NEWS FROM EAST BAY REGIONAL PARKS | |
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What’s Happening in the East Bay
A MESSAGE FROM GENERAL MANAGER SABRINA LANDRETH
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The Southern California fires are a tragic reminder of how destructive fires can be to life, property, and the environment. The East Bay Regional Park District shares the community’s concerns and is focused on reducing wildfire risks.
The Park District works year-round to reduce wildfire risks and help keep parks and surrounding communities safe. Central to our efforts is fuels reduction, with the goal to reduce fire intensity to give firefighters a fighting chance when fires do occur.
Fuels reduction work is currently being done across a wide range of locations in East Bay Regional Parks. At Anthony Chabot Regional Park, we are working on a 667-acre fuels reduction project to thin and remove hazardous trees and vegetation, including eucalyptus. The project is the largest in Northern California focused on eucalyptus. At Tilden Regional Park, work is underway on the Grizzly Peak Strategic Fuel Break in collaboration with adjacent fire agencies.
These are just a few of the projects underway in the parks. In the last four years, we have increased spending on wildfire protection from $2.2 million to $9.4 million, supported by a combination of East Bay Regional Parks funding, voter-approved funding, and state and federal grants. Efforts include large contractor-led projects, a 16-person crew, and annual grazing on over 86,800 acres with goats, sheep, and cattle.
Fuel reduction in East Bay Regional Parks is critical to wildfire safety and is already making a measurable difference in reducing wildfire risks.
| Celebrate Black History Month with Programs and Black History Walks | |
Join the East Bay Regional Park District in February for stories of contributions of individuals and groups through naturalist-led programs and Black History walks. More info.
Exploring Black Environmentalist History, Coyote Hills
Sat, Feb. 8 at 11 a.m.
Get to Know Black Conservationists Lake Chabot (plus visit the Mobile Fish Exhibit!) Sat, Feb. 22 at 10 a.m.
Celebrating Black History Walks
Thurgood Marshall Regional Park – Home of the Port Chicago 50
Registration required. Heavy rain may cancel. Sat & Sun, Feb. 15-16 at 10 a.m.
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Make it a Nature Date!
2025 Trails Challenge
| Show your love of Regional Parks in February! Try one of the 20 Trails Challenge hikes on a nature date and tag your photos on social media #NatureDateEBRPD, #TrailsChallengeEBRPD. More info. | Correction: 2025 Park District Board Officers | |
In the previous issue announcing the officers for the 2025 Park District Board of Directors, the secretary and treasurer positions were inadvertently switched. Below are the corrected officers.
Ward 1, Elizabeth Echols
Ward 2, Lynda Deschambault
Ward 3, Dennis Waespi — Secretary
Ward 4, Luana España
Ward 5, Olivia Sanwong — Vice President
Ward 6, John Mercurio — President
Ward 7, Colin Coffey — Treasurer
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Become a Volunteer Docent at an East Bay Regional Park Visitor Center | |
Docents are volunteers who work alongside naturalists at Park District Visitor Centers to inspire and educate the public about the Regional Parks. From guiding school field trips to assisting with public programs, docents make a lasting impact. More info.
2025 Training Schedule
• Ardenwood Historic Farm: Training ongoing in February
• Big Break Visitor Center: Training on a rotating basis
• Coyote Hills Visitor Center: Training starts in March
• Doug Siden Visitor Center at Crab Cove: Training starts in February
• Del Valle Visitor Center: Training starts in February
• Sunol Visitor Center: Training starts this summer
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All Abilities Day at Big Break: Mar. 4 | Explore nature at your own pace and in your own way at Big Break’s All Abilities Day on Tuesday, Mar. 4, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. This free drop-in program is inclusive, offering something for people of all abilities. Travel along paved trails to visit stations to touch fur, listen to birds, draw wildlife, sit on benches to scan the water, or paint the view. American Sign Language and Spanish interpreters will be on site. More info. | Castle Rock Area of Mount Diablo State Park Closed for Peregrine Falcon Nesting Season | For the protection of the American peregrine falcon, the Castle Rock area of Mount Diablo State Park is closed to visitors annually from Feb. 1 to Jul. 31. Although the rock formations, known as Castle Rock, are in Mt. Diablo State Park, most visitors reach them through Diablo Foothills Regional Park. This protected species is highly territorial and sensitive to disturbance, especially during nesting season. No other portions of the park are affected. | |
Community Outreach — Outdoor Program (CO-OP) | |
The Community Outreach-Outdoor Program (CO-OP) is a summer partnership with local non-profit organizations during July, August, and September. The program goal is to equip, educate, and empower partners to independently lead overnight recreation activities in their parks. Partners can choose between an overnight car camping or an introductory backpacking trip. The District provides campsite reservations, buses, food, equipment, and recreation leaders to facilitate various activities (such as hiking, fishing, field games, environmental education, and more!), as well as an information night for partner staff and participants.
Partners must commit to recruiting participants, helping plan activities, promoting trips, completing paperwork, and supervising campers. This program is supported by the Regional Parks Foundation and focuses on communities that face access, transportation, or other barriers to outdoor recreation.
Applications are due Mar. 31. More info.
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Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service a Great Success | During last month's Martin Luther King Day of Service, the East Bay Regional Park District held a shoreline cleanup at Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline. Volunteers and staff removed around 2,000 lbs. of trash and debris from the Oakport and Tidewater cleanup sites. Despite the wind, workers transformed the MLK Grove with some love, rakes, and by planting a few new trees. Before and after pictures of the shoreline show how much trash was cleared by dedicated Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline ranger staff and the nearly 700 volunteers who spent the day giving back to these special parklands. Thank you to everyone who participated. | Great Backyard Bird Count | |
Join millions of people worldwide Feb. 14-17, 2025, for the Great Backyard Bird Count! Report observations from a computer or download an app. New participants to the Great Backyard Bird Count can download the free Merlin Bird ID app to get started. Experienced birders who have participated before can download the eBird app for reporting. Participants can begin entering bird lists at midnight on the first day of the count and report findings until midnight of Mar. 1.
Great Backyard Bird Count Programs at Big Break
Bring binoculars/spotting scope if possible, but there are some available to loan out. Free drop-in program, meet at the Visitor Center. Sat, Feb. 17 and Sun, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m.
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SEASONAL PARK DISTRICT JOBS AVAILABLE!
Looking for a summer job? Like the outdoors? Check out the opportunities available for the 2025 summer season.
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Virtual Job Fair: Sat, Mar. 1, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | |
The East Bay Regional Park District has a wide variety of opportunities for youth, young adults, and students. The Virtual Job Fair is designed for applicants ages 15–24, although the minimum age requirement for most jobs is 16 years old. Resume and interview tips provided. Pre-registration highly recommended.
Sat, Mar. 1, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
More info/Zoom registration
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Now Hiring: Youth and Seasonal Jobs | |
The East Bay Regional Park District is now accepting applications for summer and seasonal jobs. Positions to be filled include lifeguards, recreation leaders, gate attendants, student laborers, interpretive aides, and public safety student aides. Spend summer in the great outdoors, build leadership skills in a team environment, and create lasting memories while gaining valuable work experience in the local East Bay community. Most positions include paid training.
Youth and seasonal positions include:
Camp Recreation Leaders:
Gate Attendant/Student Laborer Lifeguard
Interpretive Student Aide
Public Safety Student Aide
Visit the Park District Jobs webpage for more information.
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California Newt Programs in Las Trampas: Feb. 8-9 | |
Venture into the canyon of Bollinger Creek to discover the amorous amphibians that live there! Two different programs will be offered during this peak season for observing California Newts.
Nifty Newts
Sat, Feb. 8, 1-3 p.m.
Newt Exploration
Sun, Feb. 9, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
| Free Saturday Nature Lectures at the Botanic Garden | |
The Wayne Roderick Lecture Series at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden brings presenters and topics related to plants and natural history to the garden’s Visitor Center auditorium. Presentations take place Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. and are enjoyable for beginners and professionals alike.
Upcoming February presentations include:
• Beartooth Range in Montana, Feb. 8
• The Chemistry of Weeds, Feb. 15
• Calochortus Treasure Hunt: CA, Feb. 22
| Love, East Bay Regional Parks Style | |
Love, Nature – DIY Cards, Del Valle
Fri, Feb. 7 at 3 p.m. and Sat–Sun, Feb. 8–9 & Fri, Feb. 14 at 10 a.m.
Love is in the air...and on land and in the water! Discover different relationships in nature, like western grebe courtship, and the coyote and badger's friendship. Create a nature-inspired valentine card to give to someone special.
Valentine's Day Bird Loving Chocolate Tasting, Doug Siden Visitor Center at Crab Cove
Fri, Feb. 14, 6:30–8 p.m.
Learn about and taste samples of organic, bird-friendly chocolate. In cocoa-growing regions, some cocoa is now grown under and alongside the shade of native trees, providing food and shelter for birds and other wildlife. Show love for birds while also loving chocolate!
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Presidents Day Mine Tours at Black Diamond Mines: Mon, Feb. 17 | |
Celebrate President's Day at Black Diamond Mines. The Greathouse Visitor Center is open and offering four Coal Mine Experience tours throughout the day. Learn about the toils, triumphs, and tragedies of the 19th-century people from around the world who arrived here in search of a new life and new opportunities.
No advance registration is available. Tours can only be booked in person at the Greathouse Visitor Center. Must be age 7+ to attend mine tours. Hard hats will be provided. Tour times will be 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m., with a maximum of 15 people per tour. More info.
| Del Valle Community Campfire & Visitor Center Open House: Feb. 23 | Bundle up and gather around the fire to discover Del Valle at dusk. Naturalist staff will have interactive activities on local wildlife and the night sky, and the Visitor Center will be open to explore. After enjoying s’mores, head out on a short night hike as the sun sets. Temperatures are often colder in the valley, so remember to dress in warm clothing. Heavy rain will cancel the event. $5 parking fee. More info. | |
Connecting Parks to People | | | | |
