Park Happenings for April

(Please feel free to use excerpts. Photos available at ParkHappeningsApril2024)

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SAVE THE DATE for the East Bay Regional Park District’s 90th Anniversary ParkFest on Saturday, May 11, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lake Chabot Regional Park in Castro Valley. ParkFest is a community festival to celebrate the 90 years of East Bay Regional Parks and the Park District’s 90 years of service to the community. The event will have music, performances, a Kids' Zone, hands-on fun, nature exhibits and displays, food trucks, eco-friendly activities, and more. Admission and parking are FREE.

2024 is the Park District’s 90th anniversary year, a remarkable milestone, and a reason to celebrate. Whether it’s taking a first hike, catching a first fish, or riding the steam train at Tilden, many of us have lasting memories and a deep appreciation for the Park District’s beautiful parks, shorelines, and trails.

Founded in 1934 by residents who, in the depths of the depression, elected to tax themselves to preserve and provide public access to nature, the Park District today has 73 parks, 55 miles of shoreline, and over 1,330 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and environmental education in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. For more information, visit www.ebparks.org/ParkFest.

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April 13 is Sheep Shearing Day at Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont with a Special 90th Anniversary Presentation! Spring has sprung and it is time for the sheep’s annual “haircut” on Saturday, April 13, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. A special 90th Anniversary presentation will kick off the fun! See the farm’s sheep get sheared, try your hand at wool carding, and watch fiber transform into yarn on a spinning wheel. You can even make your own wooly lamb to take home. For more information, visit www.ebparks.org/celebrating-90-years.

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Join the Park District for Earth Day Programs, Activities, and Volunteer Clean-Up Events! Every day is Earth Day in the Park District, and there are all kinds of ways to celebrate and honor the Earth. 

Earth Day is both a celebration of the natural environment we enjoy in Regional Parks and a reminder of our responsibility to take care of it. Preservation of parks, trails, and habitat is a core part of the Park District's heart and mission to preserve and protect our natural resources.

Join us for an Earth Day themed activity, take a hike or ride in nature, or volunteer at an Earth Day clean-up event. This year's Earth Day theme is Planet vs. Plastics, and advocates for an overall reduction of plastics worldwide. Events are scheduled throughout April. For more information, visit www.ebparks.org/earth-day. 

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April is prime wildflower season! As winter turns to spring, the East Bay parks transform into a beautiful sight as wildflowers begin to bloom from the end of March to the beginning of May. These floral displays delight the eye and provide essential nectar for native pollinators like bees and butterflies. To see these impressive displays of flowers and celebrate the season, visit a park, or join a variety of naturalist programs, including wildflower walks and hikes, videos, and art activities. For more information, visit www.ebparks.org/calendar and search “wildflowers.”

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The Park District has begun the process of designing a replacement building for the Environmental Education Center (Tilden EEC) at the Tilden Nature Area. The third community meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. on Zoom and will focus on preferred design options.

Built in the early 1970s, the Tilden EEC has served several generations and many thousands of visitors and parkgoers but is in need of major structural and functional changes. After careful assessment, the Park District has determined that building replacement, rather than rehabilitation, is necessary. The existing facility consists of two structures: the education center and a security residence. The Park District intends to replace these existing structures with a new facility of a similar size. The Tilden Little Farm is outside the scope of this project and will remain unchanged. Visit www.ebparks.org/tilden-eec-project for more information and to register for the meeting.

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The East Bay Regional Park District is the largest regional park system in the nation, comprising 73 parks, 55 miles of shoreline, and over 1,330 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and environmental education. The Park District receives an estimated 30 million visits annually throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.