Park Happenings is a summary of news, programs and activities in Regional Parks.
On April 21, 2023, the East Bay Regional Park District is launching a temporary, two-year pilot project at Briones Regional Park to test a variety of trail management strategies. The Briones Pilot Project will provide new temporary access to some trails for recreational use, while also restoring illegally constructed “bootleg" trails to protect wildlife and enhance natural habitats. The pilot project is limited to a specific zone in the northeast corner of Briones Regional Park.
Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park – the largest remaining natural grove of coast redwoods in the East Bay – has joined the Old-Growth Forest Network dedicated to sharing the nation’s old-growth forests with the public. Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park is the 17th Forest in California to Join the Network and the First in Alameda County.
Park District has been selected to receive $1.4 million from the California Natural Resources Agency’s Urban Greening Grant Program for its Bay Trail Gap Closure Project in Martinez, which would close a half-mile gap in the Bay Trail between Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline and Radke Martinez Shoreline near the Martinez Intermodal Station.
The Park District and Regional Parks Foundation recognized State Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan with the 2022 Radke Championing Advocacy Award at a ceremony at Inspiration Point in Tilden Regional Park on March 3, 2023. Bauer-Kahan was instrumental in securing $4 million for restoration at McCosker Creek in Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve in Orinda and $3.5 million for wildfire protection equipment.
Earth Day Opportunities Include Activities, Hikes, and Volunteer Clean-up Events
Established in 1934, the Park District has preserved forever over 125,000 acres of parklands, much of it watershed lands. How did the District become a reality? The answer connects us to the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), which is celebrating their 100-year Anniversary this year.
The Briones Pilot Project is testing trail use strategies to improve the overall trail use experience for visitors, including designating access on EVEN and ODD weekend days. Benefits of EVEN/ODD weekend day strategy...
Today the Park District celebrated opening of a new outdoor interpretive pavilion at Shadow Cliffs in Pleasanton. The new pavilion will serve as an outdoor visitor center for naturalist-led programs and provide information about recreational opportunities available in the parks lesser-known 116-acrea nature area, including trails for hiking, biking, and nature watching.
The Park District has been notified that it will receive a $7 million grant from the California Coastal Conservancy for the purchase of the 768-acre Finley Road Ranch property located at the mouth of Riggs Canyon off Finley Road at the western edge of Morgan Territory Regional Preserve and the southern edge of Mount Diablo State Park.