Brooks Island
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Brooks Island is a 65 acres (26 ha), mostly flat strip of land extending from a round hill which peaks at 163 ft (50 m) in San Francisco Bay, located just south of the Richmond Inner Harbor in Richmond, California.[1]
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[edit] Geography and geology
The rock that forms the main peak of the island is Franciscan chert, derived from an ancient mountain range just west of San Francisco.[2]
[edit] Flora and fauna
The island hosts salt marshes, tidal flats and has a rise of 163 ft (50 m). It is home to many bird species, including herons and egrets, and provides their nesting sites. Some parts of the islands are off limits to visitors to protect nesting sites. Other names for the island include: Isla de Cármen, Rocky Island, Bird Island, and Sheep Island.[1]
Brooks Island is a habitat for harbor seals that stop at the island from their nearby rookery on the Castro Rocks.[3]
[edit] History
Native American Ohlones lived on the island for over 2,000 years, sustained by the abundant sea life. The Europeans conquerors, first the Spaniards and Mexicans and later the Americans used the island as a quarry, sheep farm and a shrimp factory.[1]
It is now part of the East Bay Regional Park District, Brooks Island Regional Shoreline.
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Park map
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Brooks Island is visible in the left hand side of the image across from the Port of Richmond.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Brooks Island profile, East Bay Regional Parks District website, retrieved August 3, 2007
- ^ Brooks Island Regional Shoreline, East Bay Regional Parks District, June 1998
- ^ vhfmapweb.jpg, Radio tagging map, San Francisco State University, February 2004, retrieved August 4, 2007
[edit] External links
- Brooks Island Regional Shoreline at the East Bay Regional parks District website
- [1] on the history and wildlife of the island.
Coordinates: 37°53′47″N 122°21′19″W / 37.896418°N 122.355321°W
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