The 22nd Annual Shoreline Cleanup

All groups and individuals should meet at the Berkeley staging area located behind the Seabreeze Market at the corner of University and Frontage Rd. Here, everyone needs to sign waivers, we give you trash /recycle bags, pencils, tally cards and a map of the areas we need to clean. THERE ARE SEVEN BERKELEY SITES, visit //www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/marina/marinaexp/cleanup.htm for complete details. Most are within walking distance of this area. Here is a map. For children under 18yrs, there is a waiver for their parents/legal guardians to sign, that they can bring to the clean-up.

Clean-up ends at 12:00- At this point, you turn in your tally cards at the main staging area and show us your most unusual items for judging. Each person will get a ticket to be part of our raffle. It usually starts by 12:30. Great Items are donated by local merchants.- If you would like to donate please let us know.

SPECIAL AGAIN THIS YEAR!
There will be a FREE drop off for volunteers of Electronic and Computer parts at the main site at University and Frontage Rd in the Dirt area behind Seabreeze Market- last year over 100 people came and donated 12 tons of e-waste!

The focus of the clean-ups are where the runoff from East Bay streets and creeks flows into the Bay covering the shorelines with litter. Most of the litter we pick up comes from inland, not the ocean. The new Bay trail runs along Frontage Rd. from Ashby Ave-to University, the site of the Berkeley Beach, connects the East Shore State Park. Some of the areas are part of the Eastshore State Park, which extends along the shoreline between Emeryville and Richmond. The clean-up provides a wonderful excuse to connect the cities, to make a difference and to explore the unique shoreline areas. We encouraged neighbors to do community service to clean up the Aquatic Park.

Aquatic Park Subcommittee meeting (of the Parks and Recreation Commission)

This meeting will focus on habitat restoration issues.

Tentative agenda items include:

  • Water Quality at Aquatic Park
  • Open Water Aquatic Habitat
  • Tidal and Freshwater Wetland Habitats

Location: Eugenia Room, 1947 Center Street, 4th Floor, Downtown Berkeley.
Date: Thursday, July 27th, 2006 (date changed from 25th).
Time: 10:00 – Noon.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Heather McMillan, Senior Planner in the Berkeley Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Department: HMcMillan@ci.berkeley.ca.us or .

A tour of Aquatic Park is also being planned for the Subcommittee to take place in late July or early August. This will be a public tour that that all are invited to.

Hooded Mergansers Return to Aquatic Park

Greetings from Egret Park,

A regal pair of hooded mergansers has been spotted at Aquatic Park. This is
their 4th season wintering along our bayshore.

They can generally be seen in the southeast quadrant of Middle Pond. They
are often just offshore of the tidal gates on the pond’s south shore.
They’ve been known to roost on the pier remnants from model yacht racing
days.

The male’s crest is black with an eye-catching white splash. He also wears
a white vest with an addtional white sash against his light brown body. His
back is black. The female’s crest is brown and fades to a strawberry
blonde.

For USGS information on the Hooded Mergansers, click here.

//egretpark.org/

Aquatic Park EGRET; November 2005

EGRET CabinNative vegetation is now thriving at Aquatic Park thanks to volunteers with the Environmental Greening, Restoration, and Education Team (EGRET) who have cleared invasive weeds and spread mulch to improve Berkeley’s bay shore for visitors and wildlife. In addition, newly installed benches provide opportunities to enjoy the scenery, as do the recently excavated historic seating terraces. The circle at the park’s southern entrance is now an elegant introduction to EGRET’s habitat stewardship work, with wildflowers in bloom year round. For more information, or to get involved, call Mark Liolios at 549-0818.