START – AT THE GAZEBO
Self Guided
To
click
on station numbers on map
START – AT THE GAZEBO
Assemble your
students at the seating area near the gazebo. It is best to have the students
sit down and go over the entire field experience, so they can anticipate what
they will be doing. It would be
useful to describe the entire Stivers Lagoon Nature area. Use the materials provided in the Stivers Lagoon section to
provide a summary for your group.
From the seating
area go directly to the raised beds and discuss the different plants that may be
present. Remember that not all
plants will be there, depending on the time of the year.
Before you start the trip go over the difference between poison oak and
the other vines. You may want to use the worksheet, “Vines of Stivers
Lagoon.”
Walk up to the
gazebo and face Paseo Padre Parkway. Point
out to students that the Hayward fault runs near Paseo Padre and cuts under Lake
Elizabeth. The fault has allowed
water to percolate upward to create a depression full of water.
Turn toward the
marsh and explain that this area has been untouched. It is one of the few areas of Fremont that reflects the area
as it was when the Ohlone Indians roamed the area.
Discuss with
students that marshlands are very productive as a food source and important to
local inhabitants. Marshlands also
help clean water as it flows through this area.
Preservation of areas like this are not only a historical glimpse, but a
valuable part of the entire ecosystem.
