Rotary Nature Center — Attraction in Oakland

It’s really sad how they let things go over the years. There basically is no sanctuary left. All the plants and water have dried up and died. You can tell that they’re not using fountains or sprinklers to keep the sanctuary going, resulting in all the wild life to disappear. Homeless camps and garbage surround the sides of the center and the center itself isn’t even open for the public to view its mini museum or to buy bird seeds. Not to mention the water levels of lake Merritt have gone down significantly and the islands located on the lake where some birds reside are dried up and dead. It’s a shame with how expensive it is to live in that area that no money is going into the upkeep of that historical area. Shame on Oakland, and shame on its previous and recent mayors for allowing it to get to that point. There’s plenty of money to keep building luxury apartments that no one can afford to...

The Rotary Nature Center is an awesome place to take little kids. It's small and a little rough around the edges, but kids could care less. There's a live snake and tarantula. They also have bees and others stuffed creatures.

They also have different nature programs, some restricted to those 18+, and volunteer opportunities.

The best place to watch the birds in the nature preserve is right next door. The center sells bird food...

Incredibly poor management of the Bird Yard by Lake Merritt. No fresh water for the migratory birds. There are literally signs posted saying they need the fresh water and Rotary Nature center hasn't done anything to fix the problem.

I reached out to them several times and offered to help and volunteer and never received a response.

People are not doing their jobs we pay out of our taxes...