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BPFP partners again funded by UC Chancellor’s Community Partnership Grants

Hands-on volunteer work by Berkeley Partners for Parks member groups has again been funded by the Chancellor’s Community Partnership Grant fund. The fund, set up by UC Berkeley in settlement of a lawsuit, funds nonprofits that partner with UC Berkeley students, faculty, and staff to benefit the Berkeley area.

BPFP groups who will share $4000 include Aquatic Park EGRET, Berkeley Path Wanderers Assn., East Bay Green Parks Assn., Friends of Five Creeks, Schoolhouse Creek Common, and Westbrae Commons. Operating as the Greening Berkeley Hands on coalition, these groups host thousands of UC students volunteers at their work parties. They have received a grant every year since 2006, when the Chancellor’s Grant project began.

BPFP also will serve as fiscal sponsor for funding for the Berkeley Project, which brings thousands of UC students into the community to volunteer on specific days.

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July 9 talk on local pollinators — Bee there!

UC Professor of Entomology Gordon Frankie speaks on native bees and other pollinators and how to create habitat for them in your garden, at noon this Saturday, July 9, at Peralta Comunity Garden, 1400 Peralta Ave., Berkeley. Enjoy bee-related refreshments and this beautiful community garden, too! An added bonus for making your yard a haven for native bees: they don’t sting!

Free, all welcome. More information on native bees at //nature.berkeley.edu/urbanbeegardens/.

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Harry Shearer’s “The Big Uneasy” at the Rialto Cinemas Elmwood (July 8th – July 14th)

“The Big Uneasy” is the first documentary by long-time “mockumentarian” Harry Shearer (of Spinal Tap and The Simpsons). The film follows three remarkable people–the leaders of two scientific investigation teams, and one whistleblower–as they reveal the true story of why New Orleans flooded, and why it could happen in other cities across America.

Shearer speaks to the tireless investigators and experts who poked through the muck as the water receded, and uncovers a courageous whistle-blower from the Army Corps of Engineers. His dogged pursuit of facts reveals that some of the same flawed methods responsible for levee failure during Hurricane Katrina are being used to rebuild the system expected to protect the “new” New Orleans from future peril.

To learn more about the film and watch the trailer you can visit www.thebiguneasy.com.

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Schoolhouse Creek work party and “Hands Across the Sand” for clean energy

On June 25, Friends of Five Creeks volunteers removed invasives and trash at the mouth of Schoolhouse Creek, Eastshore State Park, and then joined “Hands across the Sand” as part of an international demonstraton for clean energy. The beach, sparkling with glass weathered out of the pre-World War II garbage landfill, is a symbol of how nature can heal itself if we let it!

More information on Friends of Five Creeks at www.fivecreeks.org or f5creeks@aol.com.Volunteers at mouth of Schoolhouse CreekF5C volunteers join hands for clean energy

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Volunteers on Codornices Creek for Green Day Across the World May 28, National Trails Day June 4

Green Day fans volunteer on Codornices Creek at 8th St. May 28
Green Day fans helping restore Codornices Creek for Green Day Across the World

On Saturday, May 28, fans of Green Day helped Friends of Five Creeks restore Codornices Creek, just two blocks from The Gilman all-ages night spot, where the East Bay punk-rock group got its first big break. They went on to sell 65 million records, win four grammies, and write a rock musical now on its way from Broadway to national tour. Fans declared May 28 Green Day Across the World, with environmental volunteering from Chile to Thailand and more.

Saturday, June 4, 10 AM – 12:30 PM, Friends of Five Creeks and Codornices Creek Watershed Council will again welcome volunteers, meeting at Codornices Creek and Eighth Street (1100 Eighth), two blocks north of Gilman, on the south edge of University Village. For National Trails Day, we’ll do light weeding to heavy pruning along the creekside trail. All welcome — tools, gloves, and snacks provided; work party will end with an interpretive walk along the creek. Information at 510 848 9358, f5creeks@aol.com, www.fivecreeks.org.