- Contra Loma Regional Park, October 28
- Redwood Regional Park, September 23
- Briones Regional Park, August 5
- Ardenwood Historic Farm, June 3
- Sunol Regional Wilderness, April 29
- Coyote Hills Regional Park, March 18
- Media Coverage
Contra Loma Regional Park, Antioch, October 28, 2017
Naturalist Virginia Delgado led participants on a walk around the lake where they learnt about the history of this important water resource. The Sarah Bush Dance Company led the group in fun interpretive body movements mimicking the varieties of water birds and plants. Laughter Yoga instructor Liz Nichols led the group in laughing exercises. After the walk, participants learned about the significance of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) from Maria Lazo of the Migrant Program at the New Haven Adult School in Union City. The participants enjoyed a delicious meal of tacos and burritos, danced to Mexican music, and made art ts and crafts celebrating this festival.
Redwood Regional Park, Oakland, September 23, 2017
Briones Regional Park, Martinez, August 5, 2017
Even though the day was scorching hot, the participants enjoyed this expansive park of rolling grassy hills and secluded canyons. Participants walked under the shade of tall oak tress along the Alhambra Creek. Naturalist Gail Broesder was successful in showing the group many of wildlife thriving in the creek. There were exciting encounters with frogs, lizards and banana slugs. The discovery of a natural spring at the head of the creek added to the excitement. Acupuncturist Linda Lee introduced techniques to boost physical and mental health through applying pressure on specific acupressure points and tapping along meridians to stimulate the lymphatic system. The participants shared a delicious lunch of somoza and kimbap at the end of the walk.
Ardenwood Historic Farm, Fremont, June 3, 2017
Naturalist Francis Mendoza led participants on the walk at this turn-of-the-last-century working farm. They learnt about the olden farming methods as well as characteristics and behavior of farm animals. They had the opportunity to feed the sheep and goats. The walk was followed by a sack race; a youth writing and drawing contest, and a fun body-movement interpretation of nature and animals led by Sarah Bush Dance Company. Participants created movements of wind, leaves, rabbits, peacocks and other animals with their bodies. The Korean community organized a Korean-culture appreciation day. They demonstrated the making of kimbap (Korean sushi) and origami animals like crane, rabbit and giraffe. The day concluded with a healthy lunch of kimbap and Indian food.
Sunol Regional Wilderness, Sunol, April 29, 2017
Members from all over the Bay Area gathered for the Ivan Dickson Trail Maintenance Day. Participants spent 2.5 hours pruning plants along the trails and assisting with erosion control. The group worked together with park staff to provide the much-needed assistance to repair the trails after a very wet winter.
Coyote Hills Regional Park, Fremont, March 18, 2017
Park naturalist Kristina Parkison educated the group on the history of the indigenous Ohlone culture, as well as the different wild and plant life in the park. The group also learnt about the “Leave No Trace” program, a non-profit that promotes the importance of keeping parks clean and having minimal impact on the environment. Yoga instructor, Jazz Ylaine-Baptiste, led the group though yoga poses that mimicked the natural habitat and birds in the marshland such as tree pose and eagle pose. Afterward, individuals gathered to share new words they learned in different languages (spider, flower) and how they felt being out in nature. Dolores Radding from Kaiser Permanente’s Public Relations dept. was at the walk interviewing participants.
Media Coverage
The East Bay's Natural Fortune. (2017, September 8). Visión Hispana. Newspaper Article (English) & (Spanish).
