Your monthly EBRPD news & updates
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Spring a Great Time to Kickoff Trails Challenge
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Spring brings great weather, green hills, and abundant local wildlife. If you haven’t already, spring is also a great time to start your 2019 Trails Challenge.
For 26 years now, the Park District’s Trails Challenge has encouraged healthy activity in the Regional Parks, and helped residents find some of the best hidden gems in the East Bay. 2019 offers 20 new trails and adventures ranging from easy, to moderate, to challenging.
To start your Trails Challenge just (1) pick your trail, (2) log your miles, and (3) turn them in once you have completed at least five trails or 26.2 miles (a marathon distance). Participants who complete and turn in their log by the end of the year will receive a one-of-a-kind commemorative Trails Challenge pin while supplies last. Trails Challenge tee shirts are also available at
visitor centers while supplies last. The Trails Challenge guidebook can be downloaded
here.
The Park District thanks Kaiser Permanente for their generous sponsorship of the Trails Challenge program since 2005, making the program free for all participants.
See you in your Regional Parks!
Robert E. Doyle
General Manager
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East Bay Regional Park Named in Honor of Civic & Environmental leader John Sutter
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T
he East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors unanimously approved the naming of Judge John Sutter Regional Shoreline in Oakland after prominent East Bay civic and environmental leader, The
Honorable Judge John Sutter
. Formerly referred to as the East Bay Gateway Regional Shoreline, the new name recognizes Judge Sutter, a former East Bay Regional Park District Director, for his steadfast dedication and advocacy for public access along the East Bay shoreline.
"Judge Sutter is a true environmental visionary who has spent decades fighting for public access to the shoreline," said East Bay Regional Park District Board Pr
esident Ayn Wieskamp. "He is deserving of this EBRPD park naming recognition."
The regional shoreline park was the long-term vision of Sutter, who saw the potential for a future waterfront park in the 1960s while the area was still active as the Oakland Army Base.
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Ordinance 38 Update:
eBikes Allowed on Select Regional Trails,
Dogs Required On Leash at Parks When Cattle Are Present
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The East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors recently updated Ordinance 38, which governs all rules and regulations within East Bay Regional Parks to include (1) allowing Class I and Class II eBikes on select regional trails and (2) requiring dogs to be on leash at parks when cattle are present. The regional trails covered by the eBike update include Alameda Creek Trail (paved side only), Big Break Trail, Contra Costa Canal Trail, Delta De Anza Trail, George Miller Trail, Iron Horse Trail, Lafayette Moraga Trail, and Marsh Creek Trail.
March 19 Ordinance 38 Update Resolution
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Robert Doyle Receives 2019 Local Hero Conservation Action Award from Bay Nature
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East Bay Regional Park District General Manager Robert Doyle was recently honored with the 2019 Local Hero Conservation Action Award from Bay Nature Magazine for his lifetime work to preserve open space and habitat. Doyle has spent the last four decades with the East Bay Regional Park District protecting nature in the East Bay, creating new parks and trails, and encouraging people to visit regional parks. During his tenure with the East Bay Regional Park District, Doyle was in charge of land acquisition and has been responsible for the acquisition of over 62,000 acres as permanent open space for the Park District, about half its current acreage.
Learn More
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California Parks & Recreation Society Presents Award to East Bay Regional Park District
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The statewide parks and recreation advocacy association, California Park & Recreation Society, honored the East Bay Regional Park District with its
Community Health & Wellness Award for the
Park District's
Park Rx/SHINE Program. Headed up jointly by the Park District's Community Relations and Interpretive teams, the SHINE program collaborates with health clinics and multicultural community organizations to educate, motivate, and prescribe nature to underserved patients/members to increase their physical activity and social connection outdoors.
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East Bay Regional Parks Celebrate Earth Day
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Every day is Earth Day in the East Bay Regional Park District, but it's always more special during the month of April when the District celebrates nature at multiple Earth Day events. Find your own way to celebrate the Earth: explore a new park,
hike in nature, learn something new, or help the environment at an Earth Day restoration project
. While most events are drop-in, registration is required for some activities.
Sat. April 13, 11am to 1pm
Get ready for a fun and energetic Earth Day with a variety of eco-friendly activities and crafts for everyone at the Danville library. Take a naturalist-led creek walk, enjoy the
East Bay Regional Parks Mobile Visitor Center
, and much more. See how much fun green can be at this free, fun, and informative event!
Sat. April 20, 9:30-noon & 1:30-4pm
Enjoy family fun while
learning
about the care of our precious Earth
.
Create your own litter bug, view an environmental puppet show (starts 11:40 & 3:40), and play recycling games. Make a positive difference!
Sat. April 20, 8:30am to 12:00pm
Come celebrate Earth Day at Sibley Regional Preserve. Join park staff to remove invasive plants and help restore native diversity to the area. An adult should accompany children under 16 years old. Bring gloves and a refillable water bottle. Snacks, water, and tools provided. Registration Required.
Sat. April 20, 8:30am to 12:00pm
Come celebrate Earth Day at Martin Luther King Jr. Shoreline. Join park staff to cleanup the shoreline and help restore native diversity to the area. An adult should accompany children under 16 years old. Bring gloves and a refillable water bottle. Snacks, water, and tools provided. Registration Required
Sat. April 20, 8:30am to 12:00pm
Come celebrate Earth Day at Point Pinole. Join park staff to remove invasive plants and help restore native diversity to the area. An adult should accompany children under 16 years old. Bring gloves and a refillable water bottle. Snacks, water, and tools provided. Registration Required
Sat. April 20, 8:30-10am
What better way to celebrate than to give the Earth a spring cleaning?! Help wildlife and make our environment more beautiful. Students earn community service hours. Stay and enjoy the Alameda Earth Day event afterwards! Ages 4+. If there is not enough trash to pick-up, we will have some folks work on invasive weed removal.
Sat. April 20, 10am-4pm
Celebrate the Earth and its amazing natural habitats, including our beautiful Bay. Learn how to live more sustainably with fun activities and free giveaways at the City of Alameda’s Washington Park (next to Crown Beach). Food/beverages available for purchase.
Sat. April 20, 10am to 4pm
Join the National Park Service (NPS) and the John Muir Association in celebrating John Muir’s 181st birthday and Earth Day at the John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, CA.
The celebration, held rain or shine, features family-oriented activities, food for sale, live music, and exhibits by national parks and local environmental organizations including the
East Bay Regional Parks Mobile Visitor Center
. Parking and admission are free.
Sun. April 21, 2-3pm,
Make your own carbon footprint! Learn the history of heroes who helped the earth, and gain
tips and tricks for saving water, resources, and energy. No registration required; Drop-in program. For information, call 510-544-2233.
For more information about events, call 1-888-EBPARKS.
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East Bay Regional Parks to Co-host Children & Nature Network Conference
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We are excited to be co-hosting the
2019 Children & Nature Network International Conference, an annual gathering of children and nature advocates who come together to share ideas, best practices about engaging children in environmental nature-based interests. C&NN was founded by author and child advocacy expert Richard Louv, who first wrote about nature deficit in today's youngsters in his book, "Last Child in the Woods - Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder."
Please join us May 16-18 in Oakland to learn about the benefits of bringing nature to children in cities and urban areas. Attendees will include leaders and activists from the education, conservation, community development, public health, outdoor recreation, environmental education, and urban planning fields, as well as policy makers, foundation leaders, and municipal employees.
Learn more
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Miller-Knox Land Use Plan Amendment Approved
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The East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors unanimously approved a visionary Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline Land Use Plan Amendment (LUPA) which calls for habitat restoration and improved public access and recreation, including additional trails, pathways, parking, outdoor fitness, picnic areas, and space for interpretive and recreational programming. The Park District spent three years engaging the Richmond community to obtain their feedback about needs and desires for the park.
The plan also includes the transformation of part of former railroad tracks for a public promenade. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) retained an easement to serve two industrial properties that are no longer in use since the Park District bought the property for a shoreline park in 1991. BNSF recently notified the Park District during its land use planning process that they want to use the rails for future rail car parking.
The Park District shares the community’s concern about the BNSF proposal to repair and reactivate the dilapidated railroad tracks. Miller-Knox Regional Park is a local gem for Richmond, and all of West Contra Costa County, providing residents and visitors with access to beautiful open space and outdoor recreation along the San Francisco Bay Shoreline. Reactivating the railroad tracks would create major safety issues and pollution, and destroy Miller-Knox’s serene bay views.
Learn More
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Park District Releases Coyote Hills Land Use Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Report
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A Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) and Land Use Plan Amendment (LUPA) for the
Coyote Hills Regional Park Restoration and Public Access Project
is available to the public for review and comment. All comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. on April 22, 2019
Following the comment period and preparation of the Final Environmental Impact Report (
FEIR), the District’s Board of Directors will hold a public meeting to consider certification of the FEIR, adoption of findings, and project approval.
In 2014 the District received a donation of a 296-acre parcel (Patterson Ranch) bordering much of the eastern boundary of Coyote Hills, expanding the park eastward to Paseo Padre Parkway. This property, along with a 10-acre parcel purchased in 2016, comprises a project site that presents opportunities for improving public access and restoring habitat. In January 2017, the Park District initiated a study to evaluate these opportunities and to update the park land use plan to include the donation parcel.
Learn more
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April 27 Marks Opening Weekend for Swimming
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Opening day is almost here for many of the East Bay
Regional Park District's swimming facilities! The Park District offers a variety of swimming facilities including six open-water lakefront beaches, three chlorinated lagoons, two pools, and two bay shoreline beaches. Starting Saturday, April 27 the following facilities will open on weekends & holidays:
Be sure to check out the
Park District Swimming Facilities
information page for locations, opening hours, lifeguard hours, and great information about the specific location like whether it has a sandy beach, warm water, or sheltered from the wind. Castle Rock Recreation Area and Don Castro Recreation Area swim facilities open for on weekends & holidays beginning Saturday, May 25.
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Spring Native Plant Sale April 20th at Regional Parks Botanic Garden
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Friends of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden is hosting their annual
California Native Plant Sale on Saturday, April 20 in the
Tilden Park Regional Park Botanic Garden. Choose from a huge selection of California native plants where sale proceeds go to benefit the Garden. Located within Tilden Park in the hills above Berkeley, California, this enchanting 10-acre garden is a sanctuary for many of the state’s rare and endangered plants, and a place for visitors to wander among trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses from plant communities throughout the state.
Learn more
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Discover even more fun!
Search online
by park, date, or other keywords. Or you can browse through a PDF of our bi-monthly activity guide,
Regional in Nature
.
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