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 TREKKER NEWS - JANUARY 2022
The city-owned Knott Trail is part of a three-legged, downhill route that is useful for hill dwellers heading to the Del Norte BART Station or other flatland locations. Although the lower segment gets regular pedestrian use, it would be safer and would get more use if wooden or concrete stairs and handrails were installed at the bottom. This is the bottom of the trail, at the intersection of Hagen Boulevard and Knott Avenue. Photo by Dave Weinstein
Plans for trail work in 2022. Trekkers hopes to improve several trails this year, and we are excited to be working with the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission to identify candidates, primarily among “urban trails,” meaning those that are not within the Hillside Natural Area.
The commission has added the following item to its work plan for 2021-2022: “Explore opportunities to support urban trails development and maintenance.” Eventually we hope (and believe) this will result in public works projects to improve several city-owned pedestrian routes that are currently either impassable or that would benefit from wooden or concrete stairs.
But given budgetary constraints, Trekkers and the commission are looking at routes that would be easier to improve, relying on volunteer labor.
Trekkers is also pleased to note that the Parks and Recreation Commission is also focusing on open space by adding this goal to their work plan: “Explore opportunities to support open space acquisition.”
The Rotary Interpretive sign about geology was stolen from the Hillside and will be replaced. Photo by Glen Nethercut
El Cerrito Rotary Club and Trekkers will repair the Rotary Interpretive Walk. This walk, funded by the Rotary Club and installed in 2020, has suffered from two criminal actions. One of the 15 signs was ripped from the ground and flung to the side of the trail. Another was stolen. These signs, designed and written by local volunteers, are city property. The signs should be back in the ground this winter at no cost to the city. Anyone with information on these acts of theft and vandalism is asked to speak to the ECPD.
Volunteers helped remove broom from the Hillside Natural Area at an earlier broom pull. Photo by Dave Weinstein
Volunteer at our Broom Pull on Saturday, January 15, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. to noon, join El Cerrito’s Green Teams and 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 and Trekkers supply tools and tarps. For more info, email green@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us or call 510-215-4350.
Learn about iNaturalist and animals and plants in our Hillside at Trekkers’ Annual Meeting on February 5. Alan Siegel demonstrate 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.
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.
Join Zoom Meeting
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 near 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.
Children get up close and personal with insects during Eddie Dunbar’s insect hikes. Eddie is founder and president of the Insect Sciences Museum of California. Photo by Dave Weinstein
We are lining up hikes for the ninth annual Hillside Festival 2022 –Saturday and Sunday, May 14 and 15. Geologist Gary Prost will lead a Family Friendly Geology Stroll to introduce young and old to the wonders of the rocks in our hillside, and the land beneath our feet. Eddie Dunbar will reveal the wonders of the insect world, another hike with strong appeal to kids.
Alan Siegel will lead a walk focusing on edible and medicinal plants, and Susan Schwartz of friends of Five Creeks will do an Easy Wildflower Walk. Janet Gawthrop of the California Native Plant Society will lead a native plant walk. Nicole Becker from Ojas Yoga Center will close the festival with a meditation in nature session. More hikes are in the works. Hope to see you there. The festival is free
And in case you would like to lead a walk, let us know!
Tour El Cerrito's Greatest Historic Neighborhoods at the El Cerrito Historical Society’s annual meeting – via Zoom. From bungalow clusters to charming Storybook villages, from streets filled with grand Tudors and Spanish Colonial homes to mid-century modern tracts, our city boasts some of the best-looking, well-preserved residential districts in the East Bay.
Trail Trekkers leads hikes through our neighborhoods often. Consider taking this virtual hike. Dave Weinstein leads a virtual tour through some of these neighborhoods, providing history, architectural context, and even some local lore. Will your house be on the tour?
This is the El Cerrito Historical Society's annual meeting. We will discuss our achievements in 2021 and our goals for 2022, followed by a public discussion and questions, then election for officers. The business meeting will take about 15 minutes.
The meeting will be held in remembrance of Chris Treadway.
Sunday, January 30, 2022. Business meeting, 5:45 p.m. Program, 6 p.m. to roughly 7 p.m., which will include time for questions.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81668871229?pwd=dUhRL1NHcGtQZWFsVS8yZjRVMktodz09
Meeting ID: 816 6887 1229
Passcode: 438908
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,81668871229#,,,,*438908# US (San Jose)
Take part in the next Baxter Creek Work Party on Sunday, February 6, 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.
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:
Mayor Gabe Quinto
Linda Margossian
Marty Suess
Lisa Martinengo
Victoria Nolan
Peter Smith
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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