Conservancy members recently hosted a tour of Claremont Canyon with planners from the East Bay Regional Park District's Trails Development team, including trails manager Sean Dougan and Ward 2 Board Member Dee Rosario. We hiked up the Conservancy's new Gwin Canyon trail connecting Park District and UC lands, then headed over to the Stonewall-Panoramic Ridge Trail to assess its steepest section just below Panoramic Way. We are hoping the Park District will build switchbacks on this degraded section of trail for increased safety and accessibility to hikers. We'll keep you informed as progress develops.
Cal Berkeley Project Day
Thank You CAL Students: More than 20 UC Berkeley students joined us on October 28th to celebrate Berkeley Day working on trails in Claremont Canyon. Together we cleared trails, pulled French broom, widened the narrow portions of the new Gwin Canyon Trail and began installing steps on the steeper portions. Lots was accomplished and the trails are in great shape. Berkeley Day happens twice a year and the Conservancy has had students involved in these efforts for several years. Claremont Canyon is an example of how teamwork pays off. Thank you to the students, the Eagle Scouts and to all our volunteers for their past and present efforts.
Volunteers make the canyon beautiful, by Jon Kaufman
Building trails in Claremont Canyon, by Jon Kaufman
Through its stewardship program, the Claremont Canyon Conservancy has been building and maintaining fire trails in upper Claremont Canyon. Working with the landowners, in this case the University of California, our volunteers have improved the fire trail from Signpost 29 to Four Corners and named it the Summit House Trail (after the old inn that once stood at the top of the canyon).
Eagle scout troop continues trail building, by Jon Kaufman
New trail maps installed in four places, by Fred Booker
The Claremont Hotel’s sustainability group comes to Claremont Canyon, by Steve Holtzman
Since being acquired by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in March 2014, the Claremont Hotel Club & Spa has stepped up its efforts to participate in conservation and stewardship activities in Claremont Canyon. Having long been the home of the Conservancy’s annual meetings, the Hotel, under the leadership of General Manager Len Czarnecki, has expanded its emphasis on sustainability.
Volunteers improve the experience of Claremont Canyon, by Jon Kaufman
The Berkeley Project Day, by Jon Kaufman
Creek-to-Bay Day in Garber Park, by Nancy Mueller
Just wanted to report two great projects last Saturday in our neighborhood: At the Demonstration Garden at Hiller and Old Tunnel, Gordon and Sue Piper led an enthusiastic group of volunteers. I had a chance to meet the new president of North Hills Community Association, Michael Schroeder (who was working his tail off!) and Carolyn Burgess, our terrific chair of Crime Prevention of NHCA.
Earth Day celebration in Garber Park, by Marilyn Goldhaber
If you happened to stop by Garber Park on the morning of April 18, you would have heard mentioned such mysterious-sounding places as Evergreen Hillside, Fern Glade and Horsetail Meadow. These are the beautiful mini-landscapes within Garber Park that are winter restoration sites for the Garber Park Stewards.
On the trail, by Jon Kaufman
Nothing stays the same in nature. Willow trees are an example. They grow rapidly and also can die and fall over rapidly. That happened this past winter along the Willow Trail, named in honor of that species in upper Claremont Canyon. A large willow fell right across the trail making passage difficult, if not impossible.
Counting the trees, by Fred Booker
There has been much ado over UC’s proposal to remove fire prone invasive eucalyptus, pine and acacia from the slopes of Claremont Canyon. UC’s plan has often been described by opposition forces as a “clear cut,” evoking images of the denuded hillslopes following old fashioned logging operations in the Northwest.
Earth Day at Garber Park, by Shelagh Brodersen
Broom removal in the preserve with Ranger Jeff McKenna, by Marilyn Goldhaber
Another great stewardship day in the Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve. Although only four hardy souls showed up on this beautiful Saturday morning, we got right to work, splitting up into two locations to rid the lower canyon of French broom. We were fortunate to have Ranger Jeff McKenna, who brought along some large and small weed wrenches and a lot of muscle power. We feel that the lower Preserve is pretty much cleared of mature broom and only young seedlings are appearing--in smaller and smaller numbers each year.
Huge turnout for MLK Jr. Day of Service and Passive Restoration Workshop, by Shelagh Brodersen
As I write this post the rain is just beginning, and I smile thinking about our successful Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service Event just four days ago that brought over 45 enthusiastic volunteers to participate in our restoration activities along the riparian corridor of Harwood Creek, and how all our new native plants are being nourished by the rain.
Invasive tree removal expected to go forward, by Jon Kaufman
THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA’S PROGRAM of invasive tree removal from its land in upper Claremont Canyon has been on hold for the past three years while a federal environmental study assesses the environmental impacts of fire mitigation projects planned for the East Bay hills. Over 9,000 trees, mostly hazardous eucalyptus, have already been removed through UC’s program in Claremont Canyon. If all goes well, the program is expected to resume in 2013 or 2014.
Stewardship in the Stonewall area, by Marilyn Goldhaber
Barry Pilger saved the day by showing up with a gas powered hedge trimmer to rid the slope of several large stands of pampas grass. (We went back later that day with some old tarps and covered the pampas grass stumps to inhibit resprouting.) Ray Johnston also showed up and helped us rid the area of spurge (euphorbia) while the rest of us toured the rugged and steep area behind some homes as a site for future fuel break/wildfire mitigation work.
A busy spring for Garber Park, by Shelagh Brodersen
Illegal dumping deterred, by Joe Engbeck
In past years, Claremont Canyon was often used as a dumping ground for small-time, fly-by-night construction contractors and others who were not willing to pay the fees charged by official dumps. Debris of all kinds—car parts, plywood, plasterboard, empty paint cans, and even a few refrigerators and sofas—ended up on the roadside or down in the creek bed below the road.
