Can you visit Skaggs Island?
Take a guided bird tours at Skaggs Island with Murray Berner. Skaggs Island, a former NavalCommunication Station, is normally closed to the public. It is located near Hwy 37 between Novato and Vallejo. Meet at white gate on Skaggs Island Road off of Hwy 37 (arrive on time; gate closed once the tour begins).
Who owns Skaggs Island?
In 2011, Skaggs Island, a former naval facility located between Novato and Vallejo, was transferred to San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge, adding more than 3,000 acres to the refuge.
Is Skaggs Island Open?
It was a secretive, secure, and self-contained naval base, engaged in a number of communications and intelligence gathering functions for the Navy and other federal intelligence organizations. The 3,310-acre (13.4 km2) site was purchased by the Navy in 1941, and closed in 1993.
What county is Skaggs Island?
SONOMA COUNTY
SONOMA COUNTY Skaggs Island, along Highway 37 between Novato and Vallejo, was once a thriving tidal marsh next to San Pablo Bay. It is part of the Pacific Flyway for migratory birds and was used extensively by American Indians until the 1800s, when federal legislation allowed the state to fill in wetlands.
What is Skaggs Island?
Skaggs Island was a Top Secret radio surveillance and cryptologic communications installation operated by the Navy. Opened in 1941, it was hidden in plain sight, between Sonoma and San Francisco Bay. Several antennas, miles across, were built in the surrounding marshlands.
What is Skaggs Island naval communication station?
Skaggs Island Naval Communication Station is a former United States Navy installation located near California State Route 37 between Novato and Vallejo, California. It was a secretive, secure, and self-contained naval base, engaged in a number of communications and intelligence gathering…
Does Skaggs Island still have antennas?
Skaggs Island Naval Communication Station. The 3,310-acre (13.4 km 2) site was purchased by the Navy in 1941, and closed in 1993. The antennas continued to be used for some time after that, but by 2013 they were removed along with all of the remaining buildings.
What happened to Skaggs Island Air Force base?
The base contained over 100 buildings including dozens of houses, a mess hall, recreation center, bachelor’s quarters, and administrative buildings. In 1993 Skaggs Island was decommissioned and simply abandoned. Over the years security was hit and miss at best.