OAKLAND — A conservation group opposes the Oakland A’s choice for a new downtown baseball stadium as bad for the birds and fish in Lake Merritt.
In announcing its opposition Monday night, the Golden Gate Audubon Society said the proposed ballpark near Laney College threatens to degrade nearby Lake Merritt and a channel connecting to the Oakland estuary with contaminants, trash, loud noise and bright lights.
The city has invested large sums to improve and clean up Lake Merritt as a rich habitat for fish and water birds such as herons and egrets, the Audubon said.
“Lake Merritt, the nation’s oldest wildlife refuge and a public asset, is home to nearly 200 species, including ducks, herons, songbirds, nesting cormorants, fish, and other species,” Aubudon said in a statement.