This is one of eight embroidered patches created for the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex via the San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society. These patches are awarded to volunteers as they complete a set number of work hours at each Refuge, and are sold at the Visitor’s Center to help raise money to support volunteer efforts.

Each patch represents key species found in one of the seven Refuges, with an additional patch representing the complex as a whole. I worked closely with Refuge biologists to ensure each species was rendered faithfully within the 10-color limit imposed by the embroidery process.

In the patch representing Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, an endangered California clapper rail (Rallus longirostris obsoletus) wanders across a mudflat edged by pickleweed bush (Salicornia pacifica). Behind and in the distance, a trio of ducks fly overhead.

The Don Edwards NWR is the nation’s first urban national wildlife refuge, encompassing over 30,000 acres along the southern end of San Francisco Bay.  Nestled in the heart of California’s high-tech industry, it is indeed a wildlife oasis in an urban sea. The Refuge provides not only critical habitat for threatened and endangered species, but also spans traditional ancestral lands from four bands of the Ohlone and Miwok people, and remains an integral part of their culture. Its urban location provides the perfect opportunity to connect, work with, and serve the public, schools, and nearby community groups as they enjoy the benefits of nature.