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Welcome Lake Merritt in Oakland, California is one of the most unique urban spaces in the United States. Its 3.4 mile heart-shaped shoreline in the center of an exceptionally diverse city is the place for man and nature to migrate, meet and mingle daily. This tidal lagoon is also home to the oldest designated wildlife refuge (1870) in the United States.
lakemerritt.org is an independent, ad-free site with current information about Lake Merritt and links to the volunteer groups and advocacy agencies working for the common good of the lake and the lake area community. It also serves as the portal for the LM Advocates, a coalition of LM organizations. Underlined words are links.
7 creeks flow into Lake Merritt Watershed ©Oakland Public Works
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News, Updates, & Upcoming Events:
Upcoming Events Next 30 days Also see Calendar for event info and on-going activities
Recent LM Area Events Photo Galleries (past 30 days): Measure DD Community Coalition, May 21 Bellevue Club Vintage Car Show; Azalea Bonsai Show; Orchid Show; "Turn the Page" Children's Book Festival at Fairyland; VegFest 2018; Garden Day at Fairyland; On-going: Homeless @ Lake Merritt Upcoming events
Rotary Nature Center. Learn about the status and the efforts to reopen this landmark nature center. RNC Community Meeting, Sat. June 2, 9 - 12:30. Program proposals will be presented. Open to public. Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders, the oldest running club of the East Bay, founded in 1977, sponsors a Sunday race each month at 9:00 a.m. May 27. Runners and volunteers welcomed. Meet near the Sailboat House in Lakeside Park. Info at LMJS.
Learn to Row Day. FREE. Saturday, June 2. Starting at 8:30- 2 p.m.. Sponsored by the Lake Merritt Rowing Club. 90 min. classes. Sign-up begins 8:30; classes until 2 p.m. Community Day At Junior Center of Art and Science June 16. COMMUNITY DAY! and Unveiling Celebration FREE Family fun from 12:30 - 3:00pm. Art making stations, science experiments, animals, food trucks, live DJ, and more! Bird Walk Free Lakeside Park bird walks the fourth Wednesday of each month. Lead by knowledgable and experienced Audubon guides. Meet at geodesic dome near the Nature Center, June 27, 9:30 a.m.. Birding list in Birds |
ALGAE... grows in large quantities during the spring and early summer, but only in the shoreline area where depths are four feet or less. Although a very beneficial part of the food chain, it becomes a nuisance when there is too much of it, causing odors and depleting oxygen levels when it decays. Algae is kept in check by removal with the harvester boat.
.... several types of algae grow vigorously in the shallow waters. Most common are light green filaments of Cladophora and Enteromorpha, along with the darker green sea lettuce (Ulva). This growth is limited to 20 - 25 feet of the shoreline where the water is only zero to four feet deep. At greater depths, light penetration is not sufficient for growth. By mid-May, algae may cover the entire shoreline area out to deeper water, blanketing the area in bright green where only murkywater existed just a month before. Towers of algae billow up, providing both shelter and food for both fish and invertebrates...." excerpt from A Year In The Life of Lake Merritt, by Lake Merritt Institute, copyright 2002.
.... several types of algae grow vigorously in the shallow waters. Most common are light green filaments of Cladophora and Enteromorpha, along with the darker green sea lettuce (Ulva). This growth is limited to 20 - 25 feet of the shoreline where the water is only zero to four feet deep. At greater depths, light penetration is not sufficient for growth. By mid-May, algae may cover the entire shoreline area out to deeper water, blanketing the area in bright green where only murkywater existed just a month before. Towers of algae billow up, providing both shelter and food for both fish and invertebrates...." excerpt from A Year In The Life of Lake Merritt, by Lake Merritt Institute, copyright 2002.