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	Photo: Illustrator Nataliya Bellony

Like much of Alameda, the city’s scenic Crab Cove marine reserve is steeped in history. In 1854, when Alameda was first incorporated, the area that’s now Crab Cove was mostly marshland and mudflats. By the time Alameda officially became a city 25 years later, Crab Cove was known as “the Coney Island of the West.” The marshy terrain had been transformed into an impressive bayside amusement park. Featuring public pools cordoned off from the Bay’s waters, roller coasters and other recreation activities, Neptune Beach drew many visitors. However, the Depression hit the area hard, and Neptune Beach was forced to shut down in 1939.
    Next came a stint as the Merchant Marine Officers Training Center. Between 1943 and the late 1950s, 2,000 graduates a year emerged from the Crab Cove training grounds ready to take to the sea. In 1966, Crab Cove became part of the state park system, and in 1980, the visitor center was opened in a building that had served as the marines’ infirmary.
    This year marks Crab Cove’s 25th anniversary. Thanks to a recent bond measure, the visitor center is now open year-round. Renovated in 2004, it’s a great place to go to learn about the unique habitats and inhabitants of San Francisco Bay.
    Crab Cove holds a 25th anniversary celebration 11a.m. to 4 p.m. June 5, where there’ll be guided walks, games and crafts as well as a resource fair featuring conservation agencies from around the Bay.

Crab Cove
      Visitor’s Center

    Focused on interactive learning, the Crab Cove Visitor Center offers fun, hands-on exhibits for kids of all ages. Microscopes offer an opportunity to get a closer look at the numerous types of plankton that populate the Bay, while one of the largest aquariums in the East Bay gives visitors a chance to see the Bay’s fish and shark species up close.    
    Another tank features an “alien species” exhibit, where some of the foreign sea creatures that have entered the Bay via ship passage are on display. “We’re actually known as one of the most invaded estuaries in the world,” says supervising naturalist Sharol Nelson-Embry.
    Walking through the visitor center is like exploring the hidden underwater world of the Bay, thanks to the collaboration of the designers and artists who worked on the renovation. The artist who painted the mural that covers one wall of the center even went diving in the Bay so that she could get the lighting just right.
    Staff naturalists provide education programs and activities for Bay Area school groups and the public, both within the visitor center and outside in the marine reserve. Special weekend events open to the public are listed in the East Bay Regional Parks’ newsletter, “Regional in Nature,” available online at www.ebparks.org or at the visitor center. The visitor center is at 1252 McKay Ave., (510) 521-6887. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.