Open Space Council: Blog

Join us on a tour of 2011

Today, the shortest day of the year, we invite you to join us on a tour.  A tour, you say?   But how?  This is a virtual tour of the Open Space Council in 2011.  The past year has been full of big visions, announcements, partnerships, and cool stuff like iPhone apps.  Will you and your mouse join us as we click through 2011?  Come along...

 

First stop on the tour is January. We started 2011 with over 100 people to talk about climate change.  Our Rainy Season Gathering was held at the Brower Center and featured speakers from Marin Agricultural Land Trust, Save the Redwoods and others.  We didn't debate the science of climate change but rather talked about what is actually being done to adapt to it.  Read about it here and here.

Also in January we launched the Explorer tool for the Conservation Lands Network.  Are you using Explorer?  We held a workshop on Explorer in January which you can read about here.

 

February was full of love.  The mobile app kind of love.  In February we launched the iPhone app for Transit and Trails.  Imagine you're going for a hike.  Is there a change of plans?  Did the weather shift from clouds to rain on your hike?  Now you can view your route and how to get home in a flash on your iPhone. 

Isn't that cool? 

Are you ready for this stop on the tour?!  It's a big one.  It's March!

Our most popular Gathering yet was held at the Log Cabin in San Francisco's Presidio in March.  The topic was Grazing & Conservation : Ranchers & Environmentalists and maybe you can guess why so many people attended.  It sold out 2 weeks beforehand.  Did you know that there are over 30 land-managing agencies in the Bay Area who have grazing on their lands?  Click here and here to learn more about this complex subject.

Also in March we launched the Conservation Lands Network!  Over 5 years, dozens of organizations, scientists of all kinds, and a healthy serving of creativity led to the map, Explorer, GIS datasets, brochure and full report.  There's a great article about it in Bay Nature magazine which sums the whole thing up much better than we can in this blog post.

Not to jump head too much, but the Conservation Lands Network was all over the Bay Area this year. City and County planning departments, transportation agencies, Boards of Directors, nonprofit land trusts, and more heard a presentation about the Conservation Lands Network.  It showed up in press releases and was included in funding requests.  Here are some of the highlights.

March also brought the launch of the Living Landscape Initiative.  Five members of the Open Space Council are working closely together to have significant impact on the counties of San Mateo-Santa Clara-Santa Cruz.  We don't want to get ahead of ourselves but this group had a very big and very exciting announcement in December.  

 

It's April! Spring was in the air!  Even if it was a rainy spring it still felt like spring.  We partnered with the Bay Area Ridge Trail for a hike from Richmond to Orinda on April 2.  Did you know that you can actually hike from Richmond to Orinda?  And use BART and AC Transit to get there and home?  You can.  We did.  Click here to read all about it.

 

Spring goes by fast and here we are at May. The 12th annual Open Space Conference was held at the Golden Gate Club in the Presidio.  The theme was 'health' and we talked about all kinds of health: healthy people, healthy parks, and healthy communities.  The room was packed with more than 300 people and some fun was had in our photo booth.

Also in May and the first part of June we held two workshops in Marin County called Community Bridges.  With support from the Marin Community Foundation, we brought together park agencies, outdoor education providers and others who are interested in partnerships, funding collaborations and how we can better connect young people to the outdoors.  Here's a quick synopsis. 

We're half way done with this tour.  How's everyone doing?  

 

Welcome to June. On the longest Saturday of the year a group of people rode their bikes to the tops of Mount Hamilton, Mount Tamalpais and Mount Diablo in one day using public transit to get between the three mountains.  It's the Triple Threat!  And it's a demonstration of how incredible the Bay Area is with our parks, trails, and open spaces and the buses, ferries, and trains that connect them all.  Read the play-by-play of the ride here.

In the words of one of the riders: ""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!" 

 

July is that beautiful time of year when energy is high and the Bay Area's microclimates are at their extremes.  We held our Fog Gathering - respectfully named after the weather pattern many Bay Area residents associate with July - at the Brower Center and discussed transportation and sustainable communities.  All of our work on parks, trails, farms, forests, and other open spaces fit into this very metropolitan region.  Sometimes the fit is comfortable, and sometimes it's hard to see how these two worlds can coexist.  The panel talked about what partnerships are happening, what's happening on a policy level, and how we all can get involved.  Read more about it here.

 

 

Ah, August.  Let's all take a deep breath right about now.  That's what the Open Space Council did in August. Ommm....

Now that you're all relaxed, let's go to September! What does $263,000,000 have to do with land conservation in the Bay Area?  A lot!  It's the amount of bond funding that the Coastal Conservancy has brought to the region through the Bay Program.  Our September Gathering at the Log Cabin in San Francisco featured Sam Schuchat and Amy Hutzel to talk about the many accomplishments of the Bay Program and the future of the Restoration Authority.  Read all about it, including the presentations, here.

 

Here we are in October.  Can you feel it?  The light is changing and pumpkins are showing up on front porches.  There was good news from Sacramento, a series on our blog about climate change (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four), and the full report of the Conservation Lands Network was available for download.  The Open Space Council went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to attend the Land Trust Alliance's Rally and present to full rooms about the Conservation Lands Network and Transit and Trails.  We know you and your mouse love pictures so here are some from Milwaukee.

 

Next up is November of course.  First, we launched the 2011 version of the Bay Area Protected Areas Database.  We've been doing this with GreenInfo Network for years and it tell us where the protected lands are in the Bay Area (bet you could have figured that one out).  You can download the database here.

Next, we collaborated with Bay Nature magazine and SAGE on an event entitled Urban Gardens to Open Range: The Present and Future of Bay Area Food Landscapes.  A great panel discussed the hard work involved in producing local, organic and sustainable food.  Pictures can be seen here and an article about the event can be read here.

 Finally in November, over 100 people filled the room at the Brower Center for a conversation about the State Parks closures (some call them 'abandonments').  It was our 5th Gathering of the year and yet another example of the power of partnership.  The panel talked about ways in which they're working together with new and long-time partners to deal with something we've never faced before.  Read all about it here and click on the picture below for a slideshow.

At the Gathering we watched this short film.  Have you seen it? 

The First 70 Trailer from Heath Hen Films on Vimeo.

Whew, the first 11 months of 2011 were full.  We have just one more month to go.  Ready?

In December there was this big announcement from the Living Landscape Initiative.  Our members - our amazing members! - started renewing their memberships and we're thanking them online with pictures.  

Also this month the Open Space Council has been looking forward to 2012.  We'll host another 5 Gatherings, starting on January 19 on cultural relevancy.  Our Open Space Conference will be on May 10.  The Triple Threat will be bigger and viral on June 16.  We will launch an Adroid app for Transit and Trails.  And more that we can't reveal yet.  We have lots of ideas and even more passion.  2012 is going to be fun.

 

We are very grateful to all of who have contributed financially to the Open Space Council in the past year.  You can see who these amazing individuals, member organizations, foundations, companies, and agencies are here.  Would you like to join them?  We'd love to have you.  Click here to be a part of it all.

Finally, from the Open Space Council to you... we wish you a very Happy Winter Solstice and a winter filled with light. 

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This is our last blog post of 2011.  All this talk about parks and trails, local food and open space, makes us feel a little restless.  We need to go outside.  Have happy holidays and we'll see you again in January.  

 

Santa Claus and the Melting North Pole: Is Christmas in Danger?

By Silver Cherryblossom, Junior Wood Elf Correspondent to the North Pole

ATTENTION HUMAN CHILDREN: This message is from Elf Central in Muir Woods. We have been trying to reach you, but you might not have heard from the Muir Woods Elves before because we have had trouble getting our elf-mail (elf e-mail, which smells like peppermint) to transmit to human e-mail (which doesn’t smell like anything at all). If you get this message, then we’ve finally gotten the tinsel wires untangled. I hope this message gets to you, and it smells OK.

Regarding your first worry: How are Santa Claus and His Elves Doing with Climate Change?

Firstly, Santa Claus says he is “fine, thanks for asking.” As long as humans continue to give each other gifts from the heart, he will be in good shape and Christmas will come on schedule, ice or no ice.

Secondly, the Ice Elves are very organized. They are really good planners – that’s how they are able to make your presents on time every year.  So, they started planning for climate change a long time ago. 

Of course, they have gotten really good with technology by making all your electronic toys.  So, if anyone can figure out what to do about climate change at the North Pole, the Ice Elves can.

The North Pole, by mrafael on Flickr

I know what you're thinking.  If Christmas will be okay, is there anything that Santa and the Ice Elves are worried about?

Well, someone gave me a copy of Executive Memo XMAS-11-001 “On Climate Change and Its Effects RE: Santa’s Workshop Activities,” about the North Pole Workshop’s preparations for climate change.

I’m still just a Junior Correspondent, so I hope I don’t get in trouble for sharing this! (If I do, it might be a while before you get a message from me again!) The memo says it is “classified,” but I don’t know what that word means, so I hope it means that I should share it with everyone.

 

CLASSIFIED
Executive Memo XMAS-11-001 “On Climate Change and Its Effects RE: Santa’s Workshop Activities”
By Junior Science Elf Frostbottom

Climate change is causing a lot of problems at the North Pole.  The three big ones are ice melting under the Workshop, getting fresh, non-salty water for the Workshop, and our neighbors who rely on ice—animals and humans— losing their homes.

PROBLEM 1: Ice melting under the Workshop.

With the ice melting, it’s like the ground is moving!  The Workshop floor is already tilting where Mrs. Claus stores the old exercise bicycles (which are very heavy). This is only going to get worse as the ground gets warmer.

There used to be a LOT of ice up here which NEVER melted, and the ice prevented anybody from sailing a ship anywhere near the North Pole. We found a group of scientists skiing near the Workshop in 2009, and they said the North Pole might be a free-flowing ocean as soon as 2030. (That’s when today’s toddlers will be graduating from college)!

PROPOSED SOLUTION: Move the Workshop to an abandoned oil platform. We can call it Workshop Island. The reindeer might need their own platform for grazing and playing reindeer games.

QUESTION FOR SENIOR SCIENCE ELF: How can we generate electricity on Workshop Island? At the Workshop we have plenty of room for solar panels and windmills, but not on the oil platform. Can we use tidal and wave energy? We need to make enough energy for making toys AND gingerbread.

ANSWER FROM SENIOR SCIENCE ELF:  Click here for more information from the U.S. Department of Energy on getting power from the ocean.

***NOTE TO SANTA: Look at this! A sea adventure resort built on an old oil platform! 

PROBLEM 2: Getting water for the workshop.

Mrs. Claus needs the best-tasting fresh water for her delicious peppermint hot chocolate.  Right now, she uses melted ice.  Once the ice is gone, there will be nothing but salty sea water around us.

PROPOSED SOLUTION: Maybe… build a plant that removes salt from water (desalinize the water)?

NOTE FROM SENIOR SCIENCE ELF:  This creates a new problem, because removing salt from sea water takes a lot of energy and leaves behind icky salt sludge. What if instead, we collect rainwater and use less water? We should ask the Island Elves how they do it.

Click here to learn about how kids, elves and reindeer can collect rainwater and use less water at home. 

***NOTE TO SANTA:  Can you take shorter showers?

 

PROBLEM 3: Our neighbors who rely on the ice— animals and humans— are losing their homes.

After all the ice melts, some animals who make the ice their home— like polar bears and walruses—  might have nowhere to go. Do they want to stay at the North Pole on their own abandoned oil platforms? We asked, and they said, “No, thanks, those are too small for us.” Do they want to live in zoos? They said, “No, thanks, we don’t want to give up our freedom.”

Our other neighbors at the North Pole are the people who have lived on the ice for centuries. These are the people humans often call Eskimos, even though there are actually many different nations living around the North Pole, including Inuit, Evenk, Yupik, and many others. We asked if they want their own abandoned oil platforms, and they said, “No, thanks, those are too small for us.” Do they want to move south to other lands? They said, “No, thanks, our culture is built on ice and snow: this is our home.”

These are our neighbors, and like any neighbors, we’ve always helped each other out when things have gone wrong… we should try to help them if we can.

PROPOSED SOLUTION: I don’t know. We need to keep talking to our neighbors and asking how we can help.

QUESTION FOR SENIOR SCIENCE ELF: Can we save the ice?

ANSWER FROM SENIOR SCIENCE ELF:  We can’t stop the ice from melting, but we can slow it down if we change how we do things. Can we get humans to slow climate change?

***NOTE TO SANTA: When you are traveling around the world, can you please tell the human children about ways to slow climate change so they can teach their parents? Maybe you can tell them to check these out:

• Super awesome U.S. Environmental Protection Agency climate change site: A Student’s Guide to Climate Change.   
• Spiffy U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Climate Kids  site (and they talk about sea ice!).
• Global Warming Kids, an information portal presented by science museum docents at the University of California, Berkeley. Full of useful resources, including videos of human children talking about climate change.
• Free Lesson Plans from the North American Association for Environmental Education for pre-K to Grade 12— to help teach about nature, including climate change.
• The book The North Pole Was Here: Puzzles and Perils at the Top of the World  (by New York Times reporter Andrew Revkin, 2006, for grades 6-9), about how a group of scientists studied the relationship between climate change and the loss of ice at the North Pole.

The North Pole by digitalwarrior on Flickr

So, there you go, human children. Remember: don’t worry about Santa’s Workshop. The Ice Elves have it under control. Also:

1. Keep learning about climate change and thinking of ways to slow it down. Ask your teachers about it!
2. When you write your letter to Santa this year, also think about writing to the politicians who represent you in human government to tell them about the people, polar bears, and walruses who depend on the ice at the North Pole, and ask them to help them any way they can. (Get addresses for your representatives here: for the U.S. House of Representatives; for the U.S. Senate).
3.  Try to use less water and electricity in your home. (How many ways can you think of to save energy around your house?) You can help your parents save money and slow down climate change at the same time!

And the next time you visit Muir Woods, keep an eye out for elves and say hello if you see me (I’m the elf with my pointy ears tucked into my park ranger hat).

Merry Christmas!

 

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Endnote: On Talking About Climate Change with Children

This is a note for adults talking to children (or, adults talking to their inner child) about climate change.Climate change is an overwhelming and scary problem: it can make you feel helpless. A 2010 UC Berkeley study showed that it is dangerous to be too apocalyptic when talking about climate change, inspiring denial instead of action. When talking to children about climate change, try to focus on positive actions they can take to improve the situation. The future is not written in stone, and the children of today may yet dream up solutions we adults haven’t even considered yet!

The piece above is intended for children ages 10-13 (they might have stopped believing in Santa, but are still entertained by the idea). If you have younger kids, consider reading parts of it out loud to them and using it to open a conversation where they can ask questions and brainstorm their own solutions.

Here are some tips about talking to children about climate change:

1. Talk about positive actions that they can do now.
2. Try to keep it simple. It is a complex problem with a lot of dispute about the definition of the problem, its causes and solutions, but you can bottom-line it: scientists have shown us that the earth is warming, and it is changing our environment.
3. Emphasize that we are all a part of the problem and the solution. Even people who question the reality of climate change are asking hard questions that can make our solutions better!

About the author: Silver Cherryblossom (AKA Sara Moore, of the blog Pacificadaptation.blogspot.com), Junior Wood Elf Correspondent to the North Pole, is stationed at Elf Central in Muir Woods. She researches and writes about climate change adaptation. While she has never seen Santa Claus in person, the Ice Elves reliably send peppermint-scented elf-mail keeping her updated about Santa’s plans for dealing with the melting ice at the North Pole. She thanks all her friends who pitched in to help write this article.

Sara Moore wrote a series here on this blog about climate change which you can read here. 

 

 

Western Conservation Finance Boot Camp

Are you eager to find more funding for land conservation?  Funding opportunities are out there—and with cutting-edge tools and techniques, conservation finance professionals can be successful no matter the state of the economy.

Sign up for the 2012 Western Conservation Finance Boot Camp at Stanford University.  

• Learn the most up-to-date, innovative, and successful tools available for land conservationists in the West.
• Work directly with experienced faculty to solve challenging financing issues.
• Build a network of peers working in conservation finance across the United States.
• Bring a wealth of practical, hands-on information to your land conservation projects.

The Boot Camp will be held January 30-February 3, 2012 at Stanford University.  

Click here for more information. 

 

Thank you, Open Space Council members!

Every day our members are working to keep the Bay Area the special place that it is. 

Our members are all part of an important regional coalition that has preserved almost 1.3 million acres of parks, trails, farms, ranches, and other open spaces.  They are part of a community of people commited to connecting people to the land. The Open Space Council serves as a regional voice for our members and provides a central hub of tools, information and ideas.  They are a part of something big. 

As they renew their membership we will be thanking them through pictures here, on our website, and on Flickr.  We'll also tweet tweet about it for those on Twitter. 

• See who our members are here.
• Browse all of the pictures on Flickr.
• Learn more about membership by calling Bettina at 510 809 8009 ext 254

Open Space Happenings: 12.14.11

Your weekly helping of Bay Area conservation news and inspiration...

See that dark green section?  It is part of a major conservation deal and you can read more about it below.

• Huge property in Santa Cruz Mountains to be preserved.  In one of the largest land preservation deals in the Bay Area in a generation, five conservation groups have signed an agreement to buy 8,532 acres around the plant for $30 million. (Mercury News)  
  • The story also got picked up by Mongabay.com
  • See the press release, photos and video on the websites of POST, Sempervirens, Save the Redwoods and Land Trust of Santa Cruz County. 
• Designs for Bay Bridge bike path to be unveiled.  Plans are moving forward for a bike path on the western span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge although funding for the $500 million project has yet to be secured. (Sacramento Bee)
• Climate change for sale: How climate activists can wake up the American public.  Over the last few years, three Columbia University professors learned how important language is when it comes to combating climate change. (Grist)
• Grand, new addition to national park system: Coastal ranch north of Half Moon Bay.  A scenic coastal landscape between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay -- home to mountain lions, peregrine falcons and stunning mountaintop views of San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean -- has become the newest addition to America's national park system. (San Mateo County Times)
• Parks department inks agreement to keep Coe Park open.  California State Parks' Director Ruth Coleman announced today that the Department has now signed an agreement for keeping Henry W. Coe State Park open to the public for the next three years. (Morgan Hill Times)
• New Mt. Umunhum study outlines future for former Air Force station.  The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, a government agency based in Los Altos, released a 326-page draft environmental impact report Tuesday that says public access to the top of Mount Umunhum is feasible and would not cause traffic problems. (Mercury News)
• Martinez joins forces with residents to save a swath of the Alhambra Hills from development.  To avoid a costly lawsuit, the City Council in July approved the Alhambra Highlands project of 112 custom homes to be built on 72 acres of a 297-acre parcel near Wildcroft Drive and Alhambra Avenue.  (Mercury News)
• Conservation easement preserves Rutherford ranch.  Thanks to a new conservation easement signed by John Williams, owner of Frog’s Leap Winery, with The Land Trust of Napa County, the 52-acre site will be permanently preserved. (Napa Valley Register)
• Grass is burned to study Indian culture.  The prescribed burn last week was part of a project by the National Park Service, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and the Amah Mutsun tribal band to learn more about the traditional Indian uses of fire in Central California before European contact. (SF Chronicle)

 

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This is the weekly Happenings, a weekly round-up of news - with some art and fun thrown in - related to the members, partners, supporters, and friends of the Open Space Council. 

Our next Gathering will be January 19, 2012 from 10am-1pm at the Brower Center in Berkeley.  We'll be talking about cultural relevancy and we're working on the line up of speakers right now.  Registration is now open. 

 

Who cares? And why should they?

The Bay Area is home to more than 1 million acres of protected lands.  It's also home to over 7 million people who speak over 100 languages.  How many of those people are aware of the vast network of parks, trails, farms, ranches, forests, and watersheds in their backyard?  How many will contribute their time or financial support?  How about their vote?  

Also making a home in this region are thousands of farmers, local food activists, outdoor education programs, social and environmental justice organizations, and outdoor recreation enthusiasts.  In their own ways they are connecting people to the land.  And without land, these passions and causes would look very different.    

How do all of these pieces fit together?  How is land conservation relevant to our communities?  What can we all do to strengthen that connection?  

Join us for our first Gathering of 2012: Who Cares?  And Why Should They?  A conversation about land and people on

Thursday, January 19

10am-1pm

Brower Center in Berkeley 

Our panel will be posted to our website and here on the blog soon.

Lunch will be served and there will be plenty of time for seeing friends, making connections and building partnerships.  Our Gatherings can sell out… register early to secure your spot!

Click here to register

 

8,500 Acres and 5 Local Leaders = One Big Deal

What creates a connected area of 26,000 acres of protected land, with potential trail connections to Big Basin Redwoods and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Parks?  Provides drinking water to Davenport and Santa Cruz?  Supports Coho salmon and steelhead trout habitat?  Promises excellent future public recreation opportunities, with miles of unpaved roads suitable for trails?  And offers a buffer against impacts of climate change as a result of proximity to coast, high elevations, north-facing slopes and extensive ecological niches?

 

Five Bay Area conservation organizations - all members of the Open Space Council - including the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, The Nature Conservancy, Peninsula Open Space Trust, Save the Redwoods League and Sempervirens Fund have joined forces to preserve the largest expanse of unprotected redwoods and wildlife habitat in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  The property, which is 8 miles long and the largest piece of privately owned land in Santa Cruz County, stretches from the remote ridges of Bonny Doon almost to the Pacific Ocean. The broad expanse of redwood and oak forests is home to mountain lions, peregrine falcons and endangered coho salmon.

Read more about it in the Mercury News and on the Living Landscape Initiative's website.

 

Open Space Happenings: 12.07.11

Your weekly helping of Bay Area conservation news and inspiration...

 

(Click here to watch this video on NBC about the Ridge Trail and the Santa Clara Open Space Authority)

• Muir Land Trust ups the ante by matching monetary contributions.  The Muir Heritage Land Trust announced this week that between now and the end of the month, any monetary contribution made to the open space preservation group will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $25,000. (Martinez News-Gazette)
• East Bay parks push family exercise program.  A bridge has been built to connect kids and their parents to more than 1,000 miles of trail in the vast East Bay Regional Park District. (SF Chronicle)
• Protecting nature inspires open space advocate.  Andrea Mackenzie, General Manager for the Santa Clara Open Space Authority, has a long history in the preservation of open space. For the past 25 years, she has been working on regional land-use planning, open space protection and conservation policy challenges in California. Mackenzie, who will be speaking at Greenbelt Alliance’s Changemaker Training in Gilroy on Saturday, Dec. 10, recently spoke with Greenbelt Alliance. (Grow Smart Bay Area)
• Sugarloaf Ridge State Park closes for winter.  Sugarloaf Ridge State Park shut down entirely this week for the winter, a first in the park's 47-year history and another troubling sign of the crisis encompassing California's beleaguered parks system. (Press Democrat)
• The best cities to live car-free in America. Three Bay Area cities at the top of the list.  (MSNBC)
• Race must be part of the environmental conversation.  Patuxent Riverkeeper says white-led environmental movement leaves little room for poor and minority voices.  (Baltimore Sun)
• California State Parks Fight To Stay Open.  Next summer, nearly 70 of California's almost 300 state parks will be forced to shut their gates due to budget cuts.  However, two of the parks targeted for closure are fighting back with a campaign to raise enough private funds to keep the lights on. (Huffington Post)
• Lighthouse’s jewel lens shines on visitors.  A massive glass lens at Pigeon Point Lighthouse could once again be a beacon for visitors to the coast - and possibly lighten their wallets. (Half Moon Bay Review)
• The Shore is their Oyster.  A fertile estuary in Northern California could lose full wilderness status to an oyster company poised to extend its commercial activity for another decade.  (Audubon Magazine)
• Faces & Visions of the Food Movement: Albert Straus.  Albert Straus is a dairy farmer and President of Straus Family Creamery located on the beautiful shores of Tomales Bay and the Point Reyes National Seashore, 60 miles north of San Francisco. (Civil Eats)
• Land Trust’s B.B. Huff helps keep the valley naturally beautiful.  Napa’s rolling hills and striking views have a friend in B.B. Huff, development director with the Land Trust of Napa County. (Napa Valley Register) 
• Anza expedition launched East Bay colonization.  The East Bay Regional Park District, the National Park Service and Peralta Hacienda, a nonprofit that oversees the old Peralta ranch house in Oakland, are commemorating that expedition with a series of new trails, placards and educational materials. Eventually, hikers will be able to retrace much of the journey Anza and his compatriots took through the canyons, beaches, grassy savannahs and hillsides of the East Bay.
  
  

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This is the weekly Happenings, a weekly round-up of news - with some art and fun thrown in - related to the members, partners, supporters, and friends of the Open Space Council. 

Our next Gathering will be January 19, 2012 from 10am-1pm at the Brower Center in Berkeley.  We'll be talking about cultural relevancy and we're working on the line up of speakers right now.  Registration is now open.  

 

You inspire us!

The members of the Open Space Council inspire us everyday.  They are looking after the land, taking care of animals, connecting people to the land, and so much more.  

As they renew their membership we will be thanking them through pictures here, on our website, and on Flickr.  We'll also tweet tweet about it for those on Twitter. 

Our members are all part of an important regional coalition that has preserved almost 1.3 million acres of parks, trails, farms, ranches, and other open spaces.  They are part of a community of people commited to connecting people to the land. The Open Space Council serves as a regional voice for our members and provides a central hub of tools, information and ideas.  They are a part of something big.  

• See who our members are here.
• Browse all of the pictures on Flickr.
• Learn more about membership by calling Bettina at 510 809 8009 ext 254

 

Squirreling around

The Open Space Council Movember team grew 30 days of mustache and our resident squirrel thought it was worth a high five.