Lake Merritt Rowing Club
The Lake Merritt Rowing Club is open to all community members who wish to learn the sport of rowing or refine their competitive skills. Since 1962, the Club has provided a wide range of rowing programs for all ages and skill levels. Our novice programs include Summer Youth Rowing (an introductory summer program for Oakland youth), sculling lessons, and sweep lessons. Our member programs include the Mixed Intermediate Crew for recreational and intermediate level rowers, the Senior Men’s Crew and Senior Women’s Crew for advanced rowers, and San Francisco Bay Blades, a primarily lesbian and gay group within LMRC.
Lake Merritt: A Saltwater Lake
Originally, Lake Merritt was a marshy tidal basin that was navigable only at high tide by shallow draft cargo vessels. By 1896, a dam at the southern end of the lake had transformed the marsh into the beautiful lake we know now. There is a bird refuge in the eastern arm of the lake, which is an important nesting area in the summer and a wintering place for several species of migratory birds. In fact, Lake Merritt is home to the nation’s oldest bird sanctuary.