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Trekker News July 2022
Trekkers meet many birds of the Hillside. On a recent birding hike for Trekkers, led by Yari Greaney with the assistance of Zach Weinstein, Yari kept track of the varied avians that we saw and/or heard. What a remarkable group of fellow residents, and all encountered within a two hour span!
Who says birding isn’t lots of fun? Our hike leader Yari Greaney, along with Zach Weinstein. Also an avid birder, enjoy a moment during their tour. Photos by Dave Weinstein
Who were they? Yari reports: Mourning Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Red-tailed Hawk, Downy Woodpecker, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, California Scrub-Jay, American Crow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Oak Titmouse, Northern Mockingbird, American Robin, House Finch, Purple Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, California Towhee, Spotted Towhee, Black-headed Grosbeak.
Enjoy Trekkers’ Rotary Interpretive/Native Plant Walk. Join us in the Hillside Natural Area for a traipse along the Rotary Interpretive Walk, visiting signs that provide information on geology, plants, animals, and insects of the area. Learn about plants along the way with Janet Gawthrop, field trip coordinator for the East Bay chapter of the California Native Plant Society, who maintains volunteer weeding sites in East Bay Regional parks.
Janet Gawthrop, seen during a past Hillside Festival, will help lead our Rotary-Native Plant hike.
We will walk about 2 miles at a leisurely pace with one steep climb at the start. Sunday, July 31, 2022 10 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Meet: Schmidt Lane trailhead, near the Recycling Center.
And let us all at Trail Trekkers take this opportunity to thank the El Cerrito Rotary Club for this wonderful interpretive walk. Not only did the Club fund and install all the signs, they also recently replaced two of the signs that had been damaged and in one case stolen by criminals.
A stone-faced home on Hillside Avenue is one of many Storybook style homes in the northern section of El Cerrito.
Join our Beautiful Homes Stroll. Let’s enjoy views of Storybook, Period Revival and Mid-Century Modern homes and gardens, and notice rock outcroppings, creeks and other natural historical features, on this sometimes steepish route. A 90-minute walk will finish with socializing and refreshments on the rocky front yard of a Trail Trekker’s home. Sunday, August 21, 2022, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Meet: In front of a home at 2661 Mira Vista Dr., Richmond, near the El Cerrito border. Leader: Dave Weinstein
Attend the Creekside Park Work Party. Join El Cerrito’s Green Teams and Friends of Five Creeks as we remove detritus and invasive plants along the creek. Cerrito Creek is a beautiful spot and it benefits from periodic sprucing up. It’s always a pleasure to see how much difference a few volunteers can make!
Sunday, August 14, 2022, 10 a.m. to noon or 1 p.m. Meet at Creekside Park, 3499 Santa Clara Ave., El Cerrito. All ages welcome (under 18 with guardian). Wear a hat and bring water, and hip waders or boots if you have them. We supply tools, gloves and bags and light snacks. Rsvp is helpful: (510) 215-4350| green@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
Help improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists in El Cerrito and the Annex. Trail Trekkers are participating in the Planning Committee for a virtual Community Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety Training for El Cerrito and the Richmond Annex on Monday, July 25th from 6 - 8 pm.
El Cerrito Strollers & Rollers, California Walks, and UC Berkeley SafeTREC are partnering to work with local residents and safety advocates to develop plans to improve walking and biking safety and strengthen collaboration with local officials and agency staff.
We want to make El Cerrito and the Richmond Annex a safer and more pleasant place to walk and bike for everyone. If you are concerned about walking or biking safety issues or would like to share a great idea to enhance the area please join the training at the Zoom link below (no rsvp required).
bit.ly/WalkBikeBayToHills. Meeting ID: 861 1797 5570. Toll Free: (888) 788-0099. For assistance email: Marina Ramirez, marina@calwalks.org
Join Friends of Five Creeks for a “walking work party” in the Hillside. Susan Schwartz will lead a combination walk and work party to remove re-sprouting French broom and to enjoy spectacular views in the Hillside Natural Area. This is a good way to learn about invasive French broom while helping improve habitat.
Tools, gloves and snacks are supplied. Bring water and wear sun protection, long pants, long sleeves, socks, and closed-toed shoes with good traction. Avoid fuzzy clothing that catches seeds. Work is light, but this event is best for ages 10 and older. Saturday, July 16, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the chained service road that heads downhill just after the turn onto Regency Court. The trailhead is by a home at 1531 Regency Court.
Take part in the next Baxter Creek Work Party on Sunday, August 7, 10 a.m. to noon. Please join city staff and other volunteers at Baxter Creek Gateway Park in this jewel on the Ohlone Greenway. The activities will include litter removal, invasive plant removal and native plant care.
All ages are welcome (under 18 with guardian). Please wear long sleeves, long pants, and closed-toe shoes. Bring water. The city will provide tools, bags, gloves, and sanitizer. There are no bathrooms at the park. We will meet at 10 a.m. at Conlon Avenue and the Ohlone Greenway. RSVP by email or phone: cbennett@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us or 510-215-4350
Baxter Creek Gateway Park Volunteer Days take place on the first Sunday of each month, except during major holiday weekends, in which case we will meet the following Sunday.
Subsequent dates for 2022 are: September 11 (2nd Sunday due to Labor Day holiday), October 2, November 6, December 4
Trekkers enjoyed the July 4 WorldOne Festival. Dozens if not hundreds of people stopped by the Trekkers booth at this year’s festival, the first since the pandemic and very likely the best attended ever.
Many people admired the Trekkers’ map to all of El Cerrito’s trails during the July 4 festival. Many bought copies, and other people received them as a member benefit when they joined our organization.
We took the occasion to meet new people, add signups to our email list, discuss our plans to preserve Fairview Open Space as important wildlife habitat and as public space, and promote our hikes and work parties.
Buy our El Cerrito Trail Map. The second edition of this map is available at three stores, Jenny K , Builders Booksource on Fourth Street in Berkeley, and Pegasus books on Solano Avenue.
Or you can buy a map from us or get one “free” by joining Trail Trekkers. Send $6 for a map to our treasurer, Pam Austin, 834 Kearny St., EC, 94530
Have you renewed your membership? It only costs $20 annually to belong to Trekkers, and $500 buys a life membership. Please renew now or join by going to our website and downloading the membership form.
And consider an additional donation as well. Funds go for trail work, to install trail signs, for a fund to purchase additional open space, as well as incidental expenses. Donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.
Trekkers thanks new and renewing members and donors:
Sylvia Akinaga
Nathan Sinclair
El Cerrito Trail Trekkers board of directors:
Dave Weinstein, president, davidsweinstein@yahoo.com
Wade Huntley, vice president
Barbara Lass, secretary barbara.lass@att.net
Pam Austin, treasurer, paustin26@yahoo.com
Clare Sheridan, member at large, claresher@gmail.com
Melissa Hobbs, member at large, melma39@yahoo.com
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