Learn More While You Explore
Have you ever wondered about the birds you see along the shoreline? Do you want to learn about the history of the Bay Trail? Are you curious about how scientists use the bouys in San Francisco Bay? From free online resources, to virtual events, to Citizen Science projects – below are eight fun ways to learn more as you explore.
Share your Adventure – Win More Prizes
This week we are encouraging everyone to learn more while you explore the Bay – from home or from the trail. Share a photo of your adventure on Instagram, tag us @saveSFbay, and use #SFBayDay #BayDayTrailChallenge, by Thursday, October 15 at 11:59 p.m. for the chance to win a $50 gift certificate from our friends at Decathlon Emeryville.
Explore Free Online Resources
Outdoor Learning Online (OLO)
OLO is our brand new, free, online outdoor education portal that just launched in September! Take a look through our three themes: Ecology & Biodiversity, Climate Change & Human Impact and Watershed Science. The lessons within these themes all align with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and California Common Core.
Audio Tours of the San Francisco Bay Trail
In partnership with the San Francisco Bay Trail, the State Coastal Conservancy, and TV host Doug McConnell, an audio tour was created for specific trails along the San Francisco Bay Trail. Learn more while you explore the trails you are on, their history and more!
Living on the Edge: A Tour of Bay Habitats
Check out these news signs in the Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge in San Jose, which is along the SF Bay Trail! Learn about the history and ecology of this Wildlife Refuge while biking, walking or running along the Bay Trail! Use the camera on your phone to scan the barcode on the signs, a link will pop up and take you to interesting educational lessons.
Attend Virtual Events
Ocean Buoy Live Exploration: Cleaning and Servicing a CO2 Buoy
Thursday, October 15|Exploratorium
Join the Exploratorium’s virtual event on Thursday October 15 from 11 – 12 p.m. PST. The Exploratorium will lift their “one-ton, 20-foot-tall carbon dioxide (CO2) buoy out of the water and explore its scientific instruments and the organisms that have colonized the buoy bottom.”
Drawing Swimming Fish and Slithering Snakes
Thursday, October 15 | John Muir Law’s
Join John Muir Law’s nature drawing zoom class on Thursday October 15 from 12 – 1 p.m. PST. “This is going to be an interesting class. We will explore how to draw undulating tube shaped critters. Think of snakes, fish, millipedes and more. There are some interesting and surprising changes in the body shape as the form bends.”
Participate in local Citizen Science Projects
iNaturalist App
Upload your observations of plants and animals and participate in citizen science! iNaturalist was developed by the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society. Learn more about this app and others you can use on the Bay Trail here.
eBird by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Join eBird to share your bird observations while on the SF Bay Trail! Document your observation, share and help conservation efforts. Share your checklist with the San Francisco Bird Observatory.
FrogWatch with CuriOdyssey
The Bay Area FrogWatch Chapter is helping to monitor frog and toad populations in the Bay Area. There are six local species: the Pacific tree frog, the red-legged frog, foothill yellow-legged frog, the western toad, the western spadefoot toad, and the bullfrog.