There’s a full schedule of activities online and in person this August in the East Bay Regional Park District. Listed below are some of the possibilities.
Neophyte anglers will enjoy learning fishing basics during a program from 8 to 11 a.m. Aug. 14 at Contra Loma Regional Park in Antioch. Topics covered will include rigging, knot tying, bait and gear selection and catfish habitat and behavior. After that there’s hands-on fishing time in the lake.
The program is for ages 12 or older, and an adult must accompany those ages 12 through 15. A state fishing license (which is available at sporting goods stores) is required for participants ages 16 or older. The program fee is $25 for those 16 and older ($29 for non-East Bay residents). Registration is required.
Down at Sunol Regional Wilderness in southern Alameda County, two nature journaling workshops are planned for Aug. 14 with naturalist Erica Stephens. The first is a live virtual broadcast from 9 to 10 a.m. on Sunol Regional Wilderness Facebook and Zoom. A Facebook account is not needed to watch on the Facebook link. However, registration is required with your email address to receive Zoom access information. Zoom is limited to the first 100 participants. The recorded program will be available to watch on Sunol Wilderness’s Facebook page afterward.
The second nature journaling workshop is in-person with Erica from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. the same day. You’ll need paper or a journal, watercolors or another color medium and closed-toed shoes. COVID-related protocols will be in effect. Sunol has a parking fee of $5 per vehicle. The program is free, but registration is required.
And there’s more. Sunol’s naturalist staff will preside over “Wild Wonders” from 2 to 2:30 p.m. Aug. 14. It’s a free session of games, activities and explorations geared for families and all ages. Sunol Wilderness is at the end of Geary Road off Calaveras Road about 5 miles south of Interstate 680 and the town of Sunol.
Geology is the name of the game during a self-guided hike from 2 to 3 p.m. Aug. 14 starting at Del Valle Regional Park south of Livermore. Find out how heat, pressure and time all change the nature of a rock. Meet naturalist Kristina Parkison at the visitor center on the west shore of the lake for self-guided hike instructions. The program is free, and no registration is required. After the geology hike you can take a beach break from 3 to 3:30 p.m. The naturalists will set up a lakeside exploration station near the visitor center with games, crafts and other activities.
And there’s still s’more — while supplies last, the naturalists will give away free s’more kits, in family-size bags, from 4 to 5 p.m. Aug. 14 at the Del Valle campground. For those who don’t know, s’mores are a concoction of graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows guaranteed to give you an enormous sugar rush. It’s been a campfire treat since the Girl Scouts invented it in 1927. Del Valle Regional Park is on Del Valle Road off Mines Road about 9 miles south of Livermore. There’s a parking fee of $6 per vehicle.
For something completely different, you can become a community scientist and help gather data on the bat population at Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in Antioch. The program starts at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 14 and is 2¼ hours long. Led by naturalist Virginia Delgado, the group will hike a half-mile uphill to monitor the bats as they emerge from the mines into the evening sky.
Meet in the parking lot at the end of Somersville Road, 3½ miles south of Highway 4. All participants must be age 7 or older, and parent supervision is required. Flashlights, water, snacks, a jacket and sturdy shoes are recommended. The program is free, but registration is required. Black Diamond Mines has a parking fee of $5 per vehicle. To register for any of the programs above that require it, call 888-327-2757, and select option 2.
From bats to bees: Aug. 15 is National Honey Bee Day. In observance, naturalist Alex Collins will lead a “Honey Bee Mine” program from 9 to 10 a.m. that day at Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area in Pleasanton.
Find out about the lives of honeybees, hear a story, learn a bee dance and meet a few bees. This is a family-friendly, stroller-accessible program. It’s free, but registration is required. Shadow Cliffs has a $6 parking fee per vehicle. For information on the programs at Del Valle, Shadow Cliffs and Sunol, call 510-544-3249.
Ned MacKay writes about East Bay Regional Park District sites and activities. Email him at nedmackay@comcast.net.
