microbes are often called "the lungs of the earth." Explore the dynamics of microbial communities in LaRiviere Marsh ponds. Join microbiologist Wayne Lanier, PhD for a brief presentation; then a microscope hike to LaRiviere Marsh where we will sample and view the most ancient creatures on earth. See how they produce the oxygen we breathe and take up the carbon dioxide we produce. Discover how tides shape these vital communities. Easy short hiking level. Ages 9-90 years. Call 510-792-0222 ext. 363 for reservations.

History of the Mare Island Naval Cemetery Docent-led Tour
with Peggy O’Drain

Join Cemetery Docent Peggy O'Drain at the Mare Island Naval Cemetery, the Navys oldest cemetery in the Pacific founded in 1858. Peggy is researching for a book about its history and those buried there, including the first recorded burial, Quartermaster George David of Massachusetts, on February 12, 1856, 155 years ago this very Saturday. She will focus her detailed docent tour on "Section A" of the cemetery where Anna Key Turner, a daughter of Francis Scott Key, author of our national anthem, is buried with her husband, some of their children and other early residents of Mare Island, many of whom were not Navy officers. Learn more about the cemetery and the Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve where it is located by visiting www.mareislandpreserve.org.

Directions: From the Festival headquarters travel east on Connolly St. to Nimitz Ave. Turn right and follow direction signs. From the north gate continue on Walnut Ave. to stop sign at G St. Turn left. Continue past flashing stoplight one block to Nimitz Ave. From main entrance to Island turn at first left onto Nimitz Ave. Continue on Nimitz to 15th St. Turn right. Continue one block to Railroad Ave. Turn left. Continue beyond gate at end of Railroad Ave. Park on left and walk to cemetery on right.

Louis Comfort Tiffany stained-glass windows in St. Peter’s Chapel. Photograph by John Klycinski

Tour St. Peter’s Chapel and Mare Island Museum
Repeats Saturday 10am-4pm

St. Peters Chapel, the oldest Navy chapel built in 1900, is home to the most Tiffany glass on a single site in the West. Park across from the Chapel Park located at the south end of Walnut Ave beyond Captains Row mansions (requires right turn at end of Captains Row onto alley, then left turn and left turn again, onto Walnut Ave northbound to parking lot). The Museum is located in Building 46. Entrance across from Alden Park at 8th St. and Railroad Ave.
Donation: $3 per person for each site.

Introduction to the Refuge
Visitor Center, Fremont
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Meet docent Roy Sasai for this introductory refuge program designed for the young and the young at heart. Learn what to see and do at our nations first urban national wildlife refuge. Learn how to utilize a visitor center at the start of your adventure, how to properly adjust binoculars and how proper viewing techniques can enhance your experience. Dress warmly and bring rain gear, binoculars, camera, pocket notebook and pencil. Call for reservations at 510-792-0222 ext 363.
Limited to 8 participants.

Beginning Birding for Families at American Canyon Wetlands
Repeats Saturday 11:00am and 1:00pm and Sunday 1:00pm

Napa Solano Audubon Society Field Guides offer a one hour guided Beginning Bird Walk for children and families in which they will explain the value of wetland habitats and advise and assist with how to locate & identify birds.
(Binoculars provided); No fee or preregistration.

Directions: Welcome table will be near the parking lot at the corner of Eucalyptus Drive and Wetlands Edge Road. From Highway 29 coming from Vallejo, turn left on West American Canyon Road. Drive to the end and turn right on Wetlands Edge Road. Drive to the end and turn left on Eucalyptus Drive. Coming from Napa, turn right on Rio Del Mar, make a sharp right on Eucalyptus Drive, and drive to the end.

Cullinan Ranch, San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge Walk

Join wetland biologist Francesca Demgen, President, Friends of San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge for bird viewing and discussion about the wetland restoration work planned for Cullinan Ranch a 1,500 acre former oat hay ranch on Highway 37, now part of the Refuge. Not normally open to the public.
No facilities.

Directions: From Vallejo travel west on Hwy 37 toward Marin County. Ranch is 1.5 miles west of the Napa River Bridge. Turn right and follow signs to parking.
From Marin and Sonoma travel east towards Vallejo on Hwy 37. Take the Mare Island Exit, cross over Hwy 37 on the overpass and proceed west 1.5 miles. Turn right and follow signs to parking.

Beginning Birding for Families at American Canyon Wetlands
Repeats Saturday 11:00am and 1:00pm and Sunday 11:00am

Napa Solano Audubon Society Field Guides offer a one hour guided Beginning Bird Walk for children and families in which they will explain the value of wetland habitats and advise and assist with how to locate & identify birds. (binoculars provided); No fee or preregistration.

Directions: Welcome table will be near the parking lot at the corner of Eucalyptus Drive and Wetlands Edge Road. From Highway 29 coming from Vallejo, turn left on West American Canyon Road. Drive to the end and turn right on Wetlands Edge Road. Drive to the end and turn left on Eucalyptus Drive. Coming from Napa, turn right on Rio Del Mar, make a sharp right on Eucalyptus Drive, and drive to the end.

Sears Point Cougar Mountain Hike

Hike up Cougar Mountain with Julian Meisler, Sonoma Land Trust, to learn about grassland ecology, the Sears Point Restoration, explore vernal pools, and take in the wonderful views of San Pablo Bay to San Francisco, Mt. Diablo, and Mt. Tam on a clear day. Meet at the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters.

Directions: From Napa and Sonoma continue westbound from Hwy 12/121 through light at Sears Point to light at Lakeville Hwy. Make U-turn at Lakeville Hwy light. Refuge is .25 miles on right.
From Vallejo travel west on Hwy 37, past Hwy 121 light. Follow directions above.
From Marin eastbound on Hwy 37, Refuge is .25 miles on right after Lakeville Hwy light. Turn right into the driveway of an old dairy farm there are no refuge signs but there will be cones at the entrance.

Barnacles, Mussels, and Snails, Oh My!
Meet at the Dumbarton Fishing Pier, Fremont
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Join docent Roy Sasai to learn about the bay shore life and its strange and unique ways of survival. We will search for and capture some of the strange creatures to see them up close during this low-tide adventure. Learn how they feed and survive in the largest estuary on the West Coast. We will also learn about how the bay has changed over the past 200 years and what is yet to come. This program is for the young and young at heart. Wear sturdy shoes, dress warmly, bring rain gear and magnifying glasses for optimal viewing. Call for reservations at 510-792-0222 ext 363.
Limited to 8 participants.