District plans two COVID-compliant Earth Day events
Earth Day, the annual rededication to preserving and improving the environment of our planet, falls on April 22 this year. Because of pandemic concerns, cleanup projects involving dozens of volunteers are not considered safe.
While the regional parks are not able to host large gatherings as is customary, there are two events planned to help the community feel connected to the parks and celebrate Earth Day — the 2021 Virtual Earth Day Celebration and the 2021 Volunteer Earth Month Neighborhood Cleanup.
The 2021 Virtual Earth Day Celebration is an event page where staff have compiled activities and opportunities to help visitors celebrate Earth Day. The event features the Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Redwood Reintroduction Project Interview; a webinar with “Doc Quack” about least terns; and fun Earth Day videos, activities and crafts. In addition to the events above, you can register for a morning Zoom meeting with a naturalist on April 18; storytime for kids on April 19; snakes at Black Diamond Mines from noon to 12:30 p.m. April 17, 24 and 30; or a Black Diamond Mines wildflower program on April 17 and 24.
Included in the celebration page is the information to register for the 2021 Volunteer Earth Month Neighborhood Cleanup, a program lasting from April 17 through May 31. The first hundred participants to register for the cleanup in their own neighborhoods will receive a Volunteer Toolkit containing a reusable mask, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves and a volunteer guideline sheet. To assemble your own cleanup gear, your kit should include trash bags or buckets, disposable and work gloves, a face mask, a trash grabber or kitchen tongs, sun protection and close-toed shoes. All of this and more is set forth on the park district website at ebparks. org. Here are shortened versions of the links:
• 2021 Virtual Earth Day Event: bayareane. ws/39XZ228;
• 2021 Volunteer Earth Month Neighborhood Cleanup: bayareane. ws/3223DMg.
VISITOR CENTERS >> There’s some good news about the park district’s visitor centers, which had been closed for the past year due to COVID-19. The centers have resumed programming, although with limited hours and capacity and reservations required at some facilities. Centers that are open with reservations required are Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont and Big Break in Oakley.
Centers that are open with limited hours are Black Diamond Mines in Antioch (the Greathouse Visitor Center only), Coyote Hills in Fremont, Crab Cove in Alameda, Sunol Regional Wilderness in southern Alameda County, and the Little Farm at Tilden Nature Area near Berkeley. Tilden’s Environmental Education Center remains closed for now. For updates and more detailed information on visitor center hours and program registration, visit ebparks.org/news/releases. htm online.
TILDEN ROAD CLOSURE >> Speaking of news, the closure of South Park Drive at Tilden Regional Park has been extended until June 1. South Park Drive is always closed to motor vehicle traffic during the rainy season to protect migrating and breeding California newts, a variety of salamander. The road was kept closed in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19. Its reopening is timed to coincide with resumption of reservations for group picnic areas located along the road. In the meantime, motorists can access Tilden Regional Park from Grizzly Peak Boulevard via Golf Course Drive and Shasta Road. Pedestrians and bicyclists can still use South Park Drive.