Mount Burdell Open Space Preserve is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

Marin County Marin County ( ) is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is ac ...

, California, United States, within the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

. It is managed by Marin County Parks. Mount Burdell rises above sea level. Hidden Lake, a seasonal pond located about halfway to the top, is home to

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All t ...

s and other creatures during the

wet season The wet season (sometimes called the rainy season or monsoon season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Generally, the season lasts at least one month. The term ''green season'' is also sometimes used a ...

. The Marin County Open Space District, with the help of local residents, purchased the preserve in 1977. Certain portions of the preserve are grazed by small herds of domestic

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

during spring which helps to reduce all preserved grasses.

Quarrying

Mount Burdell was the location of at least 5 quarries. The largest of them, located at the current location of the Buck Institute, produced andesite paving blocks and materials for highway construction.

References

External links

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Marin County Parks
Nature reserves in California Protected areas of Marin County, California Bay Area Ridge Trail {{MarinCountyCA-geo-stub