Bi-Lingual Program at East Bay Regional Park
Hearing and identifying sounds of the natural world is the goal of a program in English and Spanish, scheduled for 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 6, at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont. This is the latest in a series of bi-lingual programs with naturalist Martha Cerda. The program is drop-in; registration is not necessary. All ages are welcome; parent participation is required. Coyote Hills is at the end of Patterson Ranch Road off Paseo Padre Parkway. Meet Martha at the visitor center. Coyote Hills has a parking fee of $5 per vehicle; the program is free. For information, call 510-544-3220.
Commemorating the end of World War II in Europe on May 8, 1945, staff of the East Bay Regional Park District and National Park Service will host a walk and program from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 7, in Concord at the future Thurgood Marshall Regional Park – Home of the Port Chicago 50. The program is free, but registration is required. Attendance is limited. During the mostly-paved, two-mile stroll, staff will tell stories of the dedicated service members who worked at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine, and describe the lasting social impact of the war. Attendees should bring water and lunch, dress for full sun and warm weather. Restrooms will be available. For registration and information, visit www.ebparks.org/things-to-do or call 888-327-2757 and select option 2.
“Stop and Smell the Flowers” is the theme of Family Nature Fun Hour, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on both Saturday, May 6, and Sunday, May 7, at the Doug Siden Visitor Center at Crab Cove in Alameda. The visitor center’s interpretive staff will lead a walk to see the blooms within the park. The program is free and registration is not necessary. Or you can join a naturalist from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 7, for a two-mile stroll along the beach from the visitor center to the Elsie Rohmer Bird Sanctuary. On the way back, see what the tide has brought in. Both programs are free and registration is not required. Crab Cove is at 1252 McKay Ave. off Alameda’s Central Avenue. For information, call 510-544-3187.
Learn how to spin yarn without a spinning wheel, using your hands and a drop spindle, during a program from 2 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 6, at Tilden Nature Area in the Berkeley hills, with naturalist Jenna Collins. The program is drop-in and free of charge. Meet Jenna at Tilden’s Environmental Education Center, which is at the north end of Central Park Drive. For information, call 510-544-2233.
Find out what it takes to live like an animal at Big Break Regional Shoreline in Oakley, during wildlife games led by the park’s interpretive staff. The program is from 11 a.m. to noon on Sunday, May 7. It’s free of charge and all ages are welcome. Adult participation is required. Meet at the sand pit. Big Break Regional Shoreline is at 69 Big Break Road off Oakley’s Main Street. For information, call 510-544-3050.
There’s some good news. Del Valle Regional Park south of Livermore has partially reopened. No drinking water is available and there is limited access to restrooms. Facilities now open include the East and West Sides, Arroyo Staging Area, and hiking trails (but use caution when encountering signs advising storm damage). The boat launch is open, but no bait or boat rental are available. The campground and visitor center remain closed.
These are just a few of the programs and activities planned in coming days in the East Bay Regional Parks. For the full calendar, go to www.ebparks.org/things-to-do. And before you visit a regional park, be sure to check “Alerts and Closures” on the Park District website to be sure that storm damage repairs or other factors have not resulted in park closures or limited access.