RSS
Twitter
Flickr
Transit & Trails
Have you driven, biked, or walked through the Presidio lately? It's a pretty remarkable place. Here's an event to learn about what has happened behind the scenes over the past 10 years. Come celebrate.
Welcome!
- The Bay Area Open Space Council is acollaboration. We work together to preserve land, parks, trails, farms, ranches, forests, watersheds, and other open spaces. We have been around since 1990. This is our blog.
Members' Blogs
Blogs In The Field
« May 2011 | Main | July 2011 »
June 2011
06/29/2011
06/27/2011
Figuring it all out: Climate Change on July 21
Does all of the data, models, predictions, maps, graphs, and dark-reds-where-there's-now-cool-blues of climate change leave you confused?
Perhaps not about what's predicted to happen but rather what role does land conservation have in the efforts to create a sustainable Bay Area? What partnerships exist to build a transportation-friendly region? And what is happening at a policy level that will drive (or pedal) change?
Join us on July 21 to hear from people doing this work of translating the scary and making it actionable. We'll hear from:
It's our Fog Gathering from 10am-1pm at the Brower Center in downtown Berkeley. We'll have time to talk about this gnarly issue, ask questions, and figure out what path to take together.
Lunch is provided!
06/24/2011
06/23/2011
"Offering a diverse plate of opportunities"
One of our visions for the Bay Area is to bring nature within reach of all Bay Area residents. And we mean all residents. The work that Rue Mapp and Ernesto Pepito do embodies that vision.
Rue and Ernesto were recently on Forum with Michael Krasny talking about connecting young people to the outdoors. Ernesto Pepito works at one of our member organizations - The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy - in the Crissy Field Center. Rue Mapp, founder of Outdoor Afro and program officer at the Stewardship Council, has blogged about the Open Space Council as well as been a strong supporter of our work.
Listen to the show by clicking here:
(Photos by Rob Brodman)
06/22/2011
Getting From Here to There on July 21
We don't have to get extreme to talk about transportation and the outdoors. The Bay Area needs a sustainable transportation system as much as we need a network of protected lands. And climate change is making these two systems even more intertwined and interdependent.
At our Fog Gathering on July 21 we'll be talking about:
Getting From Here to There:
Transportation, Open Space, and Climate Change
The Bay Area is home to a network of parks, trails, and open spaces where people and animals roam. The Bay Area also consists of a network of streets, highways, bus lines, train tracks, and ferry routes that transport people to and from work, from here to there, and to and from the region’s parks, trails and open spaces. Now more than ever the transportation and land conservation communities are working closely to address the effects of climate change. A sustainable community is possible but there is a long road (or trail) ahead.
How do we get from here to there? What role does land conservation have in the efforts to create a sustainable Bay Area? What partnerships exist to build a transportation-friendly region? And what is happening at a policy level that will drive (or pedal) change?
We'll discuss all of this at our Fog Gathering on July 21, 2011 from 10am-1pm at the David Brower Center in downtown Berkeley (conveniently located near BART and AC Transit lines). Speakers will include:
- The Nature Conservancy
- East Bay Regional Park District
- Greenbelt Alliance
- Others to be announced
Program starts at 10am and lunch will be served. Register early - our Gatherings can sell out weeks in advance!
06/21/2011
06/17/2011
Liveblogging the 2011 Triple Threat!
POSTSCRIPT
We did it!
On Saturday, June 18, 2011 seven riders completed the Triple Threat, nine did the Double Dip and two did the Single Summit (one of whom rode the last peak with the group and served as a 11th hour boost of energy). The weather was great, the transit transfers worked out as planned, and everyone is healthy. Many riders rode up certain peaks for the first time, many used Clipper cards for the first time and all have a new appreciation for accessing our amazing parks. It was an incredible day!
Here are some links about the day:
Here are some of the things we heard about the day:
"It was an adventure for the books!"
"Thank you for organizing such a great ride. The route was great, the people were fun, and it was really a very good time. By far the best Saturday I've had in a long while."
"A great experience yesterday thanks to all the organization and hard work that Ryan, Annie, Lech, and the support staff put in."
"Had a great time on Saturday. Amazing to see the Triple come along from last year to this year. Can't wait for next year!"
"The Triple Threat was an awesome experience: one that should be on the "bucket list" of any cycling enthusiast and that I will be promoting amongst friends and at other cycling events!"
We want to thank our sponsors: REI, Alameda Natural Grocery, and Chipotle. And we want to acknowledge our partner organizations who lent a variety of things to the ride: California State Parks, Santa Clara Parks and Recreation, Save Mount Diablo, Rails to Trails, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, San Francisco Parks Trust and TransForm.
Thanks to all who participated and contributed to this year's Triple Threat. We look forward to doing it again!
Annie and Ryan
---
9:45pm: After some pizza, drinks and salads at the Pleasant Hill BART everyone went their way home. More pictures and stories later. It's time for sleep.
8:05pm: THEY DID IT!!!! I just got a text from Jenn saying "All summitted, now descending!" Soon I should get a group photo from Lech. The temperature is dropping out here so it's going to be a cold descent.
(Photo: Jereme)
7:25pm from Lech:
(Photo: Lech)
I should say that these are the pictures Lech is sending from his phone. He also has a big and very impressive camera case full of big and impressive camera equipment. We'll get to see those pictures later.
7:24pm: We should be hearing from them soon. In the meantime check this out.
6:31pm from Lech:
(Photo: Lech)
6:24pm: People wearing A's and Giants shirts and hats are being seen walking into the BART station. Game time is 7:05pm.
5:41pm: The riders have left the station! Almost all of us made the transfer from ferry to BART - one had problems with the Clipper card and got on the next train - and all have now left Pleasant Hill BART for Mount Diablo. It's a pleasant 70 degrees with a slight breeze. Here are some pictures from the past few hours:
(Photos: Annie)
4:50pm: On BART to Pleasant Hill!
4:15pm: Arriving at San Francisco ferry building now. We will walk/cruise over to Embarcadero BART now for the 4:40 train. Boarding ferry to San Francisco with the riders! It is cold and windy here in Sausalito. Wonder what it is like out in Pleasant Hill...
2:13pm a report from the top from Lech:
1:43pm text from Jenn: Bicycling: connecting beautiful people and places.
1:41pm text from Ryan: 2 peaks down! 1 to go! GG Ferry here we come.
(Photo: Ryan)
1:29pm: I'm on the Golden Gate Ferry on my way to meet the riders at the Saualito Ferry terminal. They have to get on a 3:50pm ferry in order to have enough time to summit Mt Diablo. We calculated that means getting to the top of Tam by 2pm and so they're in good shape!
1:26pm text from John K: A bunch of us at top of Tam, making good time.
12:25pm: From Lech, our intrepid photographer: On turnoff to Tam. 10 mi to summit. Cool breezy temps. Traffic is a bit rowdy.
(Photo: Lech)
11:49am: Andrea Mackenzie, the President of the Bay Area Open Space Council and General Manager of Santa Clara County Open Space Authority brought the riders burritos donated by Chipotle this morning. Thank you, Andrea! Here are the pictures that she sent:
11:39am: Texts from Ryan while he and the others rode Caltrain to SF:
9:09am: Campsite was perfect, thanks to Santa Clara Parks! Nearly full moon.
9:12am: Ride down Hamilton was serene, not a single car, we were first up top. Perfect weather. Amazing!
9:15am: We ran into detour, semi overturned. Had to reroute but made it Caltrain at 8:45.
9:16am: Thanks Andrea M for delivering tasty Chipotle burritos! And thanks Chipotle! Am inhaling burrito as I type.
9:18am: All 9 riders safely on Caltrain at 9. Arrive at SF at 10:36. Plan is to drop off bags and go! Double dip riders be ready to roll by 10:40 sharp!
11:35am: Photos from Ryan. A Triple Threater with Lick Observatory:
(Photo: Ryan)
This morning's sunrise on the ride from basecamp to the summit:
(Photo: Ryan)
Last night's sunset seen from the ride up to Joseph Grant County Park, basecamp for Mt Hamilton.
(Photo: Ryan)
11:28am: A quick post to say that the riders left the SF Caltrain station around 10:45am, headed along the Embarcadero towards the Golden Gate Bridge. A lot has happened in the past hour and I'll be posting pictures and more now. I'm going to retrace the past few hours now in texts and photos.
9:46am: I just arrived at the SF Caltrain station. Vince from REI San Francisco is setting up his bike repair/tune station. For those Double Dip riders meeting us here, we're on the north side of the station, in front of the Bicycle Parking (fitting, eh?) and facing Townsend.
9:00am: just got pictures from Ryan and Lech and Andrea that I will post when I get to Caltrain station. With chipotle burritos in hand they made the 9:00 caltrain and are heading north to san francisco and peak number 2. More soon!
8:13am: I'm leaving Berkeley soon to head into San Francisco. The Double Dip riders will meet at the San Francisco Caltrain station at 4th and Townsend at 10:15am. And the Triple Threat riders will arrive on a train from San Jose at 10:36am. In my pack I have Clif bars, oranges, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, roasted potatoes, and bananas all courtesy of Alameda Natural Grocery. I'm a Dim Sum lady meets NOLS instructor. I'll give updates as I get them from the riders so refresh often.
7:14am text from Daniel: Back at camp. Should be on our way soon. This is good! They will pack up their camping gear and ride back to the San Jose Caltrain station.
6:57am: They made it to the summit of Mt Hamilton! The picture below courtesy of Lech.
6:56am: If you look at the detailed plan for the day, we hoped that the riders would summit at 6:30am. The timing is key because they need to board a 9am Caltrain in San Jose in order to make the day work. I haven't heard yet if they have reached the summit, but am guessing that they're moving fast and very aware of the timing.
6:10am on Saturday, June 18 text from Lech: Riders at 2000 feet already. Misty morning with great horned owls calling. The summit of Mt Hamilton is 4,196 ft.
--
10:14pm text from Daniel: Sleep.
8:54pm text from Daniel: Arrived at Grant Park!
7:40pm text from Ryan: At Alum Ave and Mt Hamilton Road, picked up Evan and Henry and Simon. 9 strong now!
7:06pm: The riders arrived at San Jose's Caltrain station at 6:30 and now are on a 17 mile ride up to the Joseph Grant County Park.
5:38pm on Friday, June 17, text from Ryan: Ryan, John, Andy, Dan, Liz and Clara on train. Evan meeting us in Palo Alto, Henry meeting us at Alum Ave. All good.
And so the Triple Threat begins! Those attempting all 3 peaks ride the Caltrain down to San Jose where they'll ride up to Joseph Grant County park. They'll spend the night there and climb Mt Hamilton early early tomorrow morning.
+
This is Annie Burke. Ryan Branciforte and I have been working together to put together this year's Triple Threat. While he does the ride, I'm going to follow them along on foot and public transportation with my computer and a wireless connection. I'll be blogging here over the next 30 hours or so, providing you updates on the 2011 Triple Threat. The itinerary for the day can be found here. And I'll also be posting to our Facebook wall and Twitter.
In addition to telling the Triple Threat story I will also be feeding the riders, helping with issues (if there are any), and coordinating the 18 riders as they join the ride. I have a huge backpack full of food donated from Alameda Natural Grocery and burritos from Chipotle. I feel a little bit like a dim sum cart lady cum NOLS instructor. This is going to be fun.
The 2011 Triple Threat is here!
Photos by Lech N. Check out his Flickr photostream and his website.
Tonight the riders will gather at the San Jose Caltrain station and ride up to Joseph Grant County campground. They will sleep. And then...
Tomorrow, the Saturday with the most sunlight of the year, this group of bicyclists will criss cross the Bay Area using their legs, two kinds of trains and a ferry to climb three of the tallest peaks in the region. It's the 2011 Triple Threat and you can learn more about it here. A second group of riders will join the ride in San Francisco to ride Tam and Diablo for the Double Dip. The ride is sponsored by REI and Transit & Trails. A fabulous group of partners are also involved. And Lech Naumovich will be there with his camera.
We'll be blogging throughout the day here as well as posting to Facebook and Twitter starting Friday evening when the riders head to Mount Hamilton. Come join us and refresh often.
06/16/2011
06/15/2011
The Triple Threat: Mount Tamalpais
Unlike Mount Hamilton, no one is asking us where Mt Tam is when we talk about the Triple Threat bike challenge that is taking place this weekend. So instead we're going to blog about what isn't being asked or talked about.
Most Bay Area residents - and certainly a very high percentage of the millions of visitors that come every year - are not aware of what has made this part of the Bay Area so incredibly special. There could have been houses, freeways, shopping malls, and more concrete in these places. Instead there are trails, butterflies, newts, and stunning vistas. For many years many people have been working to preserve these parks, trails and open spaces so that we can enjoy them and plants and animals can thrive.
When someone rides his or her bike from San Francisco to the top of Mount Tam, he or she rides through a host of parks, trails and open spaces managed by many different organizations and agencies. These include:
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (Crissy Field)
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Marin County Parks and Open Space (Bothin Marsh)
Marin Municipal Water District
It could have been different. These places could have been developed, they could have been paved over. But they weren't thanks to the hundreds (thousands?) of people who have worked tirelessly to preserve them.
+
This Saturday, the Saturday with the most sunlight of the year, a group of bicyclists will criss cross the Bay Area using their legs, two kinds of trains and a ferry to climb three of the tallest peaks in the region. It's the second annual Triple Threat and you can learn more about it here. The ride is sponsored by REI and Transit & Trails. A fabulous group of partners are also involved.
The Triple Threat has been written about in the Bay Citizen and Bay Nature, as well as several times here in this blog (including here and here).
