Latest news with #EastBayRegionalParkDistrict
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Roughly 60 firefighters battling vegetation fire in Oakland Hills
(KRON) — A team of about 60 firefighters are currently battling a three-alarm vegetation fire burning in the Oakland Hills near Skyline Boulevard and Grass Valley Road. As of 10:10 p.m., this fire's forward progress is stopped and crews have the fire surrounded, the Oakland Fire Department stated on social media. No structures are currently threatened by the fire. Cliff rescue at Batteries to Bluffs hiking trail The Oakland Fire Department, Cal Fire, the East Bay Regional Park District and the Oakland Police Department are at the scene. KRON4 is awaiting more information about the fire. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
San Francisco Chronicle
15-05-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
Disneyland for dogs? I found an incredible surprise behind this East Bay Costco
I brought my bike to Point Isabel Regional Shoreline last Friday morning. I might as well have arrived riding a house cat. After pedaling for miles to the Richmond park on a mission of discovery, I was surrounded by a great many dogs and an excessive number of 'no bikes allowed' signs. Point Isabel is the biggest open space for pups that I've ever seen. I had left my own dog behind in Alameda. 'This has to be the world's most beautiful off leash dog park,' Point Isabel regular AJ Benham told me, as her German shepherd Schatzie seemed to nod along. 'People call it Disneyland for dogs.' My mistake was understandable. Point Isabel stretches out into the bay where Interstate 80 and Interstate 580 split, with the park mostly invisible behind the unappealing triumvirate of a Costco, U.S. Postal Service warehouse and wastewater treatment plant. Peering out a car window at 65 miles per hour, it looks like industry has declared victory over the shoreline. But there's definitely a park back there; more than 50 acres that have been clawed back by East Bay Regional Park District leaders and a devoted group of pup-loving locals. There are rolling hills, 270-degree waterfront views, trees for shade, marshland for birds, a kayak launch and more happy dogs per acre than anywhere else in the region. 'When I come to Point Isabel, I feel like I'm walking on history,' said Sam Goldsmith, with his German pinscher Dolma. 'There were a lot of human interactions to create what we have. And that feels so special.' Point Isabel was named in the mid-1800s, when Don Victor Castro filled the El Cerrito hills with cattle and named the point after his daughter Isabella. For most of the next 100 years, the beautiful peninsula was abused. It was a haven for illegal prizefights, then home to a dynamite factory. The Chronicle in 1907 reported a nitroglycerin explosion in a warehouse killed a man and broke windows a half mile away, launching 'a greater portion of the 30x30 structure … into the bay.' More recently, Point Isabel was a place where people dumped things. From 1930 to 1968 ceramics factory TEPCO in El Cerrito hauled broken plates and cups to the southern beach. Fifty years later, the shore remains covered with shattered place settings, mostly in colorful shards, which are remarkably glossy after generations on the rocks. More sinister things have been stashed there as well. More than a few dead bodies turned up on Point Isabel's shores. The northern waterfront is still called Battery Point by locals, for the car batteries that used to be jettisoned in piles. But potential remained. During the parks boom of the 1970s, the East Bay Regional Parks District cut a deal with the U.S. Post Office, which cleaned the space and leased 21 acres of shoreline for public use. Locals in 1985 formed the Point Isabel Dog Owners and Friends (PIDO), which fought for a leash-optional space and lobbied to expand the park, while paying for dog excrement bags and organizing volunteer weed-pullings and cleanups. (Point Isabel is technically an open space that affords off-leash privileges, not a dog park.) Visit in 2025, and the park is a triumph of creative land use and community. Point Isabel has its own quarterly newspaper, the PIDO Pointer; an onsite dog groomer, Mudpuppy's Tub and Scrub; and dog-themed coffee shop, the Sit & Stay Cafe. There's no point where the shore is farther than a quarter mile from a warehouse, parking lot or sign for $1.50 Costco hot dogs. (From an aerial view, the park looks like the fringe around an industrial postage stamp.) But berms around the perimeter effectively hide the concrete jungle, an optical illusion that won the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers a 1977 national merit award. Sixty trees have been planted, with about as many benches and picnic tables, some with plaques dedicated to dog lovers. Benches on a ridge have stellar western views of Mount Tamalpais, the Golden Gate Bridge, Point Richmond and an up-close look at Brooks Island Regional Preserve. Days after the bike miscalculation, I'm sitting at a picnic table with my dog Ripley, a white poodle/terrier mix rescued from a hoarder house, and three PIDO ('it rhymes with 'Fido'') board members: Benham, Goldsmith and president Lew Jacobson. PIDO members say their mission is to post and enforce rules, so leashes can remain optional. 'We don't have many ambitions,' Goldsmith said. 'We just want to walk our dogs in the park and have fun.' But East Bay dog lovers are not to be trifled with. When Richmond City Councilman David MacDiarmid proposed lifting the off-leash rules in 1987, he claimed a bag of dog feces arrived in the mail. (PIDO was not accused or implicated.) 'The council in our brave fashion looked at 80 yelling people and reversed position,' MacDiarmid told the Chronicle in 1990. 'People up for election were running for cover.' Stories by current board members sound less revolutionary, and more like chapters from 'A Dog's Purpose.' Benham discovered the park during a Costco trip 30 years ago, and came for years to enjoy the good boys and girls before she rescued one of her own. Jacobson says many regulars visit daily to walk, laugh and mourn together. Some continue after their dogs pass, just for the social interaction. There's so much space in Point Isabel, and so few points of potential escape, that I let Ripley off leash for the first time. She forges the path, peering back with an 'is this really happening?' look to see if I'm keeping up. An hour into my visit, I no longer notice the warehouses. I'm just thinking about the wonderful views, and wherever my dog decides to go next.
San Francisco Chronicle
10-05-2025
- Health
- San Francisco Chronicle
Rattlesnakes are back in the Bay Area. Dog owners should be especially alert
It's springtime again, and along with warmer weather and baby animals abound, the season has brought another familiar face back to the Bay Area: rattlesnakes. The East Bay Regional Park District issued its annual Rattlesnake Advisory on Thursday, warning park goers hiking along trails or visiting grassy areas about the increased likelihood of encounters with Northern Pacific rattlesnakes. Research suggests that dog owners should be especially vigilant about the risk of fatal bites. Most rattlesnake bites happen in April through October, when both humans and snakes are spending the most time outdoors, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. For humans and pets alike, these bites can cause severe injury or death, the CDFW cautioned. This March, the Calaveras Consolidated Fire Protection District said on social media that a man was taken to a local hospital after being bit on the leg by a baby rattlesnake. But for dogs, the bites can be especially dangerous. A 2020 study by the University of Queensland in Australia found that dogs were twice as likely to die from a venomous snakebite than cats. The reasons were twofold, the researchers found — dog blood clots faster, which allows snake venom to act more quickly; and dogs also explore with their nose and their mouth, areas with a large number of blood vessels, allowing venom to spread more easily. For dogs that frequently visit areas known to have rattlesnakes, an annual vaccine is available, according to the Sacramento Animal Hospital. The vaccine helps slow the spread and severity of symptoms, buying more time for a dog to seek medical help, according to the hospital. In 2022, the American Animal Hospital Association said such vaccines are recommended for some dogs based on their lifestyle and risk exposure. But it also cautioned that there wasn't published data documenting the efficacy of such vaccines. Rattlesnakes can be recognized by their triangular heads and segmented tail tips, which make the characteristic rattling noise when the reptiles get defensive. Still, some rattlesnakes may have small rattles or none at all, wildlife officials previously told the Chronicle. Their bites appear as one or two puncture marks that cause intense, burning pain, according to the East Bay Regional Park District. The park district recommends keeping dogs on a leash and avoiding straying off trails or into high grass to avoid potential rattlesnake encounters. It also cautions visitors to scan the ground ahead of them as they walk and to avoid placing their hands or feet in areas they can't clearly see. Rattlesnakes are especially active at dawn, dusk and night when temperatures aren't too hot, according to officials. If you are bitten, the park district advises you should stay calm and lie down, with the bitten limb held lower than your heart, to try to slow the spread of the venom. If you are alone and need to seek help, park officials said to walk rather than run to avoid raising your heart rate. It's crucial to call 911 and seek medical attention as quickly as possible, according to officials. Contrary to common belief, the CDFW warns it isn't a good idea to try to suck the venom out with your mouth. You also should not ice the bite or try to use a tourniquet. Instead, they advise removing any items that could restrict swelling, such as watches or shoes.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
East Bay Regional Park District asks for public's help with planning documents
The Brief The East Bay Regional Park District is asking the public to participate in a survey that will be used to create its new District Plan. The document will guide the organization's future planning and operations. The digital survey is open until July 31. OAKLAND, Calif. - The East Bay Regional Park District is asking the public's help in developing its next District Plan. The organization today published a survey, the responses of which will be used to guide its future. The new District Plan is a long-term roadmap meant to guide the Park District's decisions in the years to come, by outlining broad goals and prioritizing actions to help improve open space in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Residents interested in contributing to the plan can do so on the Park District's website. The survey will be open to the public through July 31. Printed versions will be available at EBRPD Visitor Centers starting Friday, April 25. The survey consists of 10 questions, several of which are multiple choice and all of which are voluntary — respondents can choose not to answer certain prompts if they wish. Questions include: What is your vision for the future of regional parks in the East Bay? What do you want and need to make your experience in the parks even better? How could our parks welcome visitors that represent the full range of the growing and diverse communities nearby? "Public input is absolutely essential as we shape the future of our park system," Sabrina Landreth, the organization's general manager said in a press release. "The next District Plan will reflect the values, priorities, and aspirations of the communities we serve, and we want everyone to have a voice in that process." The document will not list specific projects but will serve as a framework to guide future decisions about which projects to prioritize. The new document will build on past planning efforts and incorporate ongoing and projected shifts in the climate, economy and demographics of the East Bay. For example, projected sea level rise due to climate change will impact 55 miles of shoreline for which the district is responsible. California's increasing need for wildfire mitigation and prevention will also be factored into the document. The plan will be based on extensive research of existing conditions, analysis of future trends and input from the community. Development of the plan will include three rounds of opportunities for public engagement, of which the survey is the first. Further rounds will be announced later in the year. The planning process is scheduled to continue through 2026. The East Bay Regional Park District comprises 73 parks, 55 miles of shoreline, and over 1,330 miles of trails. The district receives an estimated 30 million visits annually.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Toxic mushrooms including ‘Death Cap' possible at East Bay parks
(KRON) — Two species of toxic mushrooms can be found at certain parks in the East Bay this winter, the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) said. The mushrooms can be deadly to humans and animals if eaten. The mushrooms are called the 'death cap' and the 'western destroying angel.' They are mainly associated with oak trees and can be found anywhere where there are oak roots, EBRPD said. Cancerous byproducts emitted from Martinez refinery fire: health officials Symptoms from eating the mushrooms initially include digestive problems, and they can progress to liver and kidney failure if not treated immediately. Symptoms typically appear in the first 12 hours after eating the mushrooms. Pet owners are advised to contact a veterinarian if they think their pet ate one of these mushrooms. 'The death cap is a medium to large mushroom that typically has a greenish-gray cap, white gills, a white ring around the stem, and a large white sac at the base of the stem,' EBRPD said. While it is typically associated with oak trees, the mushroom can be found near other types of hardwood trees. It is not native to California and was brought to North America on European oaks. In 2023, three people died from suspected death cap poisonings in Australia. National Geographic said they are responsible for 90% of mushroom-related deaths. The parks district described the western destroying angel as 'a medium to large mushroom that usually has a creamy white cap, white gills, a white ring around the stem that can disappear with age, and a thin white sac at the base.' It is native to California and only grows around oaks. It typically appears in late winter to spring. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
