It's hard to believe that it has almost been a year since we rolled out the latest update of the Conservancy’s trail map of Claremont Canyon—with a promise to have it out at trailheads soon. Well, that time has finally arrived.
The Sierra Club corrects its record on its vegetation management strategy for the East Bay hills
Reprinted from the online Yodeler, September 16, 2015, with permission from the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club. For a copy of their flyer prepared for members and the public, click here.
As we slog through our fourth year of drought and once again watch wildfires devastate communities all across California and the West, we must acknowledge that the hotter, drier conditions we face due to climate disruption are not going away.
The Sierra Club’s eucalyptus management policy is the right approach for East Bay hills, by John Hitchen
The Claremont Hotel’s sustainability group comes to Claremont Canyon, by Steve Holtzman
Since being acquired by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in March 2014, the Claremont Hotel Club & Spa has stepped up its efforts to participate in conservation and stewardship activities in Claremont Canyon. Having long been the home of the Conservancy’s annual meetings, the Hotel, under the leadership of General Manager Len Czarnecki, has expanded its emphasis on sustainability.
Volunteers improve the experience of Claremont Canyon, by Jon Kaufman
The Berkeley Project Day, by Jon Kaufman
Creek-to-Bay Day in Garber Park, by Nancy Mueller
Just wanted to report two great projects last Saturday in our neighborhood: At the Demonstration Garden at Hiller and Old Tunnel, Gordon and Sue Piper led an enthusiastic group of volunteers. I had a chance to meet the new president of North Hills Community Association, Michael Schroeder (who was working his tail off!) and Carolyn Burgess, our terrific chair of Crime Prevention of NHCA.
Earth Day celebration in Garber Park, by Marilyn Goldhaber
If you happened to stop by Garber Park on the morning of April 18, you would have heard mentioned such mysterious-sounding places as Evergreen Hillside, Fern Glade and Horsetail Meadow. These are the beautiful mini-landscapes within Garber Park that are winter restoration sites for the Garber Park Stewards.
Park District Board accepts $4.65 m FEMA grant, press release from EBRPD
Reduce the fire hazard, don't litigate, by L. Tim Wallace
After 10 years, FEMA finally has issued its Record of Decision (ROD) on grants to reduce the fire danger posed by the eucalyptus trees in Claremont Canyon and the East Bay Hills. The ROD is not ideal. The Claremont Canyon Conservancy would have preferred the original draft that enabled the three grant applicants (UC Berkeley, the City of Oakland and the Regional Park District) to use the funds as each saw fit, rather than requiring all three grantees to use a “unified approach.”
On the trail, by Jon Kaufman
Nothing stays the same in nature. Willow trees are an example. They grow rapidly and also can die and fall over rapidly. That happened this past winter along the Willow Trail, named in honor of that species in upper Claremont Canyon. A large willow fell right across the trail making passage difficult, if not impossible.
Best of the Bay can be even better, by Fred Booker
This year in its "Best of the Bay" series, the East Bay Express named the Stonewall-Panoramic Ridge Trail in Claremont Canyon the Best Hike in the Sun. Similar honors were conferred in previous years, citing the trail’s spectacular vistas and easy access from the urban core. A car is not necessary to get there, a bus or bike, or even walking, will do.
Keeping abreast of Claremont Canyon, by Marilyn Goldhaber
There are many ways to keep abreast of the goings-on in Claremont Canyon—and also in its surrounding neighborhoods. If you are interested mainly in the wildlands of Claremont Canyon and the activities of the Claremont Canyon Conservancy, including our hikes, stewardship projects, trail upkeep, and wildfire safety, we have a monthly one-page newsletter that we send out by email to our members and anyone else who signs up for the service.
FEMA releases final EIS, by Jon Kaufman
On December 1, FEMA released the Final Environmental Impact Statement that sets conditions that must be followed by the University of California and the City of Oakland and the East Bay Regional Park District as they move forward with eucalyptus removal. The Conservancy has not yet examined the document in detail but here's our initial impression.
President's message: Conservancy update, by L. Tim Wallace
Counting the trees, by Fred Booker
There has been much ado over UC’s proposal to remove fire prone invasive eucalyptus, pine and acacia from the slopes of Claremont Canyon. UC’s plan has often been described by opposition forces as a “clear cut,” evoking images of the denuded hillslopes following old fashioned logging operations in the Northwest.
April 2014 fire in the canyon, by Joe Engbeck
THE ALARM SOUNDED AT 11:21 am. A fire of unknown size and origin was burning in Claremont Canyon. The cell- phone caller who was first to alert the Oakland Fire Department, reported a lot of smoke in the upper canyon not far from the intersection of Claremont Avenue, Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Fish Ranch Road. It was Tuesday, January 21, 2014—well into the driest winter ever recorded in the East Bay.
EIS talking points regarding eucalyptus removal program
Earth Day at Garber Park, by Shelagh Brodersen
Costs for growing large eucalyptus trees will sky-rocket, by Jerry Kent
AGENCY DECISIONS ABOUT GROWING large blue gum eucalyptus trees may be as risky as Frank Havens’ Mahogany Eucalyptus and Land Company of the early 1900s. That enterprise ultimately went belly-up when Havens’ 3,000 acres of eucalyptus trees in the East Bay Hills failed to become a “gold mine,” proving to be unusable for hardwood lumber.
