Let's Expand Crab Cove for its Educational Opportunities

McKay Avenue has a rich history to be celebrated:

• Crab Cove Visitor Center and Aquarium at Crown Memorial State Beach is a jewel of Alameda. Since the Old Wharf Classroom opened in 1968, the cove has been connecting students of all ages with marine and shoreline life, as well as Alameda history. The entertaining educational opportunities increase students' understanding of the environmental importance of San Francisco Bay. There is strong emphasis on the interdependence of marine life and shore life and on the urgency of preserving the marine and estuarine environment. Hence, it is no surprise that Crab Cove was designated as the first California estuarine marine reserve.
• Crab Cove is the site formerly known as Neptune Beach, where both the American snow cone and the popsicle were first sold in 1923. The name comes from Frank "Pop" Epperson who sold his Epperson Ice Pop known as "Pop's Sickle." Neptune Beach's two huge outdoor pools hosted swimming races and exhibitions by such famous swimmers as Olympian Johnny Weismuller, who later starred as the original Tarzan, and Jack LaLanne, who started a chain of health clubs. Crab Cove is also located near Neptune Court which depicts resort life in Alameda in the 1920's to this day. It is the only part of Neptune Beach that remains.

Given this history, the proposed location of the Alameda Medical Respite and Wellness Center could be more suitably used as an extension of Crab Cove such as a marine laboratory for students (taking advantage of the in-place, state-of-the-art ventilation system) and history museum for Neptune Beach. If this educational opportunity is squandered now, it is lost forever.

To learn more, visit Friends of Crab Cove.