Aramburu Island is a 17-acre human-made island located in Richardson Bay. The island was created in the 1960s from the dredge spoils from a nearby boating channel. Over many years, the unmanaged island became host to a wide variety of non-native and invasive plants and the banks significantly eroded due to wave action.
In 2007, after the Cosco-Busan oil spill, Audubon California staff observed a large percentage of birds in Richardson Bay were using Aramburu Island as refuge from the toxic waters. This observation led Audubon California to designate Aramburu Island as critical bird habitat and quickly made plans for an enhancement project.
The Enhancement Plan improved aquatic, wetland, and upland habitats for a range of local species, stabilized the rapidly eroding eastern shoreline, and helped the island and surrounding communities adapt to sea level rise. Since the completion of construction in 2012, thousands of native plants have been installed and hundreds of adult and youth volunteers have contributed thousands of hours restoring and maintaining the island. Today, Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary staff host restoration workdays where volunteers can actively contribute to this ongoing restoration success.
This year asked our team to be many things at once: scientists, educators, partners, planners, and neighbors. It was a year of transformation, shaped...
Birds are singing, wildflowers are blooming, and spring is quickly approaching in the northern hemisphere. Breeding season for birds will be in full...
A makeover turns manmade Aramburu Island into rich wildlife habitat.
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