Creek to Bay Day Event! Sign up | Save the Date! Annual Meeting | Bird Walk
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Berkeley's Assistant Fire Chief Colin Arnold (fourth from left) with our Conservancy's board members and Garber Park Steward's Founder Shelagh Brodersen (second from right) at our 2025 Annual Meeting | Photo by Ruby J. Soto Cardona.
Annual Meeting—November 8 from 4-6 p.m. At the Claremont Resort and Club
Help us celebrate our 25th year! Join us at our annual meeting on November 8 from 4-6pm at the Claremont Resort and Club. The meeting will be an opportunity to hear from the Conservancy board and staff about the goings on in Claremont Canyon, and from our speaker who will address the issue of fire insurance for homeowners. We will share more details about our invited guest speaker in our next monthly.
A Pink Honeysuckle vine abundant with berries grows along a section of the Willow Trail this late summer. | Photo by Ruby J. Soto Cardona
Pink Honeysuckle
As the summer slowly transitions to fall, we begin to see many plants changing color, dropping their leaves, or producing berries. The plant above is a native Pink Honeysuckle (Lonicera hispidula) vine overhanging the Willow Trail in the upper canyon. In July we saw this plant abundant with clusters of bright pink flowers with many pollinators and hummingbirds attracted to them. Now that the berries have formed, we are seeing more and more birds feeding on the clusters of berries. A delightful treat! Visit Claremont Canyon and catch a glimpse of this wonderful transition. Want to share your photos with us? Send us an email atinfo@claremontcanyon.org.
Volunteers at the Claremont Ave entrance of the park collecting trash and removing invasive and non-native ivy, thistles, and forget-me-nots. | Photo by Ruby J. Soto Cardona
September 19 from 9am-12pm
Celebrate Creek to Bay Daywith the Claremont Canyon community in Garber Park! This event is hosted by the Garber Park Stewards, in collaboration with the Conservancy, North Hills Community Association, and the Claremont Resort & Club.Activities will range fromremoving invasive and non-native plants near the lower entrance to the park, removing eucalyptus branches and debris from the interior of the park to lower fire fuels, and weeding along the trails to help make the paths easier to walk on.
Tools, gloves, and snacks will be provided. Thanks to the Claremont Resort & Club, volunteers will receive a $30 voucher (max 2 per family) to use at East Bay Provisions (same day or another day).
To volunteer scan the QR code above or by filling out the short form below. If you have a group and would like to volunteer, send an email to the Garber Park Stewards at gpstewards@gmail.com.
Three woodpeckers high above a tree trunk scanning for predators or danger as they take turns going in and out of a nesting cavity. | Photo by Wendy Leyden
Let's go woodpeckering! Sunday, October 4 from 8:30am-11:30am (meet at 8:15am)
Join Jeff Martin, Conservancy member, wildlife educator, naturalist, videographer, and woodpecker enthusiast, as we look for woodpeckers foraging in the Canyon. Jeff will lead us on a route through the territories of six regularly occurring woodpecker species. We will learn where to look for them, how to identify them, and observe their foraging habits. We will surely see other year-round resident birds.
This event is limited to ten participants—please contact us at info@claremontcanyon.org to sign up for this walk (or by clicking the button below). Exact location to be emailed to participants several days prior to the event. This is a leisurely hike with gradual elevation gain. Wear sturdy shoes. And of course, bring binoculars! Heavy rain cancels.
Several large eucalyptus trees along Alvarado Road are nearing the end of their lives, presenting a significant hazard to homes, cars, and people because of falling branches and excess debris. | Photo by Marilyn Goldhaber
Working with Oakland on the Safer Canyon Initiative
Since 2001, the Claremont Canyon Conservancy has stewarded Claremont Canyon and addressed wildfire risk, to preserve and restore its native healthy ecosystem. Through boots-on-the-ground efforts we have reduced fuel loads, removed dangerous invasive species, and nurtured native species. We have also taken an active role in organizing regional efforts to reduce wildfire risk.
This fall, with the generous $100,000 Safer Canyon donations, the Conservancy seeks to remove eucalyptus trees from Garber Park’s Alvarado entrance and near Fireplace Plaza. The Conservancy has discussed the tree removal proposal with Oakland city officials and awaits approval to move forward. The removal of these trees was called for in Oakland's Vegetation Management Plan (VMP) and identified as the purple shaded area in the Garber Park map (see on page 145 of the VMP document). Take a look at our 2026 Spring Print Newsletter on our website to learn more about the Safer Canyon Initiative.
Volunteers readying their green waste bags by the lower entrance of the Evergreen Path for a morning clean-up event. | Photo by Ruby J. Soto Cardona
A great community effort!
Last month, the Claremont Resort & Club joined our Conservancy community and the Garber Park Stewards for a fun morning clean-up event. Volunteers working in Garber Park cleared a few sections of the trails from non-native plants which helped widen and open up the trails. Our group of volunteers working on Evergreen Path cut back a few overgrown acacia trees and filled 18 bags with invasive plants and fallen eucalyptus debris. Thank you to all the volunteers and to the hotel for providing vouchers for volunteers to use at East Bay Provisions!
Visit this 13-acre park and help restore its native wild habitat (we meet year-round). Meet at the Fireplacebelow the Evergreen Lane entrance (Map). For more informationor questionscontactWyllie.
Join us in the upper canyon as we work to restore and maintain pathways, remove invasive broom, and collect litter. We meet at Signpost 29, 1.5 miles up Claremont from the intersection of Ashby/Tunnel Rd. More information Here. Questions? Contact us at info@claremontcanyon.org.
Help restore native plants and maintain a popular trail! Weed invasive plants, plant seeds, and-if it comes to it-water native seedlings. Located in the small side canyon just north of Claremont Canyon, which is above the Clark Kerr campus. No prior experience needed. Gloves and tools are provided.
Please contact Jim Rosenau or call at (510) 845-0106.
Hiking the Canyon
We would love to hear from our members and others who are out hiking or otherwise observing nature in the canyon. Send us your pictures at info@ClaremontCanyon.org and we will feature one each month.
As you venture outdoors this late summer, take caution of the plants you or your pets brush up against. The photo above shows native Poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) leaves. Although this plant looks harmless, the oils from every part of it can cause mild to severe skin irritations. Keep in mind: Leaves of three, let them be. If it’s hairy, it’s a berry. If it’s shiny, watch your hiney. Visit Calflora and Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy to learn more. | Photo by Ruby J. Soto Cardona
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A group of adventurous birders walking along the Panoramic Trail at our Fall 2025 Bird Walk. | Photo by Ruby J. Soto Cardona
Trails are open
All trails are open and accessible throughout Claremont Canyon. For maps and complete information on trails click here. You can also take a guided tour here. Please stay safe and take all items and pet waste out with you.
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