Activity Guide Regional in Nature (2024)

Regional in Nature Activity Guide MAY – JUNE 2022McKenna Stevulak Swim Season Reopening Memorial Day Weekend See page 2 inside • Brickyard Cove Now Open, page 3 • Blobs on the Beach?, page 10 • Fire Prevention, page 4 • Eagle Watch, page 11 • Ardenwood Hay Harvesting, page 6 • Nature Exploration and Hikes, page 12 Celebrating Juneteenth with a Free Park Day, page 3 • First Fruits, page 8 • Whose Nest is Whose?, page 14

Co n t e n t sSwim Season Reopening...... 2 Summertime in Regional Parks A MESSAGE FROM GENERAL MANAGER SABRINA B. LANDRETHRedistricting Update............ 3Wildfires & Trail Safety...... 4-5 WArdenwood............................ 6 elcome to summertime recreational activities. All swimming in your Regional Parks, facilities are planned to be open exceptBig Break................................. 7 a great time for family those impacted by low water levels,Black Diamond...................... 8 gatherings, swimming, morning hikes, required maintenance, or water quality and wildlife viewing. Summertime brings challenges (see “Swim Season” below).Coyote Hills........................... 9 abundant opportunities to connect with During the summer, stay safe by bringing family members in nature and to buildCrab Cove............................ 10 lasting memories. plenty of drinking water for yourself and your pets, following all water safety rulesDel Valle................................ 11 Happily, it seems likely there will be when swimming, and being aware of fireMobile Education................ 12 minimal COVID-19 restrictions this dangers and rules. year, meaning full access for swimming, Stay safe and enjoy your Regional ParksOutdoor Recreation.......... 13 picnicking, barbecuing, and other this summer.Sunol...................................... 14Tilden..................................... 15 Swim Season Reopening Memorial Day WeekendVolunteer Program............. 16 S ummer fun is around the corner – the 2022 swim season is almost here! Swimming is one of should check ebparks.org for up-to- date information on accessible swim facilities before they go. • Roberts Pool is closed for renovation until spring 2023. • Lake Anza is closed due to required the Park District’s most popular 2022 Swim facilities: maintenance and ongoing water activities, going back to the District’s Lake Temescal swim beach in quality uncertainty. founding regional parks. Most of Oakland (closed for swimming past the District's current-day swimming • Open water swimming at Crown 2 years), Del Valle swim beach in Memorial State Beach and Keller facilities and shorelines, including Livermore*, Quarry Lakes swim ebparks.org Beach at Miller/Knox is not six open-water lakefront beaches, beach in Fremont, Contra Loma three chlorinated lagoons, two pools, restricted, but parking is limited. Lagoon in Antioch, Cull Canyon No lifeguards are provided atGeneral Information and two bay shoreline beaches are Lagoon in Castro Valley*, Don1-888-EBPARKS or 1-888-327-2757 projected to be open for this year’s shoreline beaches (swim at your Castro Lagoon in Hayward, and own risk).Camping and Picnic Reservations.... swim season starting Memorial Castle Rock Pool in Walnut Creek.................................1-888-EBPARKS Day weekend. For the 2022 swim season, there Swimming fees vary by facility. We work year-round to monitor will be an optional swim registration However, swimming is free forNaturalist and RecreationPrograms...............1-888-EBPARKS water quality and lake health at our system on weekends and holidays Regional Parks Foundation members. open water swim facilities, which at select facilities. For information about becoming aTRS Relay Service.....................7-1-1 Regional Parks Foundation member, are regularly tested for water quality 2022 Water Access Limitations: during the swim season. However, visit regionalparksfoundation.org. • Shadow Cliffs is closed to our open water swim facilities do swimmers. The park remains open For more information, visit ebparks.EBRPD Board of Directors face challenges related to climate org/swimming. for other recreational activities,Elizabeth Echols..........................Ward 1 change, cynobacteria (blue-green including fishing from shore. * Open weekends and holidaysDee Rosario.................................Ward 2 algae), and low water levels. Visitors No floating tube anglers.Dennis Waespi............................Ward 3 starting April 30.Ellen Corbett...............................Ward 4Ayn Wieskamp............................Ward 5Beverly Lane................................Ward 6Colin Coffey (President)...........Ward 7Visit ebparks.org for mapdownloads, activity and eventinformation, and much more! Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area, Castro Valley

Brickyard Cove Now Open Popular Parks Mean Busy Parks Brickyard Cove in Berkeley is now open. It is one of many recent investments at McLaughlin Eastshore State Park together with Albany Beach, trail improvements along the Albany Neck, and S pring and early summer are great times to explore nature in the East Bay, with ideal weather for hiking, biking, and other outdoor recreation. Visitation traditionally increases during these warmer months. a one-mile SF Bay Trail extension behind Golden Gate Fields. The last few years have also resulted in increased visitation as the public flocked Brickyard Cove offers great views of the San Francisco Bay to parks as a place for respite and relaxation. This included occasional visitors and skyline and includes new parking, bike racks, picnic tables, who became frequent visitors, and new visitors who discovered Regional Parks restrooms, water fountains, and walking paths. for the first time, becoming everyday visitors. We love that so many are visiting parks and experiencing time in nature. Here are some tips to ensure parks remain enjoyable for all, even when busy. • Visit parks at a less busy time of day or on a different day. • Try visiting a less busy park or entering through a less busy staging area. • DO NOT park illegally. Don’t block park gates and access roads. For a safe and enjoyable time at the Regional Parks, visit ebparks.org/safety. LE BR ATI NG REDISTRICTING UPDATE: C E New Park District Ward Maps Approved On Tuesday, March 15, 2022, the Park District Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve new ward maps. The final maps were the result of a 7-month public redistricting process that included discussion at three public board meetings and two public board hearings. The final approved maps include minimal changes to district boundaries while allowing slight modifications that took into account population changes in the 2020 Census and additional demographic information. The final map approved by the Park District Board is available at ebparks.org/ WITH A FREE PARK DAY WardRedistricting.T he Park District is celebrating Juneteenth this year with a Free Park Day in recognition of the date when enslaved BlackAmericans in Texas were notified of their freedom, two and a half yearsafter the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. While ConfederateGeneral Robert E. Lee surrendered to U.S. General Ulysses S. Grant inApril 1865, fighting continued in Texas for nearly two months. On June2, 1865, Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith finally surrendered.A few weeks later, on June 19, U.S. troops landed in Galveston, Texas,confirming the end of the Civil War and slavery in Texas. Today, theabolition of slavery and emancipation of Black Americans in Texas iscelebrated on June 19 annually as Juneteenth.The Park District is committed to enhancing diversity, equity, andinclusion, and making our parks and agency more welcoming andreflective of the communities we serve. Park District fees waivedon Juneteenth include park entrance, parking, dogs, horses, boatlaunching, and fishing. However, the fee waiver does not apply toswimming, camping, reservable picnic facilities (due to capacity limits),District concessions, and state fees for fishing licenses, and watercraftinspections for invasive mussels.For more information about Juneteenth, visit ebparks.org/Juneteenth. 3

Fire Prevention Wildfire Season Staying Ready u p dat e for Wildfires Through a combination of D ue to the continuing drought and a well-below- average rainy season this winter, intensive training and fuel the East Bay Regional Park District The District also has mutual aid clean and green,” devoid of dead management, we are preparing and other public agencies are facing agreements with the California plants, grass, weeds and over- for what is likely to be another another summer and fall of extreme Department of Forestry and Fire grown brush. difficult fire season. fire danger. Protection (CALFIRE) and works From 30 to 100 feet out, your with all fire departments in Alameda property should have short-mowed Our fire department has added Although September and October and Contra Costa counties. grass, and spacing between grass, three months of training to its are traditionally the peak of the fire schedule, making the season year- season, climate change means that Park visitors and neighboring shrubs and trees. round for our full-time, on-call fire danger is an issue almost year- residents can help minimize fire The CALFIRE website, firefighters (staff with other jobs, round. So there’s no real down time danger in a variety of ways. readyforwildfire.com, has lots but who are also fully qualified for the Park District’ preparation First and foremost, smoking is of information on wildfire firefighters). and training. prohibited in all the regional parks. preparedness, and an evacuation The District has 16 full-time This includes pipes, cigars, cigarettes checklist. firefighters, a Fuels Hand Crew of and even “vaping,” except for any Park 15 who are fully trained as a type 2 USDA-approved medication. District Fire initial attack hand crew, and another Gas or propane camp stoves Chief contingent of fully trained staff in and portable barbecues are Aileen other occupations, who are available allowed, but must be placed so Theile when needed. that they won’t scorch or burn Recent fuels reduction projects, lawns or tabletops. Extinguish including thinning and removing all burning fuel before you leave, hazardous vegetation and dead and and dispose of coals only in the dying trees, have been conducted concrete receptacles designed for “With climate change and that purpose, not in regular trash at Tilden, Redwood, Miller/Knox, increased fire intensity, barrels. Wildcat, Sibley, Huckleberry, Leona fires are even more Canyon, and Anthony Don’t drive or park your vehicles in dangerous,” said Park Chabot, among others. areas with dry grass. A hot exhaust District Fire Chief Additionally, nearly 70 manifold can start a grass fire. Aileen Theile. “We’re percent of the District’s using every possible If you see a fire while in the regional parklands are grazed tool we have to parks, report it immediately by each year to reduce the be as safe as calling 9-1-1. fuel load and improve we can.” Homeowners who live near regional habitat conditions. Grazing cattle, goats, parks or other open space can take and sheep play an steps to reduce their property’s important role in vulnerability to wildfire. The first 30 reducing wildfire risks. feet of your home should be “lean,4

Trail Safety E ast Bay regional parks and trails are for everyone, whether you walk, ride, or roll. For the past few years, the TIPS for HIKERS Park District has been working with a Trail • Stay to the right when User Working Group approaching others. (TUWG) made up • Stop and yield to horseback of active trail user riders. stakeholders to provide • Hiking with Your Dog? feedback and concerns 1. Bag it and Bin it (Do not leave regarding trail use, including trail dog poop bags on the trails.) safety, trail connections, and trail 2. Keep your dog on leashenhancements and maintenance. The TUWG includes bicyclists, conservationists, in parking lots, trailheads,dog owners, equestrians, hikers, land trusts managers, youths, and members of picnic areas, paved trails, andthe Park District’s Park and Multicultural Advisory Committees and Regional Parks resource protection areas.Foundation. A TUWG Final Summary Report was issued in March 2022. 3. Keep your dog under voice control when off leash.The Park District received valuable input from the group, including thestrong desire for more trail user education. The group felt educationwas especially important given the influx of park visitors during TIPS for BIKERSCOVID-19, including many new visitors who are unaware of existingtrail user rules and courtesy. • Always yield to pedestrians and equestrians. • Slow down around others.Over the coming months, visitors will see expanded park signage • Call out or ring your bell when passing. and other communications as part • Stay on designated trails for your safety of a “Trails Are for Everyone” and others. educational campaign. Bicycles are not permitted on narrow trails except User groups will receive for specific sections of the Lafayette Ridge Trail information related to their at Briones, Sinbad Creek Trail at Pleasanton Ridge, specific trail use, focused Swallow Bay and Heron Bay Trails at Del Valle, Redtail on improving safety Trail and Brandon Trail at Anthony Chabot, and Zeile and trail courtesy. Creek Trail at Garin. TIPS for EQUESTRIANS • Keep to the right around other trail users. • Let trail users know how to pass your horse safely. • Clean up after your horse on paved trails. WHAT TO DO AROUND CATTLE Cattle grazing has been part of the ecosystem in the East Bay slowly, speak normally, and allow hills since the 1800s and part of the East Bay’s ecosystem for many them to move away. If necessary, tens of thousands of years. Grazing cattle play an important role go off-trail to pass. in reducing wildfire risks and maintaining a healthy ecosystem • Cows are protective of their calves. To report an incident involving for native plants and wildlife. Do not try to get close, touch, aggressive cattle or a trail Here is what to do if you see cattle in the parks: or pet them. accident call 510-881-1833 or • Keep dogs on leash in areas where cattle are present. • Close pedestrian gates behind you submit a Park Watch Report • Give cattle distance. If cattle are blocking the trail, approach and never cut or alter fencing. online at ebparks.org/report. 5

Ardenwood HISTORIC FARM ‘Tis the Season to … Harvest Hay! J une is haying month at Ardenwood, and we invite you to join in making a haystack out of our very own East Bay hay – a tradition that has been around for over 100 years. East Bay hay once fueled the streetcars, delivery wagons and even the fire engines of San Francisco. That’s right, before gas engines, horses pulled our vehicles, and everyone knows that hay is for horses. To keep their nutritional value, hay crops are cut while fresh Join us in haying season! and raked into long lines or “windrows” in the fields and HAY HARVESTING ROPE MAKING partially dried in the sun. Before Join in the fun of an old-fashioned and HAY HOISTING the invention of balers in the late hay harvest! We’ll be hauling our freshly- Make rope with our antique machine, 1800s, the cut hay was piled up cut crop to the hay boom and then see how lots of rope plus a into haystacks to protect it from and building a big stack. few pulleys make hoisting hay bales the weather, or stored loose inside Sundays, Jun 5, 12, 18 into the barn a cinch. large barns, where it would keep 1-2:30pm Saturdays, May 21, Jun 11, 25 throughout the winter months. 10:30-11:30am IT! e WA re's Th ore! While hay season does keep us busy at Ardenwood, we also look forward to celebrating May and June holidays with you. Don’t miss the chance to join us for these special holiday programs. M MOTHER’S DAY on the FARM MEMORIAL DAY FREE DAY JUNETEENTH BASEBALL Celebrate the special people in your Celebrate the holiday with an admission-free day Did you know that playing baseball is one of the life. Create a lovely gift sachet or of fun! Help with farm chores, ride the train, traditions of Juneteenth, our national holiday flower crown, enjoy live music, and and tour the Victorian farmhouse. Swing by our celebrating the end of slavery? Hit off a tee, run play a game of croquet or bocce outdoor kitchen for demonstrations, or try the bases, and discover more about the history ball. Treat yourself to an elegant your skills at some old-time games. of America’s second Independence Day. buffet brunch (advanced registration Sun, Jun 19 Mon, May 30 required, ardenwoodevents.com), 10:30-11:30am 10am-4pm or purchase from a special a-la-carte menu at the café. Sun, May 8 Ardenwood Interpretive Programs 11am-3pm For a full list of programs, including animal feedings, story times, train rides, crafts, and more, visit us online (bit.ly/3iBF0hY) . . . . . . . .6 See ebparks.org/calendar for upcoming programs.

Big Break REGIONAL SHORELINE Big Break Programs are Heating Up! A s temperatures rise and the days get longer, Big Break Visitor Center is sizzling with fun, engaging, and educational programming. Fan favorites like kayaking and evening campfires make their triumphant return, while reoccurring programs such as Big Break Littles, Delta Discussions, Garden Club, and Weekend Programs continue their hot streak. There’s no better time to feel the Delta breeze, soak up some Wetland warmth, and connect to your local East Bay Regional Park. https://apm. activecommunities. Big Break Interpretive Programs com/ebparks/ activity_search Looking for something to do as the school year winds down and summer break begins? Join us for Interpretive Programs!BIG BREAK LITTLES DELTA DISCUSSIONS WEEKEND PROGRAMSBring the little ones to the park for nature From tunnels to research projects, farming to Join Big Break Interpretive Staff on Saturdaysbefore nap time. fish, the Delta is always in the news. Stop by the and Sundays at 11am and 2pm to learn about• May – Shadows: Shadows come in all shapes Visitor Center to discuss the science and events why the Delta is important to all Californians and sizes, and they have many more surprises. shaping the Delta Region. and to discover what you can do to help Can you catch it, not a chance, but maybe you GARDEN CLUB the Delta. can make it dance? Let's plan our gardens together! This • May – A Tale of Two Salinities: Discover• June – Sink and Float: Make an animal, build program is for all knowledge levels, gardens why the balance between salt water and fresh a boat, will it sink or will it float? On the water, of all sizes, plants in the ground or pots. We'll water is important to the health of the Delta. by the slough, let’s find out what we can do! share information, ideas, and seeds to grow • June – Little Things, Big Deal: Find out vegetables, flowers and native pollinator gardens how plankton support life in the Delta.CAMPFIRE PROGRAMS based on your interests.Gather the family for an evening at Big Break. Plankton are microscopic plants and animalsWe will play games, read stories, and make KAYAK PROGRAMS that Delta communities and wildlife depends’mores around the campfire while we discover Come ply the welcoming and wondrous waters on, but human actions are transformingsome of the wonderful animals that live of the Delta on this beginner (and up) kayak these unseen helpers into somethingin the wetlands. excursion. We'll start off with dry land instruction, potentially harmful. then paddle our steady and stable craft on a group exploration of this lovely Delta shoreline. Jennifer Koney See ebparks.org/calendar for upcoming programs. 7

Black Diamond Mines REGIONAL PRESERVE First Fruits W e tend to think of fall as the harvest season, and this is true for acorns, and in some climates for many cultivated plants, or for fruits like apples and pears. But for many animals, as well as for some people, the harvest starts much sooner – in spring. Early flowers make early fruits. Shown here are the flowers and fruits of Mount Diablo manzanita, chaparral currant, and hollyleaf redberry, Arctostahpylos auriculata, Ribes malvaceum, and Rhamnus ilicifolia. Look for these now in inland Bay Area locations. Botanical note: What a botanist calls a fruit can be anything from a grass seed to a buckeye P to a spiky wild cucumber. Within that general botanical category of fruit, the hoto: Ne al K ra manzanita and the redberry produce drupes, while the currant bears true berries. mer Birds and foxes don’t care about that, though, and you don’t have to either. Photo: Kevin Dixon In a good year, wildlife is busy eating these beautiful fruits in the month of May, Mount Diablo just as humans are enjoying the last of picnic weather before the summer heat manzanita sets in. Have fun out on the trails, and please remember that collecting is not fruits and flowers allowed in your East Bay Regional Parks. Hollyleaf redberry fruits and flowers Photo: Megan Ralph Photo: John Rusk Chaparral currant flowers and fruits Ph Ph oto oto :K ir an :A M e or s l e Sc hm ie r e r8 See ebparks.org/calendar for upcoming programs.

Coyote Hills REGIONAL PARKJoin Us for New After-Dark Campfire Programs!W elcome to the East Bay Regional Park District’s first newcampground in over 30 years!The Dumbarton Quarry Campground, locatedwithin Coyote Hills Regional Park, will host funevening programs with songs, games, photos,stories, activities, and more all summer. Wewill explore a range of nature topics andlearn more about the surrounding bay andthe unique history of the quarry that wasonce here. Even if you’re not camping, you’rewelcome to join us for the program! Checkour website for dates and times. Dumbarton Quarry Campground Interpretive Programs: bit.ly/3pYbTJv How Ohlone Peoples Traditionally Make Fire Coyote Hills Regional Park is on the ancestral lands Embers are added to fibers from the soap plant and of the Tuibun Ohlone Peoples. Ohlone Peoples, fluff from the cattail seeds to create fire. and individuals from the Bay Miwok and Delta Ohlone People’s knowledge of these resources Yokut ancestral tribes, have stewarded these lands enabled them to create fire and use burning as a land throughout the East Bay since time immemorial management technique to restore and enrich the and continue to live on these lands practicing their land. On your next trip to Coyote Hills, keep an eye culture and traditions to this day. out for some of these same plants used over time. Today when we want to make a fire, we think matches and lighters. Ohlone Peoples traditionally used a technique called the hand drill to make fire. The materials used are a spindle made from the blue elderberry plant (whose berries are also used as a food source), a notched board made from a buckeye branch, and combustible materials (like fluffy cattail seeds). Downward pressure and spindle rotation creates friction. That friction creates dust in the notch. Continued pressure and spindle rotation turns the dust into a hot ember. Please note, East Bay Regional Park District prohibits collecting any animal or plant life in the Regional Parks. See ebparks.org/calendar for upcoming programs. 9

Crab Cove VISITOR CENTER AND AQUARIUM Blobs on the Beach? T he warmth of the sun, the sand between your toes and, yuck, what is that blob on the beach? Is it a jellyfish? No – it is an egg case for an important mudflat animal called a lugworm! Lugworms (Arenicola brasiliensis) are like earthworms of the mudflat, munching away on mud instead of dirt. They digest tiny plants and animals out of the mud and poop out the indigestible sand in coils that look like piles of gray spaghetti. These droppings are called mud castings or casts. Rarely are the actual lugworms seen as they spend their lives living in U or J shaped burrows under the mud. These pinkish, reddish, or tannish segmented worms have bristles and gills in the middle of their bodies, a head at one end, and a tail on the other. Lugworms are known for having a large oxygen-carrying capacity in their blood – an adaptation for survival on the mudflats when the tide is low. In the late spring and summer months they lay their tiny cinnamon-colored eggs, wrapped up in a protective jelly-like substance and attached to the mud by a thread of slime that keeps them anchored in place. That way, the baby lugworms will hatch out in the correct habitat. So please do not pick them up or move them, but gently touching is okay. They feel like Jell-O. Many shorebirds like long-billed curlews and marbled godwits love to feast on these worms and sometimes anglers will use them for bait (although no collecting is allowed at Crab Cove). Come by Crown Memorial State Beach, especially the Crab Cove Marine Protected Area during low tide to discover lugworms and other creatures of the mud and rocky shore! Interpretive Programs For a complete list of Crown Beach programs, please visit us online . . . . . ebparksonline.org • ebparks.org/parks/crown-beach • Information: (510) 544-3187 bit.ly/36pmsyR E E ANTHONY CHABOT GRUNION SEARCH BLACK BIRDERS WEEK FR CAMPFIRE PROGRAMS On full and new moon nights, SAVE THE DATES and JOIN IN SUPPORT Join us for after-dark fun at the silvery fish called grunion Experience some amazing birding and important Campground Amphitheater! Learn appear on sandy beaches to dialogue around supporting and uplifting about the parks and nature around spawn. Become a grunion Black individuals and the Black experience in you through games, songs, photos greeter – help search the environmental spaces. For more information and stories around the campfire. shore to see if they are here! visit ebparks.org/programs/educators#program- New topic each week. Non-campers are Registration required. Ages 10 descriptions welcome to come in for the program! and up. Crown Memorial State Beach, Sunday May 29 to Saturday June 4 – Every Saturday (Memorial Day weekend Otis St. Parking Lot. Locations and times vary! though Labor Day weekend), 8-9pm May and June – Dates and times (All after No registration needed. midnight!) vary.10 See ebparks.org/calendar for upcoming programs.

Del ValleWalnut Creek Man REGIONAL PARK Eagle Watch Interpretive Program Highlights Nature Story Time: First and third Saturday of May at the visitor center, 10am and 11am. Park N Play: Bring the kids out for some fresh air, nature games, and wildlife exploration. Sunday, May 22 and June 26, stop by any time between 10-11:30am at the visitor center. Eagle Watch: Programs on June 5, 12, and 19. Register online. bit.ly/3iBF0hY Campfires B y the 1970s, bald eagles were nearly extinct, due largely to effects of the pesticide DDT. Although they were seen in the Bay Return! Area, they had not nested locally since 1915. Then, in 1996, a pair arrived at Del Valle, built a nest, and raised a chick. The female had been brought down from Alaska as part of an effort to bring eagles back to California. C amping this summer at Del Valle got a whole lot sweeter – Bald eagles have nested here since. naturalist-led campfire programs are back! These Friends of Big Bear Valley Walnut Creek Man hour-long evening programs happen each Saturday between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend. Campfire programs start at 8pm or 8:30pm. Info: ebparksonline.org Park District biologists monitor the nest each year to determine how many eggs are laid and if all the babies successfully fledge. Bald eagles build their nests high up in a tall tree, against the trunk. These nests can be up to 6 feet in diameter and 4 feet tall. Eggs are typically laid at Del Valle sometime around April, hatch 34-36 days later, and the baby eagles fledge, or start flying, Color this Bald Eagle around early July. You can join a naturalist When an eagle becomes an adult program to check out the nest and, around 5 years old, its feathers hopefully, see the parents taking change color. For a juvenile, color care of their eaglets. A juvenile this bird all brown with white Richard Evans bald eagle specks. For an adult, give it a brown body with a white head. See ebparks.org/calendar for upcoming programs. 11

Mobile Education Mike Moore Nature Exploration and Hikes for all Ages We hope to create a welcoming affinity space for our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities by providing BIPOC specific programming. Programs are Spanish/English bilingual with Naturalist Claudia Muñoz No registration; drop-in. Parking fees apply where charged. For information, call (510) 544-3176. No hay registro. Se aplican tarifas de estacionamiento cuando se cobran. Anthony Para más información llame al (510) 544-3176. Chabot Regional Park, PEOPLE OF COLOR: INTRO TO BIRDING e identificar algunos de estos pájaros. Castro PERSONAS DE COLOR: APRENDA COMO Los programas son bilingües español/inglés. Valley AVISTAR LAS AVES #43726 Visite ebparks.org/parks para obtener mapas • Are you interested in exploring your local parks y direcciones. while learning about your surroundings? We Fri, May 20: 6-8pm, MILLER/KNOX Caminaremos 2 millas de ida y vuelta para live within the Pacific Flyway, a stopover for REGIONAL SHORELINE (Dornan Drive Parking aprender sobre los animales que habitan thousands of birds every year. Practice using Lot) #43727: Discover what’s in flight on this el pantano. binoculars to sight and identify some of our local 2-mile walk along the shoreline. Wed, May 27: 6-8pm, MARTIN LUTHER birds. Programs are bilingual in English/Spanish. Descubra las aves locales durante esta caminata KING JR. REGIONAL SHORELINE (Arrowhead See ebparks.org/parks for maps and directions. a lo largo de la costa. 2millas. Marsh Parking Lot) #43728: Walk out to the Jetty • Vivimos dentro de la ruta migratoria Pacifica Fri, May 25: 6-8pm, POINT PINOLE trail to learn who shares the marsh with us. Norte Americana; donde miles de aves hacen REGIONAL SHORELINE (Dotson Family Marsh) Caminaremos hasta el sendero Jetty para parada en la Bahía de San Francisco cada año. #43729: Slowly walk an easy 2-mile out-and-back aprender sobre quiénes comparte el pantano Practique usando los binoculares para avistar to find out what animals are hiding in the marsh. con nosotros. PEOPLE OF COLOR: EVENING WALKS Trabaje sus músculos mientras camina por las and the plants that grow here while on a 2-mile and TALKS colinas y aprenda sobre nuestra cuenca local. challenge hike. PERSONAS DE COLOR: CAMINATAS Y Fri, May 6: 5-7pm, DIABLO FOOTHILLS Aprenda sobre el ecosistema local y las plantas CHARLAS AL ATARDECER #43730 REGIONAL PARK (Orchard Staging Area) que crecen aquí durante una caminata desafiante • Are you interested in exploring your local parks #43734: Find out what is flowering, while de 2 millas. while learning about your surrounding? Join us for on an out-and-back 4-mile challenge hike. Fri, June 3: 6-8pm, MILLER/KNOX an after-work walk and explore different parks Aprenda que está floreando durante esta REGIONAL SHORELINE (Dornan Drive and the wonders within. Hikes range from 1 to 5 caminata rigorosa de 4 millas. Parking Lot - South) #43737: Stretch your legs miles. Great for families. Programs are bilingual in Wed, May 11: 6-8pm, WILDCAT CANYON after work on this steep 2-mile walk up West English/Spanish. See ebparks.org/parks for maps REGIONAL PARK (Alvarado Staging Area) Ridge Trail. Learn about the local history of the and directions. #43736: Gain elevation, beautiful views, and place you and so many others call home. • Únase a nosotros para una caminata después del learn about the local plants and animals that Estire las piernas después del trabajo en esta trabajo para explorar diferentes parques y las share this ecosystem with us on a challenging empinada caminata de 2 millas sobre West Ridge maravillas que albergan. Las caminatas varían de 2.5-mile loop. Trail. Aprenda sobre la historia local. 1-5 millas. Los programas son bilingües español/ Suba las colinas para obtener hermosas vistas Thu, June 30: 6-8pm, POINT PINOLE inglés. Visite ebparks.org/parks para obtener y aprenda sobre las plantas y animales locales REGIONAL SHORELINE (Giant Road Staging mapas y direcciones. que comparten este ecosistema con nosotros. Area) #43738: Join us for an easy 2.5-mile Wed, May 4: 6-8pm, BRIONES REGIONAL Caminaremos un circuito desafiante history hike through eucalyptus groves and PARK (Bear Creek Staging Area) #43731: Take de 2.5 millas. coastal views. a 3-mile evening challenge hike. Get your heart Wed, June 1: 6-8pm, KENNEDY GROVE Únase a nosotros para una caminata fácil de rate up while learning about our local watershed. REGIONAL RECREATION AREA (Parking 2.5 millas por los bosques de eucaliptos y vistas Tome una caminata de tres millas al atardecer. Lot) #43735: Learn about the local ecosystem costeras donde aprenderá más sobre la historia de este lugar.12 See ebparks.org/calendar for upcoming programs.

Outdoor Recreation A D U LT F ITN E S S/ W E LLN E S S PROG R A M SPole Walking, Pole Hiking, and Fitness TrainingE asy-paced expert training on how to use poles for hiking, walking and outdoor exercise. Enhance your enjoyment of the outdoors; learn how to improveendurance, balance, spine function and confidence as well as how to avoid joint PARK’N IT DAY CAMP • Youth 5-12 yrs. Spend a whole week exploring and playing in the Regional Parks!stress or strain. A variety of top-quality poles are available for your use. Recreation leaders, lifeguards, and naturalists provide caring supervision for hiking, fishing, swimming, arts and crafts, sports, and active fun in the great outdoors. Registration is required. Fee: $200 (non-res. $220) Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm Jun 6-10............Temescal..........#42896 Jun 13-17..........Temescal..........#42897 Jun 20-24..........Don Castro.....#42898 Jun 27-July 1....Castle Rock....#42899 Jul 18-22...........Miller/Knox.....#42901 Jul 25-29...........Ardenwood.....#42902 Aug 1-5.............Coyote Hills....#42903 LEADERS IN TRAINING Day Camp • Teens 13-17 yrs. Looking for work experience or a career in Parks and Recreation? Under staff guidance, work with other teens helping run our dayHIKING WITH POLES: SKILLS + USING POLES FOR WALKING camp! LITs must first apply andSHORT PRACTICE HIKE AND MAINTAINING MOBILITY interview for positions. They willCoyote Hills Coyote Hills receive a tee shirt, training, 35Fri, May 13........... 8:30am-2pm Fri, June 24.......... 9am-1:30pm community service hours, and job-#43942 #43943 skills development from staff. LITs areLearn individualized, anatomically When pole walking, you will feel encouraged to work for more than oneoptimal strategies for enhancing taller, more confident and experience camp session. Download an application atperformance and confidence on profound freedom of movement! ebparks.the trail. Uphill: Improve power, Learn skills that address your issues org/programs/endurance, posture, and spine and goals, reduce fall risk, improve day-camps/park-n-it orfunction. Downhill: Develop skills your balance, endurance, walking gait, contact Morgan Evans, Recreationfor feeling safer and preserving joints longevity. Special equipment provided. Coordinator, at mevans@ebparks.– Save your knees! Short, beautiful Easy pace. Beautiful pole walk: org / 510-544-2566 for a paper copy.practice hike included and optional. Butterfly Garden, Boardwalk Marsh, Fee: $50Fee: $65 (non-res. $73) seasonal birding. Mon-Fri, 8:30am-4pm Fee: $65 (non-res. $73) Jun 6-10............ Temescal Jun 13-17.......... Temescal Jun 20-24......... Don Castro Registration is Required for these Programs Jun 27-July 1.... Castle Rock Jul 11-15........... Various Parks For more information: Jul 18-22........... Miller/Knox ebparksonline.org or 1-888-327-2757 (1-888-EBPARKS), option 2 Jul 25-29........... Ardenwood Aug 1-5............ Coyote Hills See ebparks.org/calendar for upcoming programs. 13

Sunol Wilderness WHOSE NEST REGIONAL PRESERVE IS WHOSE? Tree Swallows MATCH EACH traditionally nest in cavities NEST TO ITS of trees. However, loss of AVIAN ARCHITECT habitat created a housing Read the clues. Follow each shortage for them. Luckily, birds' meandering flight path they readily take to nest for the answers. Rich Kelley boxes and their populationsSage are thriving. Great Blue Herons nest in colonies with other herons, building nests out of sticks presented to the females by the How can weMichael Mulqueen help our Trish Hartmann males. She will line the nests with pine needles, moss, and dry grass. avian friends? Nest boxes are a haven for Wood Ducks many birds who nest in tree cavities, and like many traditionally relied cavity dwellers, have found habitat on tree cavities or wooden fence posts loss creating a housing shortage. for nesting places. Nest boxes placed along creeks Many are happy Tina DapugletJennifer C. provide much needed relief. to accept a well- placed nest box as an alternative. Red-Tailed Hawks The website, build nests that can be up to 6.5 feet nestwatch.org, is a great resource for high and 3 feet across! Both parents placing, buying or construct the nest with dry sticks building nest boxes. and line it with bark strips, fresh leaves and dry plants. Sometimes, Henry T. McLinTrish Gussler these nests are stolen by a great horned owl and the hawks must find a new place to rebuild. Bushtit* These flocking birds only pair off during mating season. Their nests are made of lichens and spider webs, Gary Paakkonen Mick Thompson insulated with feathers, fur and Tree swallowRon Henise downy plant material like cattail fluff. on nest box14 See ebparks.org/calendar for upcoming programs. Follow us on Facebook at Sunol Regional Wilderness!

Tilden NATURE AREA Did You Know? B oth honeybees and native bees gather more than just nectar for food. They gather pollen too! But why? Pollen is a form of protein for bees while nectar that is transformed into honey is a carbohydrate. But how do Pollinator Word Search Eric Nicholas bees carry the pollen back to the hive? Honeybees have special hairs on their hind legs that they use to hold the Honey bee pollen. Some native bees like the leafcutter bee, have pollen collecting hairs under their abdomen. So, the next time you take a hike and spot a bee on a flower, look for pollen gathered somewhere on their body! Senior Hiking at Kennedy Grove Ah, the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, the first full day of summer, and the kickoff for warm Leafcutter bee weather activities! With an abundance of daylight, get out and enjoy your parks, from hikes, to picnics, to everything under the sun ... This hike explores Kennedy Grove Regional Recreation Area's “Leftover Land” with a solstice surprise! THE OVER-THE-HILLS GANG Trail Gail angiosperm fertilization moth 10am-12:30pm, Tues, June 21 anthecology flower nectar Hikers 55 years and older interested in nature study, beetle gymnosperm pollen history, fitness, and fun are invited to join and explore bumblebee honeybee the Regional Parks. Mining bee butterfly hummingbird No registration, drop-in, for info (510) 544-2233 Whats Happening at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden The Botanic Garden is open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., October – May and 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., June – September. Info: Visit nativeplants.org or call (510) 544-3169 for special events, classes, docent training, and Friends of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden e-Newsletter. DOCENT-LED WEEKEND 1ST SATURDAY & WEEKDAY PLANT SALES AND HOLIDAY TOURS Choose from a huge selection of California nativeSaturday 2pm; Sunday and holidays, 11am and 2pm plants. Bring your own boxes or small wagon. FirstMeet at the Botanic Garden Visitor Center. Saturday of the month: 10am till 2pm; Monday andAccepting groups of ten or less. Rain cancels! Free. Ithuriel's Wednesday: 10am to noon. Spear See ebparks.org/calendar for upcoming programs. 15

Volunteer PROGRAM 2950 Peralta Oaks Court Oakland, CA 94605-0381 ebparks.org Volunteer Spotlight: Regional Parks Botanic Garden Volunteers! T he Regional Parks Botanic Garden (in Tilden Regional Park) has a long and storied history of outstanding volunteer activity. Read on to learn more about Botanic Garden volunteer opportunities! PLANT PROPAGATORS Our longest running volunteer program at the Botanic Garden dates back to the 1970s! These wonderful volunteers help grow, care for, and sell thousands of California native plants though our biannual and weekly plant sales. Working closely with garden staff, they collect BOTANIC GARDEN DOCENTS seeds and cuttings from our Botanic Garden Docents provide weekend and holiday tours for the public collection and sometimes even their home gardens. They provide ongoing care and educational tours for school children. Some Botanic Garden Docents and maintenance until the plants are ready to be sold. Some plants require even travel to underserved schools to provide in-classroom programs to years of tending! Their efforts greatly benefit the garden. complement the school’s field trip to the garden. Botanic Garden Docents must attend an intensive six-month training course. We are now planning for SEEDY FRIENDS the next docent training class that will begin in January 2023. Space in this class The Seedy Friends help collect, clean, and package seeds from the Botanic Garden is limited! Contact us for more information on our docent programs and/or for sale to the public. These volunteers operate throughout the year but are to get on our preliminary contact list for the 2023 docent training class. busiest from late spring through early fall as they collect and process seeds. FRIENDS OF THE REGIONAL PARKS BOTANIC GARDEN GARDEN HELPERS And of course, the garden benefits greatly from the support of those who These helpful folks make the garden look its contribute to our amazing Friends of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden best through targeted weeding and other organization. Beside the critical financial support each membership with our gardening tasks, under the guidance of our Friends organization provides, they also provide our professional gardeners. They also assist with website nativeplants.org, the quarterly Manzanita some specialized projects like cataloging the publication, The Botanic Garden Monthly digital Botanic Garden’s book collection, scanning e-Newsletter (free when you sign up on the slides, etc. They are true helpers in every way! website), classes, field trips, help with the Docent GARDEN GREETERS program, and support for projects. The Friends advocate for the Botanic Garden and support staff Garden Greeters create a warm welcome field collecting expeditions. Visit the website to for our visitors on weekends and holidays. join the Friends or request a Friends membership They help our visitors have the best possible brochure by contacting the Botanic Garden. Friends experience by handing out maps and offering memberships are available to everyone! general information. These positions are specially trained in all areas of the garden! Interested in these volunteer activities? Contact the Regional Parks Botanic Interested? Contact us to apply. Garden, call 510-544-3169 (press 0 and leave a message with your name, phone number, and a brief message). Or email our staff at BGarden@ebparks.org16