This season the Oakland vegetation management unit, under the leadership of the incomparable Vince Crudele, made significant progress in reducing vegetation on city and public roadside properties. Major thoroughfares in our area include Tunnel Road, Skyline Boulevard, Grizzly Peak Boulevard, Hiller Drive, Clarewood Drive, Panoramic Way, and Claremont Avenue. I’m pleased to say that Oakland is doing its job in the hills along major roads and near open spaces. Claremont Avenue was one of the later roads to receive treatment. Just when I was about to call Vince, Oakland’s team came through and cleaned up the area from Garber Park to Signpost 29. Throughout Oakland over 150 acres were cleared and over 50 miles of roadside vegetation abated. Goats grazed nearly 1,000 acres on city-owned parcels, many in the hill areas.
A sample of Oakland’s roadside clearing along Claremont Avenue is seen above. Also along Claremont Avenue, near the large EBMUD water tank, a small triangle of Park District land (top, left) dips down to the road. Unfortunately this small plot is a tempting place for illegal dumping. After a few concerned calls, the District did its job and hauled away the flammable material before the height of fire season.
