Addressing Wildfire Risks

A MESSAGE FROM GENERAL MANAGER SABRINA B. LANDRETH

Due to climate change and extreme drought, wildfire risks have never been higher in the East Bay. Wildfire protection is now a 365-days-a-year effort for the Park District.

The District is also addressing other climate-related challenges that threaten public safety, habitat quality, and recreational access in Regional Parks, including shoreline erosion, flooding from sea level rise, and water quality. Climate change is already reducing beach areas, marshland habitat, and access to open water swimming.

Wildfire risks continue to be our most pressing climate change challenge and remains one of the Park District’s top priorities. Our year-round efforts include monitoring fire dangers and weather, maintaining 55 professionally trained full-time and on-call firefighters, maintaining specialized wildland firefighting equipment, and removing flammable vegetation to reduce wildfire risks.

Wildfire safety is especially important in the late fall when the heat of summer has dried out vegetation, and hot, dry Diablo winds come in from the east, creating potentially dangerous fire conditions.

Please be fire safe when visiting your Regional Parks and be aware of fire danger warnings. For more information, visit our Fire Danger Levels and Restrictions webpage.

See you in your Regional Parks.

Pilot Fuels Reduction Project Uses Environmentally-Friendly Carbonator to Remove Biomass

The Park District will soon begin a tree removal project of 80 acres of dead and dying trees at Anthony Chabot Regional Park in Oakland to reduce fire fuels in the park.

The pilot project uses a carbonator to reduce wood debris on-site rather than trucking it off-site for disposal. The carbonator uses a climate-friendly combustion process to convert biomass (wood debris and plant matter) into a carbon-neutral material called biochar that has benefits as a soil enhancer that improves water retention and increases nutrients and biodiversity in the soil. Half of the $1 million project is funded by the Coastal Conservancy, with the remaining funds provided by the Park District’s General Fund.

Upload Photos to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month: Sept 15 thru Oct 15

National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated each year from September 15 to October 15. What is your most memorable story about sharing time with your community in the parks, on the trails, or at the lakes or beaches?

Upload photos and share memories of spending time with friends and family in Regional Parks and we will share your stories throughout Hispanic Heritage Month on social media. Upload Photos.

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El Mes Nacional de Herencia Hispana se celebra entre el 15 Septiembre y el 15 Octubre. ¿Como le gusta pasar el tiempo en los parques, los senderos, los lagos o las playas? ¿Cuál es su recuerdo favorito?

Suba fotos y comparta sus mejores recuerdos gozando los Parques Regionales con sus amigos y su familia. Compartiremos sus historias en las redes sociales durante todo el Mes Nacional de Herencia Hispana. Suba Fotos. 

Olmsted 200: Celebrating Parks for All People

In honor of our connection with the 19th-century founder of landscape architecture Frederick Law Olmsted Sr., join the Park District for an evening reception at Tilden Environmental Education Center (EEC) on September 30, at 5:30 pm. The Olmsted 200 event will share the Park District's special connection to the Olmsted legacy, a story that ultimately inspired a group of visionaries 88 years ago to successfully rally together for one common goal, to develop a regional parkland in the East Bay hills. Hear presentations, see exhibits, enjoy music, and mingle with descendants of these visionaries, including descendants of the Olmsteds. RSVP to attend Olmsted 200 Event. More on Olmsted 200: Celebrating Frederick Law Olmsted - Parks for All People.

Botanic Garden Crevice Garden Ribbon-Cutting

Garden enthusiasts and special guests gathered at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden on Saturday, August 20, to celebrate its newest feature, a crevice garden highlighting native alpine plants from the high Sierra Nevada region of California.

Started in 2020 and completed in 2021, this spectacular new feature has garnered local and national attention for its creativity, beauty, and functionality, which were inspired by natural rock outcrops in the high eastern Sierras and influenced by crevice gardens and experts in Colorado. In 2020, the Regional Parks Botanic Garden received the Francis Cabot Award from the North American Rock Garden Society – its first national award – due to its outstanding collection of public rock gardens and plants, as exemplified by the new crevice garden. More Info.

It’s Calving Season

Do Not Touch or Approach Baby Calves

August to October is calving season in Regional Parks. Be mindful that human interaction can create danger to both calves and people. Here are some tips to keep calves and people safe.

• Admire calves from a distance. Do not approach, touch, or take selfies with calves. • Do not get between a mother cow and its calf.

• Do not worry if you see a calf by itself. The mother cow is usually nearby and will return.

• Leash up your dog around cattle and keep it away from any calves.

If you believe a calf is in distress, injured, or sick, please report it to park staff at (510) 881-1833.

Historic Sites in the Park District

From shoreline to parkland, the East Bay Regional Park District is rich with natural beauty. Discover the Park District's rich cultural history and learn about three of the Park District’s many historic properties, including the Patterson House at Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont, Black Diamond Mines in Antioch, and Alvarado Park located at the northern end of Wildcat Canyon Regional Park in Richmond. More Info.

Roddy Ranch Draft Habitat Restoration and Public Access Plan Available for Review

The newly released draft of the Habitat Restoration and Public Access Plan for Roddy Ranch is available for public review and comments. This milestone plan is the culmination of the last two years of work done on the project and will be considered by the Park District Board of Directors this fall. More Info.

Help Needed for Weekend Trail Work Project at Anthony Chabot: October 14-16 

Join Park District trail staff and Volunteers for Outdoor California (V-O-Cal) for an exciting weekend of trail work in Anthony Chabot Regional Park! This project will reroute the Towhee Trail with about 1,000 feet of new trail by clearing vegetation and cutting a new 4-foot-wide trail bed. Volunteers can work one or both days with optional camping Friday and Saturday nights. Learn more about the project on the V-O-Cal webpage, or Sign Up Now.

2022 Coastal Cleanup Day: Saturday, Sept. 17

There are two ways to celebrate the 38th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day this year! Register for our in-person California Coastal Cleanup Day event on September 17, at any of our 11 park locations, or register for the self-guided Coastal Cleanup event which can be done any time between Sept. 1-30 in your local neighborhoods, parks, and other local areas. Whether you clean the shore from near or far, your efforts can make a difference for our shorelines. More Info.

Mural Unveiled at Oakland-Fukuoka 60th Anniversary Celebration

Since 1962, Oakland and Fukuoka City, Japan have been official sister cities actively promoting exchanges in business, education, technology, and cultural understanding. See Oakland-Fukuoka Sister City Association (OFSCA). To commemorate the momentous 60th anniversary, a mosaic mural project was spearheaded by OFSCA. This community project, with a message of Compassion, Peace, and Community, was designed by local artists and created by a design team of members from Oakland, Japan, and Bay Area youth, who collected pebbles from Roberts Regional Park that were incorporated into the design. The finished mural was unveiled in August 2022, to celebrate 60 years of friendship between the cities. Learn more about the mural.

Celebrating 2022 International Day of Peace at Lake Chabot: Saturday Sept. 17

Join the Park District for its fifth year celebrating the UN International Day of Peace at Lake Chabot Regional Park on Saturday, September 17, 2022, from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm Enjoy a host of activities: sharing of messages by youth, prayers from faith leaders, songs, and reflections on the 2022 theme - End racism. Build peace. The event brings together people of all ages, cultures, and faith traditions to share ways we can build peace and transform our world into one that is more just, equitable, inclusive, sustainable, and healthy. More Info.

Meet Us at the Playground: Saturday Sept. 17

Join us for a celebration of Oakland life, music, and art at the Playground at the Bridge Yard at Judge John Sutter Regional Shoreline, Saturday Sept. 17 from Noon to 5pm. This FREE family-friendly event will feature food trucks, live music, a kid zone, vendor village, roller skating, and more! More Info.

FEATURED ACTIVITIES

Fall Harvest Season at Ardenwood 

Fall agricultural harvest traditions began 4000 years ago in Mesopotamia, when communities gathered to celebrate the literal fruits of their labor. But fall harvest is more than just a celebration, it is a time when communities would work together to preserve food for winter storage.

Visit Ardenwood throughout the harvest season to experience and learn more about the fall harvest season. More Info.

Botanic Garden Fall Native Plant Sale: Saturday, October 1

For the first time in three years, the Botanic Garden Fall Native Plant Sale returns on October 1, 2022! More Info.

Sun, Sep. 18, 10-11am, Chicken Party and Rabbit Fest, Tilden

Sun, Sep. 18, Noon-2pm, Delta DefendeRRRRs Craft, Big Break

Thu, Sep. 22, 2-3pm, First Day of Autumn Walk, Black Diamond Mines

Sat, Sep. 24, 9-11am, Citizen Science: Birding Three Creeks, Marsh Creek Regional Trail

Sat, Sep. 24, 1-1:30pm, Nature Stories, Sunol

Sat, Sep. 24, 1:30-2:30pm, Family Nature Fun Hour - Slithering Serpents, Crown Beach

Sun, Sep. 25, 10-11am, Ethnobotany Garden Exploration, Coyote Hills

Sun, Sep. 25, 1-2:30pm, Park N Play, Del Valle

More...