Our Non-discrimination Policy: Rotary Nature Center Friends brings people together, regardless of age, ability, and background to participate in environmental education and stewardship. We strive to provide meaningful access to urban nature to each individual and community we serve. We do so by including the voices of the community in all that we do.
The YouTube Recording of Lakeside Chat #58 - "The Fishes of Lake Merritt"
with scientist Rebecca Abrams is now available. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/RhAG5NajGx0
Urban Estuaries: San Francisco Bay and Lake Merritt (Oakland California): UC California Naturalist Certification Course (Complete registration with fee payment by October 4, 2025)
Course offered October 4th, 2025 - January 14th 2026. Hybrid in-person and on zoom.
Fees: Full price Supporting level = $500, full price $475, reduced $237, SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE.
Reach out to Katie at ktnoon@aol.com or Steven Cochrane at vs5001@yahoo.com
Course syllabus and page will be added shortly.
The YouTube recording of Lakeside Chat #58 "Update 2025! Russia/US/Climate Change Chaos, Native Communities& Bering Sea Ecology” Laney College Geography Professor Emeritus, Mark Rauzon is now available here: https://youtu.be/5Jba1QhXl6Q
The YouTube recording of Lakeside Chat #55 held on June 6th, featuring Parks & Recreation Advisory Commissioner Isaac Kos-Read- "Salsa by the Lake" is now available on our YouTube playlist.
The YouTube recording of Lakeside Chat #54 held on May 2nd, featuring Naturalist Jim Covel - "50 Years of Naturalist Program at Lake Merritt" is now available on our YouTube playlist.
- with Dr. Lipps is the author of a book about Lake Merritt, Lake Merritt, Jewel of Oakland, in the Images of America series. He has carried out extensive field research on the microorganisms of Lake Merritt and their evolutionary history.
Rotary Nature Center Friends proudly presents the recording of Amy Walsh's January 10th Lakeside Chat #50, "THE NATURAL HISTORY AND CONSERVATION HISTORY OF AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS WEST OF THE ROCKIES & at LAKE MERRITT"
Enjoy!
Rotary Nature Center Friends proudly presents the recording of Ben Chen’s December 6th Lakeside Chat #49, “Oxygen for Lake Merritt: Update 2024".
Enjoy!
"Polychaetes of Lake Merritt and Adjacent Areas" - with Leslie Harris, Polychaete Collections Manager, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
A zoom link will be sent in your confirmation email.
"The Mushrooms of Lake Merritt," with special guest Naturalist and Educator Damon Tighe,
YouTube Recording => Here: https://youtu.be/ho9sDJqdqZI
"Showcasing California's Flora for 84 Years," with special guest Bart O'Brien, Botanical Garden
“HANK” the rescue American White Pelican at Lake Merritt
An online screening of the documentary by local journalist, filmmaker and “bird nerd” - Kari Paul
Lakeside Chat #44 Reflections of Lake Merritt with special guest Brandon Jourdan, Director and Film maker. YouTube recording now available => https://youtu.be/FHp7LtD21vw
Putting Oxygen into Lake Merritt with special guest Eli Kersh of LakeTech Inc.
YouTube recording => HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AICRycFb35w
The YouTube recording for March's Lakeside Chat #40: “Underwater Videos at Lake Merritt” with Adrian Cotter and The Lake Merritt Underwater Observatory is now available HERE! https://youtu.be/R08psp4zQ28
We have created a YouTube Playlist to archive the underwater videos we shared and hope to add to it in the future.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8zoh5C35Fbw15J-gt2k9mHv3ikqjGQCp
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SEE PHOTOS OF OUR YOUTH & COMMUNITY PROGRAMS IN ACTION BELOW and VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE HERE.
Thank you to Noah Whiteman, our Lakeside Chat #38 speaker, and to everyone who was able to join us for his wonderful presentation based on his recent book,"MOST DELICIOUS POISON: The Story of Nature’s Toxins — From Spices to Vices ". The link to the recording of the program is now available HERE and on our Lakeside Chat playlist on YouTube.
Here is the link to Noah's website about his book, : https://www.mostdeliciouspoison.com/
There you can find out how to order "Most Delicious Poison" and access Appendices & Notes with references for the chapters in his book, as well as links to reviews, interviews on Science Friday and more fascinating details.
with our featured guest speaker: James Ervin
Jim Ervin retired after 27 years of service at the San Jose – Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility, the largest and most advanced treatment plant in San Francisco Bay. Since around 2016, he has assisted UC Davis monthly fish monitoring surveys in Lower South SF Bay. His blogs describing Bay biota are posted at the UC Davis OG Fish Lab website: https://www.ogfishlab.com
REGISTER HERE: https://nutrients-SFBay-james-ervin.eventbrite.com
The zoom link to join the program is in the confirmation email when you get a free ticket
In this season of giving, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Rotary Nature Center Friends, 501(c)3, so that we can continue to grow our online Chats series and outreach to young people and everyone in the community through in-person stewardship and science events. To donate, please use the donation button above or send your donation by mail to Rotary Nature Center Friends, 609 Kains Ave. Albany CA 94706. Make checks payable to Rotary Nature Center Friends. You will receive a thank you letter with the amount of your donation and our EIN. We are offering as a thank you gift our new Lake Merritt Wildlife Calendar with all-new wildlife photos by Kerstin Firmin for donations of $100 or more. Thank you for being part of our online community this year.
OUR MISSION: Rotary Nature Center Friends is an all-volunteer 501c3 nonprofit advocating for the Rotary Nature Center in Lakeside Park as an interpretive education and science center for all the people of Oakland and as the Steward for the Lake Merritt Wildlife Refuge.
The YouTube recording for December's Lakeside Chat #37: “Birding the Nation's 1st Wildlife Refuge @ Lake Merritt" with Clayton Anderson is now available HERE!
Thank you to Clay and all of our guests.
The YouTube recording for November's Lakeside Chat #36: “The Mystery Oyster of San Francisco Bay” with Dr. Andrew Cohen => HERE Thank you to Dr. Cohen and all of our guests.
Dr. Costa shared this link to his recent paper with George Beccaloni, Alfred Russel Wallace's Unrealized Last Book: Insights from the Plan for Darwin and Wallace (April 5, 2023).
Open access, downloadable here: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsnr.2022.0053
His new book Radical by Nature: The Revolutionary Life of Alfred Russel Wallace published March 21, 2023 by Princeton University Press is available here and on Amazon. https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691233796/radical-by-nature
View the collection of living things observed in the lake on October 29th at the Lake Merritt Boating Center two months AFTER the August 28th fish kill. iNaturalistProject
See salmon carcass collection Chat Highlight with CDFW's Emily Jacinto-McKim HERE
JOIN US for monthly third Saturday work days at the Nature Center grounds and Sailboat House Marsh on 3rd Saturdays - RSVP HERE
Inquire about Educational Presentations and Activities (page 2 above) - Click HERE to email us.
Pickleweed monitoring and water testing at Sailboat House Marsh. Lake Merritt Tidal Marsh Project Overview PDF
We have been monitoring Chinook Salmon in Lake Merritt's tributary, Glen Echo Creek, since 2021 collaborating with The Lake Merritt Institute.
Sixth graders from St. Paul's School discuss how human modifications of the watershed may have affect historic salmon runs.
Thank you to the San Francisco Elks Lodge #3 for funding our activities!
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Marine Biologist Jim Carlton on the importance of Lake Merritt to science and community in 2016.
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