Aerial photo of Breuner Marsh. The East Bay Regional Park District in July approved a plan for restoring the habitat and creating public access at this wonderful Bay wetland area.
The Board of the East Bay Regional Park District, as part of its process for revising the parks’ Master Plan, plans to focus on “Trails for All”.
What does the Board mean by this?
The Sierra Club hopes that the District will focus on providing a range of trail and park experiences for all different park users. Equestrian experiences are different from those of hikers or bird-watchers or those of mountain bikers. There may be some trails that can be open to all types of users, such as old fire roads or ranch-access roads, but the District also needs to create different types of trail experiences for different users.
A special emphasis should be placed on trails for families with younger children. Today’s children will be the future supporters and users of the parks. Consider the Packrat and Loop Trails around Jewel Lake. This route is a delight to younger children. It is narrow, with obstructions along the trail, and a boardwalk. The District should seek out expert advice on creating more such wonderful children’s experiences in the parks.
The Sierra Club supports the emphasis in the Master Plan on trails for all that includes different experiences within a park unit–”different walks for different folks”.
Norman La Force, chair, Sierra Club East Bay Public Lands Committee
