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Forty-five wood ducklings were given a second chance when they were released into the wetlands at Grizzly Island on July 22, 2008. Grizzly Island sits on over 1,000 acres in the Suisun Marsh and provides a wonderful habitat for the young ducklings to grow. The wood ducklings were hatched from eggs that would not have typically survived. With the help of the hatchery at Rancho Esquon the eggs were given the chance to grow. An opportunity to live in the great outdoors after being hatched in incubators excited the young wood ducks and the youth there to release them.
Twenty-five children from around Contra Costa County participated in the event. The children hiked a half-mile to the release spot. They were educated on the wood duck box program, preservation of the marsh and how to identify different types of waterfowl. Each child that wished to participate in the release was given a duckling. They were able to release the bird into the wild and watch it swim to freedom. Now the ducklings are in the marsh with a chance to survive. Soon they will be able to fly away and we hope they will return next year to nest.