Lake Merced, the urban reservoir across the street from campus, needs a boost, and SFSU has been leading a team aimed at helping to preserve it as a viable ecosystem and community recreation area. To aid this effort, the University will host an afternoon of outdoor activities and performances to raise awareness on the condition of Lake Merced from noon to 2 p.m. Friday, April 26, on Malcolm X Plaza of the Cesar Chavez Student Center.

Representatives from the Neighborhood Parks Council, Public Utilities Commission, the city's Recreation and Parks Department and more than a dozen other groups as well as City Supervisor Tony Hall will be on hand to provide information on the issues surrounding Lake Merced.

In addition, the California Dragon Boat Association, which holds races on Lake Merced in colorful 50-foot rowboats, will show a video presentation and offer opportunities for the public to join a team.

A dance performance by the Indian Students Association will close the event.

There will also be two events at the lake itself:

Noon: An ecology walk, led by biology Professor Mike Vasey will depart from Malcolm X Plaza and follow the lake's northern edge. Vasey will discuss the natural history, potential future and current status of the lake.

1 - 3 p.m.: A Lake Merced restoration project will take place. Participants interested in planting trees and cleaning up the area around the lake should meet at 1 p.m. at the penguin statue on Lake Merced Boulevard near Brotherhood Way.

SFSU has led efforts to restore its backyard lake since 1999 when the University partnered with local nonprofit environmental groups San Francisco Beautiful and Friends of Lake Merced to create the Lake Merced Task Force. The task force coordinated the groups into a "United Nations of Lake Merced," which last year received approval from the Public Utilities Commission to build a boating and recreational center, improve pedestrian walkways and preserve the various ecosystems.

NOTE: Photo courtesy of the Friends of Lake Merced.