East Bay Parks need your help for California Coastal Cleanup Day

SAN FRANCISCO EAST BAY, CA (Sept. 4, 2021) — East Bay Regional Park District is taking a two-way approach this year to the annual California Coastal Cleanup Day.

The district will host in-person volunteer cleanup efforts on Saturday, Sept. 18 at six regional parklands: Martin Luther King in Oakland, Crown Beach in Alameda, Point Isabel in Richmond, Radke Martinez, Del Valle south of Livermore, and Hayward Regional Shoreline.

These parklands will have starting times at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon with a maximum of 15 participants per hour. The parks will be open for regular use, but only registered Coastal Cleanup participants will be given cleanup gear.

You must pre-register for this event. For information and registration, click here.

In addition, the district encourages self-guided neighborhood coastal cleanup efforts. Volunteers can assemble their own gear and host a cleanup in their neighborhood or local park.

Report your Coastal Cleanup hours and receive a Coastal Cleanup patch and/or sticker. For information, visit ebparks.org/coastalcleanup or call 510-544-2515.

Garin Apple Festival

Hayward’s farming and pioneer past will come to life on Saturday, Sept. 11 during the Garin Apple Festival at Garin Regional Park.

From noon to 4 p.m., activities will include ice cream making, old-fashioned games, crafts, blacksmithing demonstrations, and tours of Garin’s apple orchard, where volunteers tend trees that grow heritage apple varieties no longer available in stores.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, you must wear a mask and maintain social distancing between participants.

This drop-in program does not require registration. The festival has no charge, though Garin Regional Park has a parking fee of $5 per vehicle when the kiosk is attended.

You can find Garin at the end of Garin Avenue off Mission Boulevard in Hayward. For information, call 510-544-3220.

Fire on the Mountain

There are plenty of other activities on schedule the same weekend in the regional parks.

For example, there’s a “Fire on the Mountain” hike from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11 at Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in Antioch.

Meet naturalist Ashley Adams in the parking lot at the south end of Somersville Road for a moderate 1½ – mile hike through the chaparral to see how fire is impacting California. Ashley will describe how wildlife lives with fire, and how the district is working to protect parklands. Bring plenty of water and sun protection.

The program is free, but registration is required. If air quality is bad, the program will become virtual. Black Diamond Mines has a parking fee of $5 per vehicle when the kiosk is attended.

For registration and information, call 888-327-2757, option 2.

Trash Talk

And at Big Break Regional Shoreline in Oakley, it’s “Trash Talk” time from 10 to 10:30 a.m., 11 to 11:30 a.m. and noon to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11. Through enjoyable and safe hands-on activities, learn how plastic trash enters the waterways and harms our environment.

The program is geared for children 6 through 13 and their caretakers, though all ages are welcome. Chaperones are required for everyone under 18 years.

All visitors over two years must wear face coverings while participating, and all group members must arrive together. Late arrivals may not be admitted. Plan to come five minutes early. The program repeats at the same time on Sunday, Sept. 12. You must register for this free event. Call 888-327-2757.

You can find Big Break at 69 Big Break Road off Oakley’s Main Street.

Redwood walk

You can join a naturalist for a walk from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 11 at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park in Oakland. The three-mile mostly flat stroll winds though the beautiful redwoods.

Meet at the Wayside staging area, which you can access via the park entrance on Redwood Road, about two miles down the hill from the intersection with Skyline Boulevard in Oakland.

The hike has no charge and does not require registration. Just show up. Parking costs $5 per vehicle when the kiosk is attended. For information, call 510-544-3187.

Coyote Hills nectar garden

The nectar garden at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont is a great place to find out about native plants and the importance of insects that pollinate them.

You can join a program at the nectar garden from 11 a.m. to noon on Sunday, Sept. 12. This drop-in event does not require registration, and welcomes all ages. The event requires masks, social distancing, and parental participation, however.

You can find Coyote Hills at the end of Patterson Ranch Road off Paseo Padre Parkway. The program has no charge but parking costs $5 per vehicle. For information, call 510-544-3220.

For a full list, visit the park district website at www.ebparks.org and click on “Activities” at the top of the home page.

Ned MacKay writes a regular column about East Bay Regional Park District sites and activities. Email him at nedmackay@comcast.net.