Wildlife and Nature Organizations in San Francisco Bay Area

There are a host of wildlife organizations passionately working to study and protect wildlife and wild places in the San Francisco Bay Area. We have listed a few here and are working on expanding the list. If you know of any that are not listed here, please .

Alameda Creek Alliance: To restore the Alameda Creek watershed and its native fish populations.
American Cetacean Society: San Francisco Bay Area Chapter: Dedicated to protecting whales, dolphins and porpoises through education, research and conservation.
Audubon Canyon Ranch: Protect the natural resources of its sanctuaries while fostering an understanding and appreciation of these environments. Educate children and adults, promote ecological literacy that is grounded in direct experience, and conduct research and restoration that advances conservation science.; Location: North Bay
Bay Area Open Space Council: a collaborative of sixty member organizations actively involved in permanently protecting and stewarding important parks, trails and agricultural lands in the ten-county San Francisco Bay Area.
Bay Institute: To protect and restore the ecosystems of San Francisco Bay, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and the rivers, streams, and watersheds tributary to the Estuary.; Location: Novato
Bay Nature: A magazine for the Exploration of Nature in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Bat Conservation Fund: Dedicated to the preservation of bats - education, conservation and rehabilitation; Location: Novato
CuriOdyssey - formerly Coyote Point Museum: Educate and inspire people to take care of the earth wisely through interactive science exhibits, hands-on and explorative school and public programs, and up close encounters with native California animals.; Location: San Mateo
Elkhorn Slough Foundation: Conserving and Restoring Elkhorn Slough
Environmental Action Committee of West Marin: Protect West Marin’s natural environment and rural character
Felidae Conservation Fund: Protect the world’s 37 felidae species and their habitats by supporting and participating in international conservation, partnering in excellent science, and generating unrelenting outreach and powerful education programs. Their Bay Area Puma Project is studying the local Cougar population.
Friends of the Alameda Wildlife Refuge: Project initiated by the Golden Gate Audubon Society, to train and maintain a corps of volunteers committed to protecting and enhancing the wildlife of the proposed Alameda National Wildlife Refuge.
Friends of Baxter Creek: Preserving, restoring, protecting, and advocating for Baxter Creek and neighboring watersheds.; Location: El Cerrito and Richmond
Friends of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve: Inspire the preservation of the unique intertidal environment of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, through education and the support of research.
Friends of Five Creeks: Restore, maintain, and enjoy the creeks and watershed of the East Bay from north Berkeley to Richmond.
Friends of Marsh Creek Watershed (FOMCW): Learning about, protecting and restoring the watershed.
Friends of Sausal Creek: Promote awareness and appreciation of the Sausal Creek watershed, and to inspire action to preserve and protect the creek and its watershed as both a natural and a community resource.
Golden Gate Audubon Society: Local Audubon Society Chapter covering City and County of San Francisco and western Alameda and Contra Costa counties
Golden Gate Cetacean Research: Scientific research on Bay area porpoises, dolphins and whales
Golden Gate Raptor Observatory (GGRO): A project of the Golden Gate National Parks Association and the National Park Service to study migrating birds of prey along the Pacific coast and to promote public awareness of the state of raptor populations.; Location: San Francisco
Greenbelt Alliance: San Francisco Bay Area's advocate for open spaces and vibrant places
International Bird Rescue Research Center: Mitigate human impact on aquatic birds and other wildlife through rehabilitation, emergency response, education, research, planning and training.
Lindsay Wildlife Museum: Environmental education, wildlife rehabilitation.; Location: Walnut Creek
Marin Audubon Society: Local Audubon Society Chapter covering Marin county; Location: Mill Valley
Marine Mammal Center: Rescues, rehabilitates and releases injured, sick and orphaned marine mammals (Seals, Sea Lions, Dolphins, Porpoises, Whales and Sea Otters) along a 600 mile stretch of California coastline, from Mendocino County through San Luis Obispo County.; Locations: Hospital site in the Marin Headlands, just over the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco; field offices in Anchor Bay, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo; and gift store and interpretive center at San Francisco's PIER 39
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District: Purchase, permanently protect, and restore lands forming a regional open space greenbelt, preserve unspoiled wilderness, wildlife habitat, watershed, viewshed, and fragile ecosystems, and provide opportunities for low-intensity recreation and environmental education. Covers an area of 550 square miles and includes 17 cities - Atherton, Cupertino, East Palo Alto, Half Moon Bay, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Menlo Park, Monte Sereno, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Portola Valley, Redwood City, San Carlos, Saratoga, Sunnyvale, and Woodside.
Monterey Bay Aquarium: Inspire conservation of the oceans.
Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project: Restoration, conservation, and enhancement of native wild Salmon and Steelhead populations and their coastal and marine habitats from San Mateo to the south Monterey Bay area.
Mount Diablo Interpretive Association: Maintaining and interpreting Mt. Diablo State Park.
Napa-Solano Audubon Society: Covering all of Napa and Solano Counties
Native Bird Connections: Non-profit providing educational programs featuring live, nonreleasable birds.; Location: Martinez
Oceanic Society: Protect endangered wildlife and preserve threatened marine habitats worldwide.; Location: San Francisco
Ohlone Audubon Society: Local Audubon Society Chapter for southern Alameda County.
Paula Lane Action Network (PLAN): Volunteer and grassroots non-profit organization dedicated to preserving open space, rural land & wildlife habitat. Current Project: Paula Lane Open Space Preserve, 100-year-long American Badger habitat, 12 Special Status avian species.; Location: Petaluma
Pelagic Shark Research Foundation: Develops and assists projects that contribute to a better understanding of elasmobranchs, with an emphasis on those which contribute to their conservation and management.
Peninsula Humane Society: A private, non-profit that cares for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife from San Francisco through northern Santa Clara County and provides "living with wildlife" tips for local residents.; Location: Burlingame (Tom and Annette Lantos Center for Compassion)
Peninsula Open Space Trust(POST): Give permanent protection to the beauty, character and diversity of the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Cruz Mountain range.
PRBO Conservation Science: Dedicated to conserving birds, other wildlife and ecosystems through innovative scientific research and outreach. Started as Point Reyes Bird Observatory.; Location: Petaluma
The River Otter Ecology Project: Research, education and conservation of River Otters in the Bay area
Salmon Protection And Watershed Network (SPAWN): Protect endangered Salmon in the Lagunitas Watershed
San Bruno Mountain Watch: Helps protect and preserve San Bruno Mountain.
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory: Dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitats through science and outreach, and to contributing to informed resource management decisions in the San Francisco Bay Area.; Location: Sobrato Center for Nonprofits in Milpitas
San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society: Promote public awareness and appreciation of San Francisco Bay and its natural history, and to conserve and preserve the remaining bay lands as essential wildlife habitat. The SFBWS offers many guided excursions that make wildlife watching easy and accessible; Location: Newark
San Francisco Naturalist Society: Dedicated to the enjoyment, study, and preservation of the natural world.; Location: San Francisco
San Francisco Nature Education: Interactive environmental education programs to develop leadership and stewardship in youth and adults in underserved communities in San Francisco.; Location: San Francisco
San Mateo County Parks Foundation: Provide additional financial support for the recreational, environmental and educational programs and projects of the San Mateo County Department of Parks.
Santa Clara County Creeks Coalition: Transforming local creeks into "living streams"; Location: San Jose
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society: Local Audubon Society Chapter for Santa Clara County.; Location: Cupertino
Santa Cruz Bird Club: Location: Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group (SCPBRG): Location: Santa Cruz
Save Mount Diablo: Preserves Mount Diablo's peaks and surrounding foothills, through land acquisition and preservation strategies.
Save the Bay: Protect, restore and celebrate San Francisco Bay.
Sea Stewards: Restore ocean health and the health of the San Francisco Bay, by protecting all ocean life from plankton to sharks.
Sempervirens Fund: Protects and permanently preserves redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forests, wildlife habitat, watersheds, and other important natural features of California's Santa Cruz Mountains, and encourages people to appreciate and enjoy this environment.; Location: Los Altos
Sequoia Audubon Society: Local Audubon Society Chapter for San Mateo County.
Sonoma Birding: Location: Sonoma
Stevens & Permanente Creeks Watershed Council: Engage the community in wise stewardship of our watershed, furthering the protection, restoration, and community appreciation of creeks and associated habitats.
Ventana Wilderness Alliance: Protect, preserve, and restore the wilderness qualities and biodiversity of the public lands within California’s northern Santa Lucia mountains and Big Sur Coast.
Ventana Wildlife Society: Current program areas include Species Recovery focusing on California Condor reintroduction, Conservation Ecology, Conservation Education, and Habitat Restoration. Focus is on the Big Sur area.
Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation: Preserve and enhance Walnut Creek's nearly 3000 acres of open space and to educate area residents.
WildCare: Animal aid, advocacy, and education throughout the Bay Area and beyond; Location: San Rafael
WildRescue: Wildlife emergency response and care; Location: Monterey
Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley: Provide care and rehabilitation of injured, sick, and orphaned wildlife within the Silicon Valley Community. Foster a positive coexistence between the general public and wildlife, and encourage an interest in, and concern for wildlife conservation issues.; Location: San Jose
The Wildlife Society, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter: International non-profit scientific and educational association dedicated to excellence in wildlife stewardship through science and education. Mission is to enhance the ability of wildlife professionals to conserve diversity, sustain productivity, and ensure responsible use of wildlife resources for the benefit of society.
Worth a Dam: Maintaining the Martinez Beavers in Alhambra Creek through responsible stewardship, creative problem solving, community involvement, and education.; Location: Martinez

Articles and Links

Wildlife rehabilitation organizations serving the Bay Area - a list from California Council for Wildlife rehabilitators ...link