How one Bay Area community is taking wildfire watch into its own hands
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1of5Cortis Cooper, a Kensington resident who helped start Wildcat Watch, a neighborhood group where a team of volunteers take turns monitoring ALERTWildfire camera feeds around the clock over Wildcat Canyon in the East Bay during periods with elevated risks such as red flag warnings, walks on the deck of his home overlooking Wildcat Canyon in Kensington, Calif., Tuesday, May 11, 2021.Stephen Lam / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
2of5Cortis Cooper, a Kensington resident who helped start Wildcat Watch, a neighborhood group where a team of volunteers take turns monitoring ALERTWildfire camera feeds around the clock over Wildcat Canyon in the East Bay during periods with elevated risks such as red flag warnings, greets Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Fire Chief Lewis Broschard at home in Kensington, Calif., Tuesday, May 11, 2021.Stephen Lam / The ChronicleShow MoreSh
Photos courtesy of the City of San Pablo
The Wildcat Creek Restoration and Greenway Trail Project is completed and the trail is now open to the community, the City of San Pablo announced Wednesday.
“The project restored 2,200 linear feet of creek and constructed 2,100 linear feet of trail with a bicycle and pedestrian path, 2,000 native riparian trees and shrubs,” the city stated. “The trail between Church Lane and Vale Road will be a crucial link in the future Wildcat Creek Regional Trail, connecting the San Francisco Bay and Wildcat Canyon Regional Park Ridge Trails.”
The use of the trail by bicyclists and pedestrians will also help prevent illicit activities along the creek corridor, the city said.
REGIONAL â Tri-Valley residents are one step closer to enjoying the recreational beauty of Alameda County.
During a recent public forum, officials from several local and regional organizations discussed updates on the plan to link six miles of trail from the Niles District in Fremont to the unincorporated community of Sunol.
âThis project (originally) became an initiative of District 2 because of a correspondence I received from someone in Newark,â District 2 Supervisor Richard Valle said. âShe had lost her husband as the result of an accident on Niles Canyon ⦠so we kicked around some ways to prevent bikes and trucks from having up-close and deadly encounters. This idea was born out of those collaborations.â
REGIONAL â The latest legislative attempt to preserve the 3,100-acre Tesla Park site near Livermore from use as an off-road vehicle park has moved forward in the California Assembly.
Lawmakers on the Assemblyâs Water, Parks and Wildlife committee voted 11-4 April 26 to send Democratic Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahanâs bill to protect the land from motorized vehicles, AB1512, to the bodyâs Appropriations Committee.
The vote with all Democrats voting for the bill and all Republicans against followed testimony from representatives of Sierra Club California, the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD), and the California Off Road Vehicle Association (CORVA).
âTesla Parkâs rugged terrain provides an unusual crossroad for a wide range of sensitive species who rely on this protective habitat as a wildlife corridor,â EBRPD Board President Dee Rosario told the committee. âThe beautiful biodiversity of this land implores us to save it to honor the h
East Bay Municipal Utility District declares Stage 1 drought
Jonathan Gross/Creative Commons
The East Bay Municipal Utilities District, or EBMUD, Board of Directors declared a Stage 1 drought April 27, indicating a water shortage that has implications for both Bay Area residents and plant life.
The declaration followed the death of hundreds of acres of trees in the East Bay Regional Park District, which started in October, partially caused by the second-driest year of rainfall on record in the region.
“California is sort of a droughty place, and so with that Mediterranean climate it is sort of a regular period of seasonal drought, but what’s been happening lately are these large, wide-scale single and multi-year droughts,” said Jodi Axelson, campus assistant cooperative extension specialist in the department of environmental science, policy and management. “The combined effect of hotter temperatures with moisture stress is putting trees under novel stress, causing tree mo