In the middle of California's San Fernando Valley near one of the busiest freeway interchanges in the United States is the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area, a happy 2000 acre byproduct of two large public works projects, the Sepulveda flood control dam and the Tillman water reclamation plant. The Recreation Area features lakes, golf courses, athletic fields, an RC model aircraft field, picnic grounds, the Japanese Garden, and, tucked into a quiet corner, the 225 acre Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve. A broad path between a long, narrow lake and the brush-lined Haskell Creek leads Wildlife Reserve visitors to six observation points where over 200 species of birds have been sighted.