Lake Merritt is a large tidal lagoon that lies just east of downtown Oakland, California. It is surrounded by parkland and city neighborhoods. A popular 3.5 mile walking and jogging path runs along its perimeter. Oakland, founded in 1852, is the eighth-largest city in California[1] and the county seat of Alameda County. ...

Looking west across Lake Merritt. In the distance are the Rene C. Davidson Alameda County Court House and Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center. At the right is the Bellevue-Staten Building.

Image File history File links Lake_Merritt_Oakland_California_panorama. ... Image File history File links Lake_Merritt_Oakland_California_panorama. ...

History

A view looking west toward the Tribune Building and downtown Oakland.

In 1867, Dr. Samuel Merritt donated 155 acres (627,000 m²) of dammed tidal water from the headwaters of Indian Slough; it became known as "Merritt's Lake" and later Lake Merritt. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3456x2304, 2158 KB) Photographed by and copyright of (c) David Corby (User:Miskatonic, uploader) 2006 Lake Merrit Oakland California looking west at the Tribune Building File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3456x2304, 2158 KB) Photographed by and copyright of (c) David Corby (User:Miskatonic, uploader) 2006 Lake Merrit Oakland California looking west at the Tribune Building File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other... Samuel Merritt, born 1822, died 1890. ...

Originally the "lake" was a tidal estuary formed where several creeks empty into San Francisco Bay. It has always attracted migratory birds, and in order to protect the birds from duck hunters, in 1869 the body of water was declared a National Wildlife Refuge, making it the first such refuge in North America. San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, and the Golden Gate San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean. ...

The Lake Merritt Wild Duck Refuge became a National Historic Landmark on May 23, 1963. USS Constitution A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, site, structure, or object, almost always within the United States, officially recognized for its historical significance. ...

Children's Fairyland is on the lake's shore in Lakeside Park.
Childrens Fairyland, U.S.A. was the first theme park created to cater to families with young children. ...

Necklace of lights

The necklace of lights around Lake Merrit.

A "necklace of lights" encircles Lake Merritt. Featuring 126 lampposts and 3,400 "pearly bulbs", the necklace was first lit in 1925. In 1941 the lights were dimmed to comply with World War II blackout conditions. After a decade-long campaign, the lights were again illuminated in 1985. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3456x2304, 2234 KB) Photographed by and copyright of (c) David Corby (User:Miskatonic, uploader) 2006 Necklace of Lights Lake Merrit Oakland California. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3456x2304, 2234 KB) Photographed by and copyright of (c) David Corby (User:Miskatonic, uploader) 2006 Necklace of Lights Lake Merrit Oakland California. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Birds of Lake Merritt

A view looking east toward man-made islands of the Lake Merritt Bird Sanctuary. The Bellevue-Staten apartment building is in view, and the Oakland/Piedmont Hills are in the background.

The lake features a healthy year-round population of birds. It sees seasonal fluctuations in the types of birds that call the lake home. Looking East over Lake Merritt. ... Looking East over Lake Merritt. ...

Year round

All year round, the lake is home to moderate Canada Goose, Black-crowned Night Heron, Great Egret, Cormorant, American Coot, and Western Gull populations. There are also small Mallard Duck and Pelican populations. Binomial name Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) Canada Goose distribution, including introduced and feral populations Yellow: summer Blue: winter Green: year-round Subspecies Dusky Canada Goose Vancouver Canada Goose Lesser Canada Goose Moffitts Canada Goose Giant Canada Goose Interior Canada Goose Atlantic Canada Goose The Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) belongs... Binomial name Nycticorax nycticorax (Linnaeus, 1758) The Black-crowned Night Heron (in Europe, often just Night Heron), Nycticorax nycticorax, is a medium-sized heron. ... Binomial name Casmerodius albus Linnaeus, 1758 The Great Egret (Casmerodius albus), also known as the Great White Egret, White Heron, or Common Egret, is a wading egret, found in most of the tropical and warmer temperate parts of the world, although it is very local in southern Europe and Asia. ... For other uses, see Cormorant (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Fulica americana (Gmelin, 1789) The American Coot (Fulica americana) is a large waterbird, of the family Rallidae. ... Binomial name Larus occidentalis (Audubon, 1839) The Western Gull, Larus occidentalis, is a large white-headed gull that lives on the western coast of North America. ... Binomial name Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies See Mexican Duck, Anas, and article text The Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos[1]), also known as the wild duck, is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and sub-tropical areas of North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. ... Species Pelecanus occidentalis Pelecanus thagus Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Pelecanus onocrotalus Pelecanus crispus Pelecanus rufescens Pelecanus philippensis Pelecanus conspicillatus A pelican is any of several very large water birds with a distinctive pouch under the beak belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae. ...

Rainy season

From November through March, the lake plays host to a very large population of Greater Scaup and Lesser Scaup, which spend most of their time floating on the water, mostly just sleeping. Smaller numbers of Canvasback, Bufflehead, and other migratory diving ducks are also present during the cold season. Binomial name Aythya marila (Linnaeus, 1761) The Greater Scaup (Aythya marila), or just Scaup in Europe, is a small diving duck. ... Binomial name Aythya affinis (Eyton, 1838) The Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) is a small diving duck. ... Binomial name Aythya valisineria (Wilson, 1814) The Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) is a larger-sized diving duck. ... Binomial name Bucephala albeola (Linnaeus, 1758) The Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) is a small sea duck of the genus Bucephala, the goldeneyes. ...

Dry season

From June until the end of September, the lake's Canada Goose population increases significantly; Canada Geese become nearly ubiquitous around the perimeter of the lake. In late summer and early fall, a moderate Pelican population also arrives. Binomial name Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) Canada Goose distribution, including introduced and feral populations Yellow: summer Blue: winter Green: year-round Subspecies Dusky Canada Goose Vancouver Canada Goose Lesser Canada Goose Moffitts Canada Goose Giant Canada Goose Interior Canada Goose Atlantic Canada Goose The Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) belongs... Species Pelecanus occidentalis Pelecanus thagus Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Pelecanus onocrotalus Pelecanus crispus Pelecanus rufescens Pelecanus philippensis Pelecanus conspicillatus A pelican is any of several very large water birds with a distinctive pouch under the beak belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae. ...

Cleanup and restoration of Lake Merrit

Lake Merritt has been having problems with the parts per million (PPM) of oxygen to water. For a while, the fountains that generate a lot of oxygen by moving the water around were shut off due to electrical engineering problems. The fountains are now back online, but they have been circulating the litter than can consistently be found floating on the lake surface. Large densities of Canadian geese feces give Lake Merritt's its murky brown color. Some local groups have begun to clean the trash, such as the St Paul's Episcopal School, where sixth graders along with their science teacher and Dr. Bailey can be found cleaning up the lake using fish nets on Thursdays. Image File history File links Merrittview. ... Image File history File links Merrittview. ... Binomial name Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) Canada Goose distribution, including introduced and feral populations Yellow: summer Blue: winter Green: year-round Subspecies Dusky Canada Goose Vancouver Canada Goose Lesser Canada Goose Moffitts Canada Goose Giant Canada Goose Interior Canada Goose Atlantic Canada Goose The Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) belongs... St Pauls Episcopal School is a private school in Oakland, CA. Founded in 1975, it resides on 116 Montecto Ave off Bay St by St Pauls Towers, a retirement home. ...

References

• National Historic Landmarks Program

External links

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 37.8039° -122.2591°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
• Lake Merritt Interactive Map: Oakland Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Lakeside Park/Lake Merritt
• History of Lake Merritt's Wildlife Sanctuary
• Birds of Lake Merritt
• The Lake Merritt Institute
• Interview with "The Lakekeeper"
• The Cleveland Cascade -- once-stunning cascading water fountain on shores of Lake Merritt, restored by Lake Merritt Institute.