New Hours for Sulphur Creek, Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center

The Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (H.A.R.D.) invites the community to visit Sulphur Creek Nature Center on Tuesdays through Fridays, from 12:00 to 4:00 pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center will open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. beginning on March 18th. 

On weekdays, community members can explore Sulphur Creek Nature Center and take a self-guided virtual tour of the park or trails. Visitors can scan the QR codes on their smart phone to access fascinating animal facts and additional information on the resident animals. On Saturdays, drop in to join naturalists for free touch table programs.

Sulphur Creek’s enclosures may look a bit different because staff has updated safety precautions due to the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza or HPAI. HPAI was first reported in Alameda County in September of 2022; this virus has led to the deaths of more than 58 million birds this past year.  To keep our resident animals safe during the presence of HPAI, intake of sick or injured wildlife at the Sulphur Creek animal clinic is temporarily closed. School visits and registered programs continue at both sites multiple days per week and birthday parties abound.

H.A.R.D. introduced its Healthy Equity Initiative this past year. New to the nature unit are outreach programs for people of all-abilities at Sorensdale Community Center and an engaging monthly series for seniors at the Hayward Area Senior Center is in development. Additionally, one day per week has been dedicated to free school field trips for underserved schools in the H.A.R.D. service area. For those schools who are unable to organize transportation, staff will bring nature to the classroom with the mobile Learning Lab program.

H.A.R.D.’s wildly popular nature camps begin in June. For the third year in a row since the pandemic, the capacity of these camps increased, serving more than 350 children, immersing them in nature, exposing them to the local ecosystems and teaching future environmental stewards.

For more information, visit www.HaywardRec.org, email info@haywardrec.org, or call (510) 881-6700.