This is Berthnor.

In the center of Oakland, California, East Lake Merit, people row in there, picnic, and

jog around it, and it's a place of respite within the city.

And the lake, like Oakland, has always been a refuge of sorts, says journalist Pandar

Vis Harshore.

Oakland's diversity is historically a product of people escaping conflict and seeking a safe

haven.

There's a parallel between the people who flock to Oakland and the birds that have made

it their home, all colors, shapes and sizes.

Better birds, like dogs, geese, eagrets, pelicans, cormorants, and kuts to name a few.

Many people don't know that this urban lake was also the first wildlife refuge in North

America since 1870.

Lake Merit was kind of an early instance of this idea that nature, if we want it to, can

be where we are, and we can find it in the cities that we live in.

That's Alex Harris.

He wrote and beautifully illustrated the field guide, Birds of Lake Merit.

The book describes the birds found around the waters of Lake Merit.

Its history since the Yolani peoples have populated it all the way till today.

People in Oakland have a special bond to the lake's birds.

And one of Lake Merit's most beloved birds is the Black Crown Knight Heron, the official

bird of Oakland since 2019.

That's thanks to curious Oakland 30 graders who wrote a petition to the city.

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