Park District Stewardship Department Working to Protect Local Wildlife
Each year the Park District’s historic farms–Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont and Little Farm in Tilden Regional Park–provide thousands of school children and adults with a look at the Bay Area’s farming past and an understanding of where food comes from.
The East Bay Regional Park District invites the community to a morning of hands-on engagement at Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline in Oakland.
Public Access Increased to Popular Regional Park
The East Bay Regional Park District will be commencing construction to extend the San Francisco Bay Trail by 1 mile between Buchanan and Gilman streets west of Golden Gate Fields.
In Oakland, a new grand shoreline regional park is being planned at the Oakland touchdown of the Bay Bridge. The park–officially named the Judge John Sutter Regional Shoreline after East Bay civic and environmental leader and former East Bay Regional Park District board member John Sutter–includes a historic and newly renovated Bridge Yard building, a new shoreline pier/observation deck, and access to the existing Bay Bridge Trail and the San Francisco Bay Trail. The Bridge Yard building will serve as the recreational anchor for the park. The observation deck is expected to be completed in 2019.
In Concord, a 2,500+ acre regional park is planned in the former Concord Naval Weapons Station. The Navy is set to transfer the land, temporarily named Concord Hills Regional Park, to the District this July and will undergo land use planning to determine future recreational facilities, trails and habitat restoration.
In Berkeley, the old Brickyard site at McLaughlin Eastshore State Park will soon be transformed into a recreation area with 45 new parking spots, bike racks, restrooms, a water fountain, interpretive signage, walking paths for recreation and nature watching, and improved connections to the San Francisco Bay Trail. The project also includes restoration of natural habitat, such as beaches, wetlands, and upland areas.
The East Bay Regional Park District is the largest regional park system in the nation, comprising 73 parks, 55 miles of shoreline, and 1,250 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and nature learning. The Park District receives more than 25 million visits annually throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Dave Mason, Public Information Supervisor
(510) 544-2217
dmason@ebparks.org
he Bay Area’s Air Quality Index is currently at unhealthy levels and your health is important to us.
Once considered a “best in the nation” system, California’s parks and open spaces have suffered in recent years from a lack of adequate funding to meet the backlog of unseen or aging infrastructure at many of the state’s most beautiful places. Additionally, parklands are on the front line of climate change, affected by severe storms and sea-level rise, drought and fire — increasing the backlog. Deferring maintenance is akin to taking on more debt — it costs more to fix things as their condition worsens. Gov. Jerry Brown used this same analogy with regard to the Legislature’s transportation measure: “If the roof on your house is leaking, you better fix it, because it gets worse all the time.” We agree — the time to fix our parks is now.
Two park bond bills, AB18 and SB5, are moving toward the governor’s desk for his signature before placement on the 2018 ballot. Both outline funding for disadvantaged communities, increased preparation for, and resiliency to, climate change and per capita distribution to every community in the state. The combined leadership of Senate Pro Tem Kevin de León, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella (Riverside County), in championing these bills toward a bond to tackle the $25 billion of deferred maintenance in parks throughout the state is commendable. It has been 15 years since a legislative park bond made it to the ballot; it’s parks’ turn.
Furthermore, the opportunity to generate new jobs and revenue by fixing our parks and increasing park use — whether state, regional or local open spaces — is significant. We need to reinvest in these places, which contribute so greatly to our overall health and quality of life.
An example is given in a recent study that found the value of the East Bay Regional Park District in Oakland to the state’s economy to be $500 million annually. As the land managed by the district is a minor share of the state’s 47 million acres of open space, imagine how much greater this effect of parks throughout the state is to California’s economy.
How can we afford not to take action to stabilize and return our state’s parks to the national model they once were?
Deferring maintenance diminishes public interest in visiting parks and compounds our long-term debt. Approving a park bond is an urgent necessity and can be done in 2018. It’s a good investment. It’s good for the economy. It’s good for jobs. It’s good for the environment. And it’s good for our health.
For all his measurable accomplishments, the governor has one more enduring legacy to fulfill — a secure future for California’s parks and open spaces and the hundreds of thousands of jobs the great outdoors supports in the state. Share the importance of parks and open space with your legislators and with the governor today.
Robert Doyle is the general manager of the East Bay Regional Park District, the largest local park district in the United States, with 15 million visitors per year to its 65 parks and 1,250 miles of trails on 120,931 acres of open space.
Robert E. Doyle
(510) 544-2200
rdoyle@ebparks.org
9/20/2019
Oakland, CA – The East Bay Regional Park District is celebrating its 85th anniversary with its first-ever FAM Fest! Fall Arts & Music Festival on Saturday, September 28, 2019, from 1-5 p.m. at the newly renovated Bridge Yard building in Oakland.
The public is invited to join the Park District in celebrating 85 years of preserving open space in Alameda and Contra Costa counties for recreation and environmental conservation. Festival sponsor the Regional Parks Foundation is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year.
The Park District’s FAM Fest! is FREE to the public and will feature live music performances, exhibits, kids activities, live art, bike tours on the Bay Bridge, and walking tours of the new parkland. Food and beverages will be available for purchase, including beer from event sponsor Drake’s Brewing Company. FAM Fest! is for all ages and ADA accessible. For more information or to let us know you’re coming, visit www.FAMFestOak.eventbrite.com
LOCAL ARTISTS, MUSICIANS, AND PERFORMERS INCLUDE: MC’d by SaulPaul, A Musician with A Message JC Stringz DJ R w/ Saraswathy Lakshmivaraham Queen Deelah Alphabet Rockers Cheat Day
EVENT DETAILS:
When: Saturday, September 28 from 1-5pm
Where: Bridge Yard, Judge John Sutter Regional Shoreline, 210 Burma Road, Oakland, CA 94607 (Off Maritime Street at the Oakland touchdown of the Bay Bridge. Parking: Free parking available on site. Park & Bike/Walk: Park at the Emeryville Ikea and walk or ride 1.5 miles along the Bay Trail to the Bridge Yard building. Much thanks to Ikea for allowing FAM Fest! attendees to use their parking lot for free! Biking: Secure bike parking is available. Prizes for people who bike to the event, while supplies last. Transit: Exit MacArthur BART and take the free, bike-friendly, Emery-Go-Round to Bay Street and Shellmound (the Ikea stop). Cross the street to access the Bay Bridge Trail to walk or ride 1.5 miles along the Bay Trail to the Bridge Yard building. Attendees can also rideshare to the festival from West Oakland or MacArthur BART stations.
Sponsored by the Regional Parks Foundation and Drake's Brewing Company. Produced by OAKHELLA and SaulPaul.
The East Bay Regional Park District is the largest regional park system in the nation, comprising 73 parks, 55 miles of shoreline, and 1,250 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and nature learning. The Park District receives more than 25 million visits annually throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Dave Mason, Public Information Supervisor
(925) 482-7078
dmason@ebparks.org
Park District Offers New After-Hours Commuter Bicycle Permit Pilot Program on Select Regional Trails
The East Bay Regional Park District is testing an after-hours permit program for bicyclists who wish to commute on the Regional Trails after normal open hours.