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Lake Merritt is a large tidal lagoon that lies just east of downtown Oakland, California. It is surrounded by parkland and city neighborhoods. A popular 3.5 mile walking and jogging path runs along its perimeter.

Looking west across Lake Merritt. In the distance are the Rene C. Davidson Alameda County Court House and Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center. At the right is the Bellevue-Staten Building.

A view looking west toward the Tribune Building and downtown Oakland.

In 1867, Dr. Samuel Merritt donated 155 acres (627,000 m²) of dammed tidal water from the headwaters of Indian Slough; it became known as "Merritt's Lake" and later Lake Merritt.

Originally the "lake" was a tidal estuary formed where several creeks empty into San Francisco Bay. It has always attracted migratory birds, and in order to protect the birds from duck hunters, in 1869 the body of water was declared a National Wildlife Refuge, making it the first such refuge in North America.

The Lake Merritt Wild Duck Refuge became a National Historic Landmark on May 23, 1963.

Children's Fairyland is on the lake's shore in Lakeside Park.

The necklace of lights around Lake Merrit.

A "necklace of lights" encircles Lake Merritt. Featuring 126 lampposts and 3,400 "pearly bulbs", the necklace was first lit in 1925. In 1941 the lights were dimmed to comply with World War II blackout conditions. After a decade-long campaign, the lights were again illuminated in 1985.

A view looking east toward man-made islands of the Lake Merritt Bird Sanctuary. The Bellevue-Staten apartment building is in view, and the Oakland/Piedmont Hills are in the background.

The lake features a healthy year-round population of birds. It sees seasonal fluctuations in the types of birds that call the lake home.

All year round, the lake is home to moderate Canada Goose, Black-crowned Night Heron, Great Egret, Cormorant, American Coot, and Western Gull populations. There are also small Mallard Duck and Pelican populations.

From November through March, the lake plays host to a very large population of Greater Scaup and Lesser Scaup, which spend most of their time floating on the water, mostly just sleeping. Smaller numbers of Canvasback, Bufflehead, and other migratory diving ducks are also present during the cold season.

From June until the end of September, the lake's Canada Goose population increases significantly; Canada Geese become nearly ubiquitous around the perimeter of the lake. In late summer and early fall, a moderate Pelican population also arrives.

Lake Merritt has been having problems with the parts per million (PPM) of oxygen to water. For a while, the fountains that generate a lot of oxygen by moving the water around were shut off due to electrical engineering problems. The fountains are now back online, but they have been circulating the litter than can consistently be found floating on the lake surface. Large densities of Canadian geese feces give Lake Merritt's its murky brown color. Some local groups have begun to clean the trash, such as the St Paul's Episcopal School, where sixth graders along with their science teacher and Dr. Bailey can be found cleaning up the lake using fish nets on Thursdays.

• National Historic Landmarks Program

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 37.8039° -122.2591°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
• Lake Merritt Interactive Map: Oakland Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Lakeside Park/Lake Merritt
• History of Lake Merritt's Wildlife Sanctuary
• Birds of Lake Merritt
• The Lake Merritt Institute
• Interview with "The Lakekeeper"
• The Cleveland Cascade -- once-stunning cascading water fountain on shores of Lake Merritt, restored by Lake Merritt Institute.