Audubon House

The Audubon House once served as a bunk house for the members of two duck clubs that operated at the San Joaquin Marsh from the 1940s until 1988. The area was once known as the old San Joaquin Gun Club complex. The permit was not renewed by the City of Irvine in 1988 as the area grew and homes were built nearby.

The old bunk house, along with the Duck Club facility, were moved to their present location from what became the Tustin Marine Base (AKA: Lighter than Air Base) in the 1940s. The duck hunters slept and kept the guns in this house. The Duck Club was used for gathering.

Today, IRWD provides the Audubon House facility to the local Sea and Sage Chapter of the National Audubon Society, an organization dedicated to teaching about birds, wildlife and conservation. The Audubon House, staffed by Sea & Sage volunteers, is open to visitors from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and features a small giftshop, displays, free loan of binoculars, and answers to birding questions.

Audubon offers public tours of the marsh, educational programs, and volunteer opportunities for nature lovers, birders and students of all ages. Programs and activities are designed to increase public appreciation and awareness of the beauty and diversity of wildlife in the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. Each year, more than 2,000 elementary school children visit the sanctuary for the Outdoor Adventures Science Discovery Program and approximately 12,000 marsh visitors and bird watchers visit the site. The San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary is recognized as a premiere birding site.

For more information, contact the Sea and Sage Audubon Society at (949) 261-7963.