The visitor center is on Marshlands Rd, off Thornton Ave.[2] Most of the refuge stretches along the marshy shoreline north and south of the Dumbarton Bridge, but Bair Island, in San Mateo County, is also part of the system.

The variety of birds that may call the refuge home or use it as a stopover include white pelicans, white-tailed kites, hawks, ospreys, and eagles.

It also provides critical habitat to resident species like the endangered California clapper rail and salt marsh harvest mouse.

It was renamed in 1995 in recognition of Congressman Don Edwards and his efforts to protect sensitive wetlands in south San Francisco Bay.

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.