Close Call: Shutdown at Don Edwards Averted

UPDATE: The Democratic and Republican members of Congress reached a tentative and temporary agreement about one hour before the midnight deadline that extended the budget negotiations. 

Visitor services at wildlife refuges throughout the San Francisco Bay Area could be shut down starting 9 p.m. Friday, if politicians on Capitol Hill don’t make up their minds soon. 

Doug Cordell, spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the only employees who would be asked to come to work at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge on Monday would be those involved in the protection of life on the property.

“If the government shuts down, the gates would be locked tomorrow [Saturday] for an indefinite period of time,” Cordell said in a phone interview Friday afternoon.

“Any public access, such as hiking or biking trails, or other visitors services would be closed,” he said.

Public access also means nonprofits such as the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory would halt their efforts to prevent invasive gulls from nesting in sensitive areas near endangered birds. Breeding season for the California gulls is in April and early May.

"We've been notified that the lands are closed, so we won't have access to it," said Jill Demers, executive director. "We're all hoping the shutdown will be brief."

The gulls don't mix well with other birds and have been known to eat the eggs and chicks of other threatened species, such as the Western Snowy Plover, she said.

To keep the gulls away from the habitats of these other birds, decoys, noises and active hazing techniques may be used, said Demers. But once the birds nest, they are protected by laws under the migratory bird treaty act.

As far as a loss for the general public, Demers said, "There's so much wildlife in our bay, so it's always a shame when you can't go out and enjoy it."

If the shutdown happens, signs will go up, the will be gates locked, programs to the general public canceled and all trails will be closed said, Paul Mueller, volunteer coordinator at Don Edwards.

Then only a few spots could be accessed near the refuge, he said. 

The trail that connects Coyote Hills to Don Edwards will be open to bicycle commuters heading to Marshland Road and the Dumbarton Bridge. 

“So, bicyclists will still have access to the bridge and Marshland Road. However, all [Don Edwards] trails off that path will be closed.”

A boat launch area, on Cargill land, that leads into the Newark Slough will still be open to kayakers, he said. Newark Slough winds its way through the refuge and into the bay.

Already a telescope event for families at the Environmental Educational Center in Alviso has been canceled for tonight. 

“Volunteers come out with telescopes to help kids look at the night sky in Alviso," said G. Medel Stewart, project leader. "We had to tell them that was canceled.”

“Maybe lawmakers will decide at the 11th hour that it’s not worth it,” Mueller said.

"Hopefully, if it does shut down, then it won't be for long," said Cordell, "but we'll deal with the decision being made in Washington and wait for them to arrive at a resolution."

To find out the status of Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, call 510-792-0222.