Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center building

The Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center is a natural history and ecology

interpretive __NOTOC__ An interpretive discussion is a discussion in which participants explore and/or resolve interpretations often pertaining to text (literary theory), texts of any medium containing significant ambiguity in meaning. Education Interpretiv ...

nature center located in

Hayward, California Hayward () is a city located in Alameda County, California in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 162,954 as of 2020, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda Coun ...

. It is directly adjacent to the north side of Highway 92 as it approaches the

San Mateo–Hayward Bridge The San Mateo–Hayward Bridge (commonly called the San Mateo Bridge) is a bridge crossing the American state of California's San Francisco Bay, linking the San Francisco Peninsula with the East Bay. The bridge's western end is in Foster City, ...

, 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 The Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (H.A.R.D.) is the park management agency for most of the parks in the city of Hayward, California. It was created in 1944 and is an independent special district under California law. H.A.R.D. is th ...

Activities

The Center focuses on

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. San Francisco Bay drains water from a ...

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

and shoreline

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

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 The San Francisco Bay Trail is a bicycle and pedestrian trail that when finished will allow continuous travel around the shoreline of San Francisco Bay. As of 2020, of the trail have been completed. When finished, the trail will be over of p ...

. Binoculars are on loan for birdwatching. On the other side of Highway 92 is

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 industr ...

, operated by the

California Department of Fish and Wildlife The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), formerly known as the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), is a state agency under the California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Fish and Wildlife manages and protect ...

External links

Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center at the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District website
{{San Francisco Bay watershed Parks in Hayward, California Nature centers in California Buildings and structures in Hayward, California Education in Alameda County, California Environment of the San Francisco Bay Area Environmental organizations based in the San Francisco Bay Area Non-profit organizations based in the San Francisco Bay Area Scientific organizations established in 1986 1986 establishments in California