Celebrate Earth Day, Sat., Apr. 20, in two ways at Berkeley’s Brower Center

From 2-5 PM, Citizens Climate Lobby hosts a FREE Home Electrification Fair at the Brower Center, 2150 Allston, near downtown Berkeley BART.  Experts will answer questions about transitioning from gas to electric.  Where do I start? Must I upgrade my electrical panel? What are the available financial incentives? 

Info and registration at
 www.tinyurl.com/electrifyberk

From 7-9 PM, enjoy audience favorites from the 2024 Wild and Scenic Film Festival, the nation’s premier environmental and adventure film festival.  These films explore nature, community activism, adventure, conservation, water, energy and climate change, wildlife, environmental justice, agriculture, and more. They offer stellar filmmaking, beautiful cinematography, and first-rate storytelling.

Info and tickets at www.tinyurl.com/wsff24. Get a $5 discount on tickets with code CCLALA.

Fountain honoring indigenous peoples to become reality after 30+ years, with boost from BPFP partner group

The Turtle Island Monument citizen group, including Elyce Klein, Deb Durant, and David Snippen, is delighted that the Berkeley City Council on July 25 approved a conceptual design and funding that should at last transform the derelict fountain in Berkeley’s Civic Center Park into an inviting monument to Indigenous peoples.

The 50-foot-diameter fountain has a complex history. Gifted to Berkeley after the 1939-40 Treasure Island World’s Fair, it was abandoned as a working fountain in the 1970s due to drought and cost of renewing the aging plumbing. When Berkeley re-named Columbus Day as the first Indigenous Peoples Day in 1992, Potawatomi artist Lee Sprague and Navajo designer Marlene Watson, both local residents at the time, proposed repurposing the concrete circles to create a monument honoring a Native American creation story. A national design competition in 2008 led to South Dakota artist Scott Parsons sculpting four bronze turtles, and to creation of eight inlaid stone medallions designed by Native American artists across the county.

The artwork was delivered — but then languished for a decade as the city debated other park elements. In 2018, the citizens group set out to revive the project, obtaining support from the City Council and Mayor Jesse Arreguin and, as a partner group of BPFP, a $5000 UC Berkeley Chancellors Community Partnership grant. The resulting conceptual design helped reconnect city staff with the original artists and their vision, and move the project through early approvals and funding.

On July 25, 2023, the City Council approved a revised conceptual design and its funding. The project now is moving toward an anticipated completion date of spring 2024. Thank you to project partners Elyce Klein, Deborah Durant, and David Snippen and the hard work of dedicated volunteers!

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Berkeley Path Wanderers Assn. honored on 25th Anniversary

Congratulations to the Berkeley Path Wanderers’ Association for 25 years of improving and tending Berkeley’s historic pathway network (inspiring similar efforts around the Bay), leading hundreds of walks, and distributing their wonderful map — now in its 10th edition! This BPFP partner group will be honored with a proclamation during the City Council meeting Tues., July 25, shortly after 6 PM. Mayor Jesse Arreguin also plans to read the proclamation at the August 6 grand-finale reception for Path Wanderers’ annual Path-a-Thon, walking every path in Berkeley!

BPFP President John Steere named “hero of the greenbelt”

Greenbelt Alliance, a Bay Area nonprofit working for open space, smart growth, and climate resilience, has named longtime Berkeley Partners for Parks President John Steere one of its 2023 “Hidden Heroes of the Greenbelt.” These annual awards celebrate dedicated and often unsung government staff who provide extraordinary leadership on land use and climate change in the Bay Area. Greenbelt Alliance’s Aug. 14 65th Anniversary Dinner at San Francisco’s Salesforce Tower will feature short films on this year’s heroes. More information and tickets here.

Many ways to love Mother Earth on Earth Day, Sat., Apr. 22

CLEANUPS

Berkeley welcomes volunteers to clean up along shoreline near the Marina 9-11 AM, before the Bay Festival. Meet at Shorebird Park, 160 University Ave.

  • Emeryville holds a cleanup 9 AM – noon from its Shoreline Park, West Frontage Rd. and Access Rd.  Info here.
  • Oakland hosts cleanups throughout the city, including on Lake Merritt, Sausal Creek, and Middle Harbor Shoreline Park. Interactive Map here.
  • The Watershed Project hosts a Wildcat Creek cleanup in Richmond and North Richmond,  9 – 11 AM, including planting natives and followed by a celebration at the North Richmond Ballpark, Info here.
  • SPAWNERS hosts a San Pablo Creek cleanup at El Sobrante Library 9:30 AM – noon, followed by community events. Info here.
  • East Bay Regional Park District offers Earth Day shoreline cleanups Apr. 22, sign up or drop-in, at Crown Beach (Alameda), Hayward Shoreline, Pt. Pinole, and Tidewater Boating Center (San Leandro Bay). Info here.
  • Baykeeper has guidelines for do-it-yourself cleanups and a mobile app you can use to report your finds, helping them track trouble spots and advocate.

OTHER WAYS TO CELEBRATE AND HELP THE EARTH

  • The Berkeley Bay Festival, 11 AM – 4 PM at Berkeley’s Shorebird Park, 160 University Ave., offers family-oriented performances, free boat rides, music, food, and displays from local environmental organizations. Info here.
  • A free home electrification fair hosted by Citizens Climate Lobby offers talks and information tables, 2-5 PM at the Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley.  Info and registration here.
  • The Wild and Scenic Film Festival, hosted by Citizens Climate Lobby, offers documentaries on nature, adventure, and the environment 7 -9 PM at the Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley. Films can be streamed at home through April 26.  Info and tickets here.
  • The Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge in Fremont celebrates 50 years of the Endangered Species Act with an open house and family-oriented activities 10 AM – 2 PM and a twilight marsh walk.
  • Free entrance to all National Parks on April 22.