Oakland Volunteers Save Tiny Endangered Terns From Extinction

A tiny bird the size of a robin is making a comeback in Oakland's marshes, thanks to thousands of volunteers who've spent 30 years perfecting its habitat one oyster shell at a time.

The California least tern, North America's smallest tern, has been endangered since 1970. When wildlife biologist David Riensche started his recovery work decades ago, fewer than a dozen baby terns hatched each year in all of Alameda County.

Now, volunteers gather at the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline every month to weed small islands, spread crushed oyster shells mixed with sand, and create the clear sightlines these delicate birds need to spot predators. The terns won't nest where they can't see gulls and crows coming.

Riensche, known to his volunteers as Doc Quack, studied exactly what the terns need to thrive. He discovered they prefer sparse ground cover and oyster shell surfaces, then partnered with Point Reyes oyster farms for donations and recruited thousands of volunteers over the years.

On a recent Saturday morning, more than 25 people showed up to help. Young Whan Choi brought his 13-year-old son, an avid birder who got the whole family interested in protecting shorebirds. Oakland physician Jaimie Goralnick came with her 14-year-old, who hosts a zoology podcast and dreams of becoming an ornithologist.

Maggie Clark has been volunteering with Riensche for 25 years, painting decoys, counting plovers, and documenting predators. "I love being outdoors," she said. "My friend and I bring our chairs and our tea and we talk."

The Ripple Effect

The recovery work extends far beyond the terns. Over 30 years, volunteers helped restore Hayward Marsh from dried salt flats back into thriving tidal wetlands where pickleweed now grows and wildlife flourishes.

In December, the East Bay Regional Park District acquired 77 new acres to expand these restoration efforts. The federal recovery plan calls for at least 1,200 breeding pairs of California least terns across various coastal areas, and these Oakland marshes are becoming a crucial piece of that puzzle.

The small experimental island where volunteers work is still being perfected. A few terns nested there last season, though predators found some nests. With each season, Riensche and his volunteers learn more about keeping the delicate birds safe.

These volunteers are proving that patient, dedicated community effort can bring a species back from the edge of extinction, one handful of weeds and one bucket of oyster shells at a time.