Your monthly EBRPD news & updates
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Thank You Voters for Your Trust and Support!
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The Park District thanks voters for approval of Measure FF and appreciates the thousands of residents in the community that participated in the election. Measure FF received an overwhelming 85.6% support, well above the 66.6% needed for passage.
Measure FF provides important funding for regional park services in western Alameda and Contra Costa counties, including wildfire protection, public safety, public access, trails, visitor use facilities, and habitat restoration. Wildfire protection was the top spending priority of Measure FF.
Thanks again for your support and trust in East Bay Regional Parks.
Robert E. Doyle
General Manager
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Celebrating 85 Years of Regional Parks
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This year the East Bay Regional Park District reaches a major milestone, turning 85 years old. Since its establishment in 1934, the Park District has connected people to parks by preserving open space and offering enjoyable and healthy recreation opportunities for local residents.
Founded during the height of the Great Depression by a group of public-spirited citizens, the original three regional parks preserved valuable open space for future generations. This visionary effort created the East Bay Regional Park District. Today the Park District is the largest regional park system in the nation, operating 73 parks on over 122,000 acres with 1,250 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, wildlife watching, and nature learning.
The Park District receives over 25 million visits per year, more than Disneyland, and more attendance than the A’s, Giants, Warriors, 49ers, and Raiders games combined. The Park District is also an economic stimulator for the region. A 2018 independent study showed that benefits to residents, businesses, and visitors total $500 million annually.
Join us in celebration of our anniversary with special 85th Anniversary events and activities taking place over the course of the year. Watch for more information to be announced in the coming weeks.
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New Exhibit Pays Homage to Old-Growth Redwoods through Conservation & Education
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The East Bay Regional Park District and the
Save the Redwoods League recently unveiled an
Old Growth Redwood Heritage Viewing Deck and Interpretive Exhibit at
Roberts Regional Recreation Area, celebrating its dedication with redwood lovers from around the Bay Area. The exhibit, found along Roberts Ridge Trail, preserves and protects a remaining 18-foot diameter old-growth coast redwood footprint for nature learning and includes a 570-square-foot observation deck with interpretive panels. The exhibit is free and open to the public 365 days a year.
Redwoods are an important part of the Bay Area’s history. From the early 1800s to mid-1800s a group of especially tall redwood trees known as the “
Navigation Trees” served as landmarks that helped ships avoid underwater hazards and guided them safely through the San Francisco Bay. The Navigation Trees are no longer alive today but leave an everlasting legacy in the Bay Area.
Visit the new Old Growth Redwood Exhibit today to experience the unique redwood history of the East Bay.
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Board Members Sworn In, 2019 Positions Announced
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The first East Bay Regional Park District board meeting of 2019 began with the
swearing in of board members in by retired District board member Judge John Sutter.
Director Dennis Waespi, Director Ayn Wieskamp and Director Beverly Lane were reelected by voters this past November. Director Colin Coffey was elected to his first term. He was appointed as a board director in January 2017.
Other Board members include Director Whitney Dotson, Director Dee Rosario, and Director Ellen Corbett.
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Trails Challenge 2019
20 New Trails, 20 New Adventures
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Every year more than 10,000 people participate in the Park District's
Trails Challenge program, a free self-guided program to explore regional parks and to keep fit outdoors. Trails Challenge 2019 is brought to you by the East Bay Regional Park District in partnership with
Kaiser Permanente and the
Regional Parks Foundation. Free 2019 Trails Challenge guide books and T-shirts are available at
visitor centers while supplies last. The guidebook can also be downloaded at
www.ebparks.org/TC2019Guidebook.
NO REGISTRATION NEEDED! Simply pick-up or download the Guidebook to get started! Hikes range from easy to challenging, including trails open to hikers, bicyclists, dogs, and equestrians, and many are also wheelchair accessible. To complete the challenge, hike five of the trails – or 26.2 miles of trails. The Guidebook includes detailed trail descriptions.
ALLTRAILS APP! All 20 featured trails are available in the popular
AllTrails hiking app. First download the free app, sign-up and log in, then go to
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/list/east-bay-regional-parks-trails-challenge-2019 and click on “Copy to my lists”, followed by "Continue in App". The featured trails will show under 'Lists' in 'Plan'. The app will indicate where you are on your hike, enabling easy return to the trail if you stray from it. You can also record your hikes, and share your photos and comments with others.
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MLK Jr. Day of Service at
MLK Jr. Shoreline
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On January 21, 2019,
Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline
celebrated its annual
Day of Service
, where more than 600 volunteers assisted staff in restoration work and invasive plant removal in order to support and care for wildlife and their natural habitats. The service project in the Memorial Peace Grove included habitat restoration and clean-up activities, while at the Oak Port staging area volunteers worked together to clean up the shoreline
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UPCOMING EVENTS:
Please join us for our next shoreline cleanup activity at the
Albany Beach Cleanup
on Sunday, February 17 from 1-3pm. This event will be a great activity for all ages, and volunteers can enjoy a free, fun sand globe workshop with environmental artist Zach Pine. Sponsored by Albany Landfill Dog Owners Group in collaboration with East Bay Regional Park District and other community groups.
Register here to volunteer for this event.
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Shorebird Sanctuary Restoration at
MLK Jr. Shoreline
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In another area of the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, Dave "Doc Quack" Riensche hosted a
Wildlife Volunteer
shorebird sanctuary restoration
activity.
Volunteers experienced an exciting adventure over land and water to create nesting habitat for the threatened Western Snowy Plover. Crews helped move bulk sand and shells and pulled weeds, thereby crafting idyllic courtship conditions for breeding plovers, avocets, and stilts.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Join Doc Quack for the next
shorebird sanctuary restoration activity at the
Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline on Saturday, February 16 from 8-10:30am.
Register here to volunteer.
Also on Saturday, February 16 from 1:30-3:30pm at Point Pinole volunteers can join Doc Quack for the
California Black Rail Habitat Helper to restore nesting habitat for the threatened California Black Rail.
Register here to volunteer.
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Left to right:
Dan Gluesenkamp, Executive Director of California Native Plant Society (CNPS), Botanic Garden Manager Bart O’Brien, and Ken Himes from the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of CNPS.
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Bart O'Brien receives CNPS Fellow Award
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In recognition of exceptional contributions to California’s native plants, the California Native Plant Society (
CNPS) has named long-standing member and Park District Botanic Garden Manager
Bart O’Brien as one of three new CNPS Fellows. CNPS Fellow is the highest honor CNPS awards its members. The California Native Plant Society is dedicated to celebrating California's native plant heritage and preserving it for future generations.
One of California’s leading experts in native plant horticulture, Bart’s impact is felt statewide. A long-time member and former president of the CNPS Santa Clara Valley Chapter, he is the current director of the the Regional Park Botanic Garden in Berkeley. Before that, he served as the director of special projects for Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, during which time the Southern California Horticultural Society named him the 2005 Horticulturist of the Year. While in Southern California, Bart also developed an interest in the botany of Baja California and continues to serve as a board member for Terra Peninsular. Among his many accomplishments, he is credited with compiling a list of more than 7,000 California native cultivars, helping to save the Edgewood Park serpentine grasslands, and co-authoring multiple books, including
Care and Maintenance of Southern California Gardens. A fifth generation California native from Hollister, Bart studied Environmental Planning at UC Davis, and then Landscape Architecture at the Harvard School of Design.
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East Bay Regional Park District lifeguards describes summer job opportunities to 2019 Youth Job Fair attendees at Big Break Regional Shoreline.
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Park District Engages Area Youth with Hands-On Youth Job Fairs
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For the 5th consecutive year, the East Bay Regional Park District hosted two
Youth Job Fairs, designed to raise awareness of employment opportunities for youth in the East Bay. The fairs took place at Big Break Regional Shoreline in Oakley and at the Ruggieri Senior Center in Union City. Both events offered attendees an opportunity to learn about the specific Park District jobs available and interact with current employees to get insight into what it’s like to work for the Park District. More than 350 attendees learned about working for the District and the positions available.
The East Bay Regional Park District is a major employer of students in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, staffing approximately 400 seasonal positions annually. There is a wide variety of opportunities for youth and students, including academic and field internships, lifeguards, recreation leaders, public safety student aids, interpretive student aids, gate attendants and student laborers. Thank you to those that attended.
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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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