| Parks and Wildlife |
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Parks and Wildlife Refuges along San Diego BayThere are exceptional parks and wildlife refuges on San Diego Bay. These parks and refuges include lavish gardens, fun playgrounds, relaxing walkways and a peek at San Diego wildlife, unique plant life, and endangered and threatened species. Whether you are looking for fun San Diego family activities or a nice quiet walk, take advantage of any or all of San Diego Bay’s 17 beautiful parks covering 250 acres and featuring walkways, playgrounds, beautiful landscaping and well-maintained facilities. Nature lovers can explore the diverse flora and fauna at nature centers/wildlife refuges on San Diego Bay. From bayside salt ponds, estuaries and salt marshes, you can experience the beauty of nature in San Diego Bay. Because of the unique wildlife and the attractiveness of San Diego to various endangered and threatened plant and animal species, the United States National Wildlife Refuge Service has approved four refuges in San Diego County. One is located in South San Diego Bay and covers 3,940 acres. This refuge is comprised of 90-100% submerged lands, inter-tidal mudflats and salt marshes, which have been eliminated in the north and central Bay. The goal of the South Bay refuge is to preserve and restore the remaining wetlands, mudflats, and eel grass beds to ensure that the bay’s thousands of migrating and resident birds and waterfowl will survive far into the future. Some of the birds visitors can view include Elegant Terns, Egrets and Gull Billed Terns. Another refuge, called the Sweetwater Marsh, is also located in the San Diego Bay and spans numerous parks. This refuge is home to the Palmer's Frankenia, a rare salt marsh plant. This refuge covers 316 acres and provides visitors with interpretive and interactive exhibits explaining the various marsh habitat, self-guided environmental education programs, guided nature and bird walks, a shark and ray exhibit, and the opportunity to view native birds in outdoor aviaries.
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Park Amenities The chart above provides an at-a-glance overview of the amenities available at each park . Park hours are 6:00 a.m. to 10 p.m.; pets are allowed on leash. Alcohol is not permitted unless it is being served as part of a special event.
Do you have a special occasion coming up? Do you need fresh ideas for what to do for the end-of-the-year team party or the annual company picnic? Consider reserving a San Diego Bay park through the Port of San Diego. You won’t find a better place to host San Diego events than any one of the parks along the Big Bay. Port employees are available to help you in planning your special bayside event. All San Diego Bay parks require event permits for groups of 25 or more (except for Portwood Pier Plaza, Grand Caribe Shoreline Park and Coronado Landing Park where group events are not permitted). To plan your event, follow the steps found on the
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