Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center
Encyclopedia
The Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center is a natural history and ecology interpretive nature center
located in Hayward, California
. It is directly adjacent to the north side of Highway 92
as it approaches the San Mateo – Hayward Bridge
, and is accessed from the highway by the last offramp in the westbound direction before the bridge toll gates. The Center was dedicated in 1986, and is operated by the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District
.
wetland
and shoreline ecosystem
s, and is itself located next to restored wetlands formerly used as salt ponds. The Center operates primarily as a resource center for local schools' educational field trips. It is open to the public on weekends. The center has a small permanent exhibit of native, aquatic life, and rotating exhibits of other related subjects. It is an access point to the San Francisco Bay Trail
. Binoculars are on loan for birdwatching. On the other side of Highway 92 is Eden Landing Ecological Reserve
, operated by the East Bay Regional Park District
.
Nature center
A nature center is an organization with a visitor center or interpretive center designed to educate people about nature and the environment. Usually located within a protected open space, nature centers often have trails through their property. Some are located within a state or city park, and...
located in Hayward, California
Hayward, California
Hayward is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County, California. With a population of 144,186, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 37th most populous municipality in California. It is included in...
. It is directly adjacent to the north side of Highway 92
California State Route 92
State Route 92 is an east-west highway in the San Francisco Bay area between Half Moon Bay near the coast in the west and downtown Hayward at its junction with State Route 238 and State Route 185. It is most notable for being the route that traverses the San Mateo Bridge. It has interchanges with...
as it approaches the San Mateo – Hayward Bridge
San Mateo – Hayward Bridge
The San Mateo – Hayward Bridge is a bridge crossing California's San Francisco Bay, linking the San Francisco Peninsula with the East Bay. The bridge's west end is in Foster City, the most recent urban addition to the eastern edge of San Mateo. The east end of the bridge is in Hayward...
, and is accessed from the highway by the last offramp in the westbound direction before the bridge toll gates. The Center was dedicated in 1986, and is operated by the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District
Hayward Area Recreation and Park District
The Hayward Area Recreation and Park District is the park management agency for most of the parks in the city of Hayward, California and environs. It was created in 1944 and is an independent special district under California law. H.A.R.D. is the largest recreation district in California...
.
Activities
The Center focuses on San Francisco BaySan Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
and shoreline ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s, and is itself located next to restored wetlands formerly used as salt ponds. The Center operates primarily as a resource center for local schools' educational field trips. It is open to the public on weekends. The center has a small permanent exhibit of native, aquatic life, and rotating exhibits of other related subjects. It is an access point to the San Francisco Bay Trail
San Francisco Bay Trail
The San Francisco Bay Trail is a bicycle and pedestrian trail that will eventually allow continuous travel around the shoreline of San Francisco Bay. As of 2011, approximately 310 miles of trail have been completed...
. Binoculars are on loan for birdwatching. On the other side of Highway 92 is Eden Landing Ecological Reserve
Eden Landing Ecological Reserve
Eden Landing Ecological Reserve is a nature reserve in Hayward and Union City, California, on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay. The reserve is managed by the California Department of Fish and Game, and comprises 5,040 acres of former industrial salt ponds now used as a low salinity waterbird...
, operated by the East Bay Regional Park District
East Bay Regional Park District
The East Bay Regional Park District is a special district operating in Alameda County and Contra Costa County, California, within the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area...
.