Turn Black Friday Green!
A MESSAGE FROM GENERAL MANAGER SABRINA B. LANDRETH
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For the past seven years, the East Bay Regional Park District has celebrated Green Friday the day after Thanksgiving as a healthy outdoor alternative to Black Friday holiday shopping. Time in nature improves physical and mental health and is a great way to relieve holiday stress.
Green Friday – a FREE Park Day:
All park entrance fees and activity fees are waived, including parking, dogs, horses, boat launching, and fishing, as well as entrance to Ardenwood Historic Farm. Fee waiver does not include state fees for fishing licenses and watercraft inspections for invasive mussels, or concessions such as the Tilden Merry-Go-Round and Redwood Valley Railway steam train.
See you in the parks on Green Friday!
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Native American Heritage Month |
Indigenous peoples are closely connected to the land through distinct traditions, unique languages, and sophisticated knowledge systems. In the Bay Area, many individuals from the Ohlone, Bay Miwok, Delta Yokut, and many more groups, continue to live on this land, practicing their culture and traditions to this day. Join us in celebrating the Indigenous people who still reside on this land and have been here since time immemorial. |
Parking Entrance Free for Veterans Nov. 11 |
The Park District honors active and retired military members on Veterans Day with free access and parking at Regional Parks, including Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont. Fee waiver only covers parking and park entry. Fee waiver DOES NOT include dog fees, boat launch or inspection fees, fishing permits, or concessions such as the Tilden Merry-Go-Round and Redwood Valley Railway steam train. |
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Thank You Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan |
On October 29, the Park District joined Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan at Tilden Regional Park to thank her for her leadership in obtaining critical funds in the state budget for wildfire protection in Regional Parks. Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan helped secure $3.5 million to upgrade the District’s helicopter to ensure it can effectively and efficiently fight fires from the air, including increasing capacity to drop water on fires. Up-to-date equipment is vital to stopping wildfires quickly, limiting destruction of property, and saving lives. |
Western Snowy Plovers Return to Crown Beach |
The season has arrived for western snowy plovers to be observed at Crown Beach in Alameda, which is managed by the Park District. The western snowy plover is a small shorebird that uses sand-spits, dune-backed beaches, open areas around estuaries for foraging and roosting. Western snowy plovers over-winter in the Bay Area – usually mid-October to March or April – where they fatten up on a rich protein diet of kelp flies, beach hoppers, and small invertebrates that are washed up on the beach and occasionally in the back of dunes. The western snowy plover is listed as a federally threatened species and a California Species of Special Concern. Special temporary fencing is being installed at Crown Beach to protect the plover’s overwintering area. Learn More
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Tree Die-Off Wildfire Protection Project Starting at Wildcat Canyon |
Another Park District Tree Die-Off project is starting mid-November at Wildcat Canyon, removing hazardous dead and dying pines and other vegetation to reduce fire risks. Dead trees burn hotter, faster and are more likely to cast embers downwind – igniting potentially dangerous new fires. Over 1,500 acres of tree die-off have been identified in Regional Parks. Future projects are planned at Miller-Knox, Anthony Chabot, and Tilden, Claremont Canyon. |
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Tilden’s South Park Drive Closed for Annual Newt Migration |
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It’s that time of year again. South Park Drive at Tilden will be closed to protect migrating California and rough-skinned newts – native salamanders five to six inches long – that migrate to water in the winter for breeding. For many newts, this means crossing busy roads like South Park Drive. The closure ensures a safe habitat for the small, slow-moving newts who have made Tilden Park their home. The public is welcome to use the road during the closure for walking, cycling, and dog-walking. However, please keep dogs away from the newts as they are poisonous. |
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Thank you to those who attended the October 20 Jewel Lake Study virtual workshop and provided feedback. Sediment buildup is threatening public access and the health of the lake and creek. The Park District is doing its due diligence in identifying the best and most cost-effective way to prevent future erosion and sediment accumulation. The Jewel Lake Study is gathering more details on the biological impacts to the watershed and costs associated with restoration. The study has created four draft concepts which were reviewed at the October 20 workshop.
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Share Your Love For Parks
Give the Gift of Membership
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Give friends and family the gift of membership to Regional Parks this holiday season. Membership includes free parking, free swimming, one annual dog pass for up to three dogs, camping discounts, and much more. The Foundation will send a Gift of Membership package to you or directly to the recipient.
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Salt ponds were once a naturally occurring component of San Francisco Bay’s tidal marshes, including the Hayward Marsh at Hayward Regional Shoreline. In the 1850s, much of the bay's wetlands were diked to form ponds for commercial salt production. Many of San Francisco Bay’s constructed salt ponds have since been restored to tidal marsh and other wetland habitats, including some ponds within Hayward Marsh. Hayward Marsh has received treated wastewater from Union Sanitary District for the last 20 years to provide freshwater and brackish habitat for wildlife. However, receiving treated wastewater is no longer viable due to silt buildup in the marsh.
Planning is now underway to restore the 260-acre marsh to maintain and enhance habitat, including a feedback survey and public workshops where the community can provide their input. The project also looks to upgrade trails to withstand sea level rise.
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Due to COVID-19, activities and events are taking place with social distancing measures in place. Parks and Visitor Centers schedule some activities through their social media pages.
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Mon, Nov 22, 9am-Noon, Monday Birding, McLaughlin Eastshore State Park
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Connecting Parks to People |
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