National Wildlife Refuges May Shut Down Friday Night

Visitor services at wildlife refuges throughout the San Francisco Bay Area could be shut down at 9 p.m. Friday, if politicians on Capitol Hill don’t make up their minds soon.

Doug Cordell, spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the only employees who would be asked to work at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge on Monday would be those involved in the protection of life on the property.

“If the government shuts down, the gates would be locked tomorrow for an indefinite period of time,” Cordell said in a phone interview Friday afternoon.

“Any public access, such as hiking or biking trails, or other visitors services would be closed,” he said.

Democrats and Republicans are in the process of finalizing the budget but are not able to agree on whether they should allocate $39 billion to Planned Parenthood or eliminate that line item from the budget. The repercussions of their inability to compromise would be felt nationwide when the funding for many federal services expires at midnight. Seven wildlife refuges in the San Francisco Bay area, along with 25 state parks, would be shut down.

If the shutdown does happen, signs informing visitors of the closure will go up, and programs to the general public will be shut down, said Paul Mueller, volunteer coordinator at Don Edwards. Only a few spots near the refuge could be used by visitors.

The trail that connects Coyote Hills to Don Edwards will be open to bicycle commuters who are heading to Marshland Road and the Dumbarton Bridge.

“So, bicyclists will still have access to the bridge and Marshland Road. However, all (Don Edwards) trails off that path will be closed.”

A boat launch area on Cargill land that leads into the Newark Slough will still open be to kayakers, he said. Newark Slough winds its way through the refuge and into the bay.  

But other nonprofit organizations would have to modify their conservation efforts.

The San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory would have to halt its endeavor to prevent an invasive gull from nesting in sensitive areas near endangered birds. Breeding season for the California gulls is in April and early May.

"We've been notified that the lands are closed, so we won't have access to it," said Jill Demers, executive director of the observatory.

"We're all hoping the shutdown will be brief."

The gulls don't mix well with other birds and have been known to eat the eggs and chicks of other threatened species, such as the Western Snowy Plover. To keep the gulls away from the habitats of these other birds, decoys, noises and active hazing techniques may be used, said Demers.

But once the birds nest, they are protected under the migratory bird treaty act. As far as a loss for the general public, Demers said, "There's so much wildlife in our bay, so it's always a shame when you can't go out and enjoy it."

All educational services provided by Environmental Educational Center in Alviso would be canceled.  Already a telescope event for families has been slashed from the schedule.

"Volunteers come out with telescopes to help kids look at the night sky in Alviso," said G. Medel Stewart, a project leader for the educational center.

"We had to tell them that was canceled.”

Mueller remains hopeful that Democrats and Republicans can come to a mutually satisfying resolution about the budget before the end of day. 

“Maybe lawmakers will decide at the 11th hour that it’s not worth it,” Mueller said.

Cordell said that if, indeed, government services are shut down Friday, they would deal with the decision.  Law enforcement officials who normally patrol the seven refuges in the San Francisco Bay Area would remain on duty to inform people of the closures.

Also remaining on duty is Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Palo Alto), who said her staff will continue to work without pay if there is a shutdown.

"On the eve of a possible shutdown of the federal government, I want all my constituents to know that our offices in Palo Alto and Washington, D.C., will remain open to serve the people of our Congressional District," she writes on her website. 

"Any constituent who has questions or needs can continue to contact us at our district office at 650-323-2984 or our Washington, D.C., office at 202-225-8104."