Open Space Jewel Returns to Bayview-Hunters Point

“With the first tide coming into the recently restored 
marsh area, I felt the change that will improve life in 
the surrounding community.”
Axel Rieke, Northgate Environmental Engineer on the
Yosemite Slough Wetlands Restoration Project

Candlestick Point wetland reclaimed as key habitat
Peter Fimrite, SF Chronicle, November 23, 2011

Elizabeth Goldstein, the executive director of the California State Parks Foundation, stood in the mud at Yosemite Slough on Tuesday and welcomed the reclamation of the 7-acre site as a wetland.

After years of planning and months of cleanup and construction, two new tidal bays and a sandy shell-covered island designed exclusively for birds are the featured attractions in this $9 million phase of restoration of Yosemite Slough at Candlestick Point State Recreation Area. The 10-year-old project by the parks foundation and California State Parks will bring bayside recreation to Bayview-Hunters Point.

The new 7-acre marsh area is part of the Yosemite Slough Restoration plan, which will return 34 acres of shoreline to its natural state, creating the largest contiguous wetland area in San Francisco.  Native grasses will also be planted to stabilize the muddy shoreline, and 40,000 shrubs and plants will be added for erosion control. As many as 40 children involved in the local Literacy for Environmental Justice program are raising the shrubbery and are expected to help with the planting.

An additional $10 million will be spent restoring 13 more acres, including 5 acres of wetland on the opposite side of Yosemite Slough, and up to $4 million more will be spent adding an interpretive center, parking, a trail around the site, picnic tables, restrooms and lawns by 2015, when the project is expected to be completed. The parks foundation plans to raise money for the rest of the project given that the park system is broke and Candlestick Point is on the state's closure list.

"This was a very important project for the community - not only for the recreation but because it is an environmental justice project" that involved the removal of contaminated soil and hazardous construction debris, Goldstein said.

Read the complete story on SFGate.

Orange County Wildflower Hikes

OC Parks is offering several wildflower tours to the public. The next Wildflower Hike is on Saturday, June 12.

Wildflower Hike
Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Willow Staging Area, 20101 Laguna Canyon Road
8:30 am to 11:30 am

Call 949-923-2235 to make reservations. Parking $3, plus $2 donation.

Learn more about where to find wildflowers in Orange County with this interactive multimedia presentation.

Also, check out the entries from the Orange County Register’s wildflower photo contest.  This year's contest is over, but there's always next year!

More Open Space

East Bay district opens new Dublin Hills park
Caroline Jones, SF Chronicle, July 22, 2010

The East Bay Regional Park District has opened its newest park, Dublin Hills. The park, Dublin's largest, is 520 acres of grassy ridgetop just west of downtown. It boasts views of San Francisco, Mount Tamalpais, Mount Diablo and all points in between.

For a century, much of the land has been ranched by the Machado family. But over the past 20 years, the park district chipped away at the acquisition with easements and negotiations that culminated in this month's $2.5 million purchase.

Dublin Hills was a critical acquisition because it potentially will link to Pleasanton Ridge and the Calaveras Ridge Trail, a 30-mile ridgetop path from Las Trampas in Alamo to Mission Hills in Fremont.

Read the complete article here.

Oakland Hills Canyon Saved for Open Space

Neighbors' work to save Butters Canyon pays off
Carolyn Jones, San Francisco Chronicle, March 5, 2010

Last week, a group of Oakland neighbors purchased the last of 13 parcels in Butters Canyon, capping a 9-year effort to preserve the 1/2-mile open space in perpetuity.

They did it entirely on their own, raising nearly $800,000 through yard sales, grants, loans and donations.

The Butters Canyon Conservancy, a nonprofit formed by a few dozen neighbors, will maintain the canyon and keep it accessible to bicyclists, hikers, dog-walkers and those just seeking relief from city life.

The effort started in 2001, when a developer planned to build a home in the secluded, steep canyon just south of Joaquin Miller Road. Afraid they'd lose their green oasis, which is also the headwaters of Peralta Creek, neighbors started raising money to usurp development plans.

Most of the funding came through Measure DD, a $200 million bond that Oakland voters passed in 2002. With help from city Councilwoman Jean Quan's office, the conservancy obtained more than $500,000 to purchase four of the properties. Three lots were donated, three were secured through conservation easements and remaining parcels already have homes on far corners.

Oakland has taken advantage of the slumping real estate market to save four other canyons, as well. The city has purchased Castle Canyon, 10 acres near Joaquin Miller Park, 5-acre Beaconsfield Canyon off Ascot Drive, and Dunsmuir Heights Canyon, 62 acres behind the Dunsmuir House.

Read the complete story here.

Green Lining to Real Estate Bust

Developers' bust proves a boon for land trusts
Peter Fimrite, San Francisco Chronicle, October 19, 2009

San Francisco-based Trust for Public Land recently agreed to purchase and forever preserve 595 acres of oak woodlands and 2 miles of river in the Sierra foothills.

The chaparral-covered land 15 miles outside of Marysville had been slated to be bulldozed for homes. But the housing bust allowed the trust to swoop in with a $4 million offer that was quickly accepted.

It seems like a rare opportunity, but all over California, tough economic times are forcing investors and developers to abandon housing projects and real estate deals that would have made them a fortune just a few years ago. Conservation organizations and trusts are moving in to buy the land, often at bargain basement prices.

The trust has also made a $3 million offer for the adjacent 505-acre Blue Point property, a stunningly picturesque area of historic sites and spectacular cliffs that were scoured out by hydraulic gold mining between 1865 and 1884.

And, it is in the process of purchasing the Bruin Ranch, a 2,300-acre oak woodland about 15 miles away for $12.6 million. It was for sale for $30 million three years ago.

Land deals are being negotiated by the trust throughout the country, including 80 acres of waterfront property in Florida owned by the company run by former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo.

Read the complete story here.

More Open Space Saved

Conservationists secure rest of Franklin Canyon
Richard Procter, San Francisco Chronicle, August 14, 2009

The Muir Heritage Land Trust signed an amended agreement this month that adds 60 acres to the 423 acres of Franklin Canyon the group purchased last year. Franklin Canyon, located in Hercules, has been the target of development projects on several occasions because of the terrain's flat and building-friendly nature.

The land trust had been in continuous negotiation with the property owners, a consortium of investors, since the initial agreement was signed last year. The continued negotiations were a result of the extreme desirability of the final 60 acres, which had been identified as the most easy-to-develop part of the property.

The final acreage was purchased for $830,000. The group will have until June to raise $2.6 million to complete the transaction.

Read the complete story here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/14/BAES1985AV.DTL&type=green