The East Bay Regional Park District is taking a two-way approach this year to the annual California Coastal Cleanup Day. The district will host in-person volunteer cleanup efforts Sept. 18 at six regional parklands: Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline in Oakland, Crown Beach in Alameda, Point Isabel in Richmond, Radke Martinez Regional Shoreline, Del Valle south of Livermore and Hayward Regional Shoreline.
These parklands will have starting times at 9, 10, 11 a.m. and noon with a maximum of 15 participants per hour. The parks will be open for regular use, but only registered Coastal Cleanup participants will be given cleanup gear. Preregistration is required. Information and registration are available at bayareane.ws/cccebparks. In addition, the district is encouraging self-guided neighborhood coastal cleanup efforts. Volunteers are encouraged to assemble their own gear and host a cleanup in their neighborhood or local park. Report your Coastal Cleanup hours and receive a Coastal Cleanup patch and/or sticker. For more details, visit ebparks.org/coastalcleanup online or call 510-544-2515.
Apple fest: Hayward’s farming and pioneer past will come to life Sept. 11 during the Garin Apple Festival at Garin Regional Park. From noon to 4 p.m., activities will include ice cream making, old-fashioned games, crafts, blacksmithing demonstrations, and tours of Garin’s apple orchard, where volunteers tend trees that grow heritage apple varieties no longer available in stores. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, masks are required and social distancing between participants must be maintained. This is a drop-in program; no registration is required. The festival is free of charge, though Garin Regional Park has a parking fee of $5 per vehicle when the kiosk is attended. Garin is located at the end of Garin Avenue off Mission Boulevard in Hayward. For information, call 510-544-3220.
Mountain hike: There are plenty of other activities on schedule the same weekend in the regional parks. For example, there’s a “Fire on the Mountain” hike from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Sept. 11 at Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in Antioch. Meet naturalist Ashley Adams in the parking lot at the south end of Somersville Road for a moderate 1½-mile hike through the chaparral to see how fire is impacting California. Ashley will describe how wildlife lives with fire, and how the district is working to protect parklands. Bring plenty of water and sun protection. The program is free, but registration is required. If air quality is bad, the program will become virtual. Black Diamond Mines has a parking fee of $5 per vehicle when the kiosk is attended. For registration and information, call 888-327-2757, option 2.
‘Trash Talk’: And at Big Break Regional Shoreline in Oakley, it’s “Trash Talk” time from 10 to 10:30 a.m., 11 to 11:30 a.m. and noon to 12:30 p.m. Sept. 11. Through enjoyable and safe hands-on activities, learn how plastic trash enters the waterways and harms our environment. The program is geared for children 6 through 13 and their caretakers, though all ages are welcome. Chaperones are required for everyone younger than 18.
All visitors older than 2 must wear face coverings while participating, and all group members must arrive together. Late arrivals may not be admitted. Plan to come five minutes early. The program repeats at the same time Sept. 12. It’s free, but registration is required. Call 888-327-2757. Big Break is at 69 Big Break Road off Oakley’s Main Street.
Redwood Regional: Or you can join a naturalist for a walk from 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 11 at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park in Oakland. It’s a 3-mile mostly flat stroll though the beautiful redwoods. Meet at the Wayside staging area, which is reached via the park entrance on Redwood Road, about 2 miles down the hill from the intersection with Skyline Boulevard in Oakland. The hike is free, and registration is not necessary — just show up. There’s a parking fee of $5 per vehicle when the kiosk is attended. For information, call 510-544-3187.
Coyote Hills: The nectar garden at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont is a great place to find out about native plants and the importance of insects that pollinate them.
There’s a program at the nectar garden from 11 a.m. to noon Sept. 12. It’s drop-in, registration is not required and all ages are welcome. Masks, social distancing and parental participation are necessary, though. Coyote Hills is at the end of Patterson Ranch Road off Paseo Padre Parkway. The program is free, but there’s a parking fee of $5 per vehicle. For information, call 510-544-3220.
Online: These are just a few of the programs scheduled. For a full list, visit ebparks.org/activities online.
Ned MacKay writes about East Bay Regional Park District sites and activities. Email him at nedmackay@comcast.net.
