Crissy Marsh for kids
The Marsh That Came Back. The true story of Crissy Marsh, near San Francisco, CA, told for kids.

Read along
Look out toward the water! See the flat, soft land by the bay? Long ago, this was a marsh, a squishy place where fresh water meets salty water. The Ohlone people gathered shellfish and fish here.
Then the marsh was filled in and made into an airfield for airplanes. Imagine airplanes zooming where ducks used to paddle! But here is the happy part. Years later, people took the airfield away and brought the marsh back.
Now birds stop here on a long trip along the Pacific Flyway, like a busy highway in the sky. It is a rest stop with snacks, and the snacks are tiny sea creatures! Can you spot a bird? Flap your wings if you do!
Quiz the back seat
What did people build on the marsh before it came back?
Show the answer
An airfield. An airfield! Now the birds have their marsh home again.
3 fun facts
- It was largely destroyed to build the Crissy Field airfield.
- The airfield was removed and the marsh has been restored.
- It is a stop for birds on the Pacific Flyway.
For grown-ups
Every Tumbly story is checked claim by claim against the sources below before it's published; stories that don't pass stay off the app and this site. Narration is pre-recorded, and nothing you do on this page is tied to your kids.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crissy_Marsh
- presidio.gov/explore/attractions/crissy-marsh
- nps.gov/goga/learn/nature/crissy-field.htm
- facebook.com/randel.hart.3/posts/crissy-field-marsh-todaysan-francisco-california/1649958859968925
- asla.org/awards-events-main-landing/honors-awards/pro-student-awards/2022-professional-awards/5990
- parksconservancy.org/parks/crissy-field-history
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crissy_Field
- parksconservancy.org/our-work/see-dramatic-crissy-field-transformation-unfold
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Town and county names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).