eNews: What's Happening in Your Regional Parks

November 2022

NEWS & FEATURES

Celebrate Green Friday with Us – Free Park Day

A MESSAGE FROM GENERAL MANAGER SABRINA B. LANDRETH

Join us on Green Friday – the day after Thanksgiving – for a Free Park Day in Regional Parks. Green Friday is a great time to enjoy the fresh air, admire the fall colors, and spend quality time with family and friends. It’s also great for working off the Thanksgiving holiday meal!

To celebrate Green Friday, the Park District is again waiving all park entrance and activity fees, including parking, dogs, horses, boat launching, and fishing, as well as entrance to Ardenwood Historic Farm. Note the fee waiver does not include state fees for fishing licenses, watercraft inspections, or concessions, such as the Tilden Merry-Go-Round and Redwood Valley Railway steam train.

The Park District’s Green Friday celebration is part of the #OptOutside movement, started in 2015 by REI, to promote healthy alternatives to shopping the day after Thanksgiving.

See you in your Regional Parks on Green Friday.

2023 Budget Transparency, Meetings, and Process

The Park District’s proposed 2023 Budget, available to the public in mid-November, lays out the framework for park improvement projects and day-to-day operations of parks, park planning, environmental stewardship, wildlife management, public safety, and educational and recreational programs and services. There will be numerous opportunities for public comment and input in November and December. More Info.

Native American Heritage Month in the Park District

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month in November with special programs, activities, and stories that honor the first peoples of the places now known as Alameda and Contra Costa counties. We extend our immense gratitude to the many Native peoples who have contributed – and continue to contribute – their perspectives, voices, history, and culture to Park District programs. More Info.

Peregrine Falcons in the East Bay

Have you ever watched the fastest animal in the world soaring overhead in Regional Parks, or even in cities or towns? Find out how these amazing aerial hunters came back from the brink of extinction and are thriving in the East Bay. More Info.

Enjoy and Protect

On Tuesday, October 18, more than 100 ethnic media journalists, community leaders, and park supporters attended a 60-minute virtual briefing with a panel of Park District stewards. Viewers were welcomed by Director Dee Rosario, who urged all visitors to work with park staff to protect and safeguard the parklands, forests, lakes, and wildlife. The briefing was translated into Spanish, Chinese, and Korean and recorded for viewing. More Info.

IN THE PARKS

Trails are for Everyone: Mountain Biking Safely in Regional Parks

There are many opportunities for biking in Regional Parks, with over 800 miles of dirt roads and approximately 50 miles of natural surface trails that allow bikes. However, biking is only permitted on some designated narrow trails. Find out more about bike-friendly multi-use trails in the Park District. More Info.

Tilden's South Park Drive Closed for Annual Newt Migration

South Park Drive at Tilden Regional Park closes from November to March 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 that 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.

Western snowy plover, Shorebird Sanctuary

Safeguarding Protected Species at the Shorebird Sanctuary in Oakland

Park District staff partnered with a local Civicorps crew during the last week of October and spent four days pruning, cutting, and clearing more than 1,545 feet of fenceline vegetation at the New Marsh, located at the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline in Oakland.

Clearing vegetation helps prevent predator access, safeguarding six protected wildlife species at the Shorebird Sanctuary, an island created to provide ideal nesting and roosting habitat for the western snowy plover (federally threatened and state species of special concern), American avocet, black-necked stilt, and long-billed curlew.

Also protected are the California Ridgway’s rail (federally and state endangered species), salt marsh harvest mouse (federally and state endangered species/fully protected), California black rail (state threatened species/fully protected), and over 200 different types of wildlife.

IN THE COMMUNITY

Wellness Walk at Contra Loma in Antioch

Members of the community enjoyed a fall stroll around Contra Loma Reservoir on Saturday, October 29. They enjoyed seeing water birds and the rich variety of plants on the walk led by Naturalist Jaclyn Caldwell and Nannette Vides, a fitness instructor, who led people in stretches and Zumba with music provided by Latin folklore musicians. In celebration of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), people enjoyed special Mexican bread, arts & crafts, face tattoos for kids, and an ancestor Ofrenda (altar table). Participants brought photos and mementos as well as shared stories to remember their loved ones.

Input Needed on San Francisco Bay Trail Project in Martinez

The Park District is partnering with the city of Martinez to build a section of the San Francisco Bay Trail in Martinez. The proposed multi-use trail will connect the Nejedly Staging Area/Carquinez Regional Shoreline Park to the Granger’s Wharf Staging Area, the Martinez Regional Shoreline, the Martinez Intermodal Station, and downtown Martinez. The project also includes safety improvements to the Berrellesa Street railroad crossing. What are your thoughts about the project? Take the Survey.

Mount Diablo seen from the Elworthy property

Public Input Sought for Southern Las Trampas Project Draft Land Use Plan Amendment

The Park District seeks public input on the Draft Land Use Plan Amendment and a Draft Environmental Impact Report for a project in southern Las Trampas Wilderness Regional Preserve. The 756-acre project is located in south-central Contra Costa County and would open up landbank properties for public access, close gaps along the Calaveras Ridge Regional Trail, and open up additional trails and access points to the public for recreational use. All public comments must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on December 14, 2022. Learn more about the project at the online Park Advisory Committee meeting on November 28, 2022, at 4:00 p.m. More Info.

Give the Gift of Membership

Whether it's a gift for friends and family or one you give to yourself, the gift of membership to the Regional Parks Foundation is a wonderful way to show your love of parks! A Regional Parks Foundation membership includes free parking, free swimming, one annual dog pass for up to three dogs, camping discounts, and much more. Membership also supports the Park District to help provide universal access, environmental stewardship, educational and recreational programs, and the acquisition of parklands. Give the Gift of Membership.

FEATURED ACTIVITIES

Green Friday Adventures in Regional Parks

Join us on Friday, Nov. 25 for a Free Park Day in the Regional Parks. Trade in your shopping bags for a backpack and spend the day after Thanksgiving in nature!

• Green Friday Frolic, 8:30am, Big Break

• Hike It Off, 9am, Reinhardt Redwood

• Burn the Turkey Hike, 10am, Sunol

• Get Outside! Green Friday Hike, 10am, Contra Loma

More Info

What's Happening at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden

Enjoy special seasonal activities and events this month at the Botanic Garden. Free weekend and holiday docent-led tours will be offered Saturdays at 2 p.m. and Sundays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Meet at the Visitor Center, 10-person max, rain cancels.

Visit the Regional Parks Botanic Garden website for more info about special events, classes, docent training, and Friends of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden e-newsletter.