Self Guided Tour of Stivers Lagoon 
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.