[2] Bair Island is part of the larger Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

[5] Bair Island is bisected by Corkscrew Slough,[6] a major haul-out site for harbor seals (Phoca vitulina).

It was approved by the Redwood City council, but a citizens referendum narrowly defeated the project in 1982 by just 44 votes.

[9][8] The Peninsula Open Space Trust purchased the property in 1996 and deeded the site to be part of the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge,[10] and the Bair Island Ecological Reserve was established in 1997.

[11] In 2017, tour guides began leading pedestrians on the trails and showing the effects of wetland restoration.