Celebrate ‘Green Friday’ at East Bay Parks

East Bay Regional Park District has declared Nov. 25, the day after Thanksgiving, to be “Green Friday,” during which park entrance and activity fees are waived at all Regional Parks.

This includes fees for parking, dogs, horses, boat launching, fishing, and entrance to Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont. It doesn’t include state fees for fishing licenses, watercraft inspections or concessions such as the Tilden Park steam train and merry-go-round.

The idea is to encourage enjoyment of nature in its autumnal beauty with family and friends. Green Friday is part of the #OptOutside movement, started in 2015 by REI to promote healthy alternatives to post-Thanksgiving shopping.

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Activities with a Green Friday theme are planned that day at several Regional Parks. All are free. One requires advance registration.

There’s a “Green Friday Frolic” from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at Big Break Regional Shoreline in Oakley with naturalist Miriam Klingler. It’s a walk through the park in search of signs left by nocturnal wildlife. Big Break is at 69 Big Break Road in Oakley. For information, call 510-544-3050.

Or you can join naturalist Katie Garchar on a Green Friday hike from 10 to 11:05 a.m. at Contra Loma Regional Park in Antioch. Enjoy the fall colors and look for birds around the reservoir. Minimum age is six years and parents must participate. Meet at the end of Frederickson Lane. For information, call 510-544-2751.

A “Hike It Off” trek is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon on Green Friday at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park in Oakland. It’s a 5¼-mile hilly excursion led by naturalist Michael Charnofsky, with creeks, redwoods, prairies and oak woodlands along the way. Meet at the Trudeau Center at 11500 Skyline Boulevard in Oakland. Heavy rain cancels the hike. For information, call 510-544-3187.

Another chance for exercise is a “Burn the Turkey Hike” for ages six and up, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Sunol Regional Wilderness near Sunol, with naturalist Erica Stephens. Registration is required for this hike, and it may fill quickly. The route is a three-mile round trip along Camp Ohlone Road to the Alameda Creek Overlook (formerly Little Yosemite). The guided portion of the hike ends there; hikers are welcome to bring snacks, lunch and stay longer on their own. Children must be accompanied by adults. To register and obtain more information, visit www.ebparks.org or call 888-327-2757 and select option 2.

Sunol naturalists also plan an easy, one-mile walk from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 26. Stroll through the winter wilderness and see how the park transforms during cooler months. Bring drinking water, and wear weather-appropriate clothing. And there’s more: Erica will host an astronomy session with the TriValley Stargazers from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26 at the Sunol Visitor Center. This is also a drop-in program with no registration needed. All are welcome; parent participation is required. Sunol Regional Wilderness is at the end of Geary Road off Calaveras Road about five miles south of I-680 and the town of Sunol. There’s a parking fee of $5 per vehicle. For information, call 510-544-3243.

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At Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in Antioch, the naturalists lead a two to three mile “Saturday Stroll” almost every week. There’s a stroll from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 26 to check out the park’s plant and animal life. Or you can participate in a winter scavenger hunt from 10 to 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 27 with naturalist Jessica Kauzer to look for signs of the changing season. Both programs are free and registration is not needed. Minimum age is four and parents must participate. For either program, meet at the uppermost parking lot at the end of Somersville Road, about 3½ miles south of Highway 4. Black Diamond Mines has a parking fee of $5 when the kiosk is attended. For information, call 510-544-2750.

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Next in the Hikes for Tykes series for parents and small children is a naturalist-led stroll from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 29 at Leona Canyon Regional Open Space Preserve in Oakland. It’s drop-in, no registration required. Meet at the Canyon Oaks parking area off Keller Drive. It’s inside the condominium complex accessed at the intersection of Canyon Oaks and Campus Drive. For information, call Crab Cove at 510-544-3187.

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As is the case every year, South Park Drive at Tilden Regional Park near Berkeley is now closed to protect newts during their rainy season migration from fields to streams for purposes of procreation.

Newts are a variety of salamander, five to six inches long, with brown backs and gold bellies. During the dry season they remain dormant under rocks and logs in woodlands and fields. When the rains come, they migrate to ponds and streams to reproduce.

At Tilden Regional Park, their migration route crosses South Park Drive on the way to Wildcat Creek. They move slowly, and if motor vehicles are allowed, the newts’ journey is potentially fatal.

Park visitors can still walk and bicycle on South Park Drive during the closure period. But be advised: newts have a toxin on their skin to discourage predators. So keep your dogs away from them and don’t handle the newts yourself. Don’t collect newts for your home terrarium either. It’s illegal to remove plants or animals from Regional Parks.

Though South Park Drive is closed, you can still enter Tilden Regional Park from Grizzly Peak Boulevard via Golf Course Drive and Shasta Road.

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These are just a few of the Park District’s programs. For a full program list, visit https://www.ebparks.org/calendar