Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Officials declared Oakland's Lake Merritt a National Wildlife Refuge in 1869, mak-
ing it the first wildlife refuge in North America. Five bird islands were constructed in
the lake starting in 1925. Today, waterfowl by the thousands feed, rest, and nest in
the refuge. (Kathleen M. Wong)
tum of a period in California history characterized by fast growth and
quick consumption. In the decades between the two world wars, people
came up with dozens of new ways to enhance their lives and livelihoods
around the estuary, and to mediate the impacts of flood and drought. By
the 1930s, when gasoline-powered engines became commonplace, it
seemed there was no dirt that couldn't be moved, no fishing ground too
deep or too far, and no chasm or bay that couldn't be crossed by a highway
or bridge. Industry and infrastructure began to take on shapes recogniz-
able today. Despite the arrival of the Great Depression, the region contin-
ued building, even filling in 400 acres of open water to create Treasure Is-
land and celebrate the 1939 World's Fair.
All of this fast growth and development had an ugly side. Those attend-
ing the World's Fair teased the locals about the “cesspool” smell wafting in
from the water. The needling goaded the legislature to require the first
sewage treatment plants to be built, and stricter fishing laws were passed.
Nature, it seemed, was not quite as resilient and absorbent as the empire
builders of the West had first imagined.
Industrialized Fishing
When industrialization brought gasoline power and improved gear to the
local fishing fleet, San Francisco boat builders upgraded the old Italian
feluccas moored at the Union Street Wharf into something called the
 
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