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Trekker News - December 2021
 








Huber Park, with rock outcrops and live oaks, is a beautiful tribute to one of El Cerrito’s founders. Photo by Dave Weinstein


The William Huber Sesquicentennial Hike. Meet at 11 a.m. Saturday, January 8, 2022, at Well Grounded Coffee and Tea, 6925 Stockton Avenue, for a two and a half hour hike through Huber Park, up many sometimes steep urban stairways and paths, past historic homes and mighty outcrops of rock, then downhill through the Hillside. We honor Huber (1872-1965), one of El Cerrito’s founders, a lawyer, gold miner, and civic leader on what would be his 150th birthday. Dave Weinstein leads the hike. All Trekker hikes are free.


Learn about iNaturalist and animals and plants in our Hillside at Trekkers’ Annual Meeting. Alan Siegel demonstrates how to use the free iNaturalist app, an ideal and easy way for learning about plants, insects and animals in the Hillside Natural Area. It’s a great tool for both children and adults.


We will look at plants that have edible, medicinal and cultural uses and stories. We will see how iNaturalist can be used for public education and in elementary and secondary schools for both biological and cultural studies. Possible future projects using I-Naturalist will also be discussed.




A wonderful citizen science generated guide to flora and fauna in the Hillside Natural Area can be enjoyed online and enhanced using iNaturalist.


If you have time before the meeting, check out:  https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/what-lives-in-the-el-cerrito-hillside-natural-area?tab=species. To sign up for iNaturalist, which is funded by National Geographic and the California Academy of Sciences: A Community for Naturalists · iNaturalist.


The program will be part of our Annual Meeting. We will also briefly discuss Trekkers’ work during 2021, and our projects for 2022. Leaders of the group will take questions, and we are open to public comments. We will also elect officers. Interested in serving? Let us know.


2 p.m., Saturday, February 5. The meeting starts at 2, followed by Alan’s talk, around 2:15. Via Zoom:

Topic: Trail Trekkers Annual Meeting
Time: Feb 5, 2022 02:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
https://nps-edu.zoomgov.com/j/1609396834


Meeting ID: 160 939 6834
Passcode: TTAM@25#2p


Hillside Natural Area Geology Walk. This approximately 90-minute geology walk takes you from the recycling center at the old Brown and Hutchinson Quarry up the hill to King Court and back down Moeser Lane. 


Learn about the geological setting of El Cerrito and about the rocks in our city – the Franciscan formation metamorphic rocks, volcanic rocks, and faults and landslides. 


Tour leader Gary Prost is a retired geologist who spent 40 years working for the U.S. Geological Survey, mining companies, and oil companies. He is a member of the Northern California Geological Society.


Bring sturdy shoes and hiking poles for the steep sections, and be prepared for any kind of weather. Meet at 10 a.m. Saturday February 19 at the Schmidt Lane Hillside Area trailhead, near the Recycling Center.



Parents, children from a 4H club, and others learned to distinguish harmful invasive plants from valuable natives during a combination hike-broom pull in November. They also learned how to remove the invasive broom plants. Susan Schwartz of Friends of Five Creeks was the leader. Photo by Dave Weinstein


Volunteer at the Green Teams Broom Pull. On Saturday, January 15, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. to noon, join El Cerrito’s Green Teams and El Cerrito Trail Trekkers to remove invasive French broom from the Hillside Natural Area. The ground is now soft making it easier to pull plants out. No experience necessary! Meet at the north end of Regency Court. All ages welcome (under 18 with guardian). Wear a hat and bring gloves, sunscreen and water. The Green Teams supply tools and tarps. For more info, email green@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us or call 510-215-4350.


Take part in the next Baxter Creek Work Party on Sunday, January 9, 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. 




Four Stephen Prée educated volunteers about native plants and the perils posed by invasive plants during a recent Baxter Creek work party. Photo by Dave Weinstein


The work party will be the second Sunday this month, not the usual first Sunday, due to the holiday.
 
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. 


Mark your calendars for Hillside Festival 2022 –Saturday and Sunday, May 14 and 15. The ninth annual Hillside Festival will be held in the actual Hillside Natural Area in 2022, unlike last year, when events were held virtually. This year we will also include virtual events for a hybrid festival. Trekkers is also developing a backup plan in case the pandemic worsens. But if all goes well – see you in the hills! Our festival is always free and features bird, animal, plant hikes, history events, and more.


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 $1,000 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:

Lori Staley
Matthew Chayt
Glen Nethercut
Allison Cooper
Maryanne West
Gary Yamamoto
Alan Siegel
Joyce Kawahata
Janet Parks
William Benson
Keitaro Matsuda



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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