In response to threats of large-scale developments on Albany and Berkeley shorelines, local environmentalists banded together in 1985 to form the Citizens for East Shore Parks (CESP) to fight for a shoreline park.

The culmination of CESP's vision came on December 6, 2002, when the State Park's Commission unanimously approved the Eastshore State Park. The 8.5-mile-long Park contains 2,000 acres of uplands and tidelands along the waterfront of Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville, Albany and Richmond.

CESP continues to work to preserve the natural resources and facilitate the recreational and educational opportunities of the east shore of San Francisco Bay, creating a necklace of shoreline parks from Oakland to the Carquinez Strait.

Citizens for East Shore Parks endorses 2010 PARKS INITIATIVE

Parks Access Fee to Grant Californians Free, Year-Round Admission to All State Parks Help gather signatures now!

Bay Area Training Workshops

Sierra Club Bay Chapter Office---Berkeley 2530 San Pablo Ave (near Dwight)

  • Sunday, February 7, 10:00 am
  • Wednesday, February 24, 6:30 pm
  • Saturday, March 6, 10:00 am

Sierra Club National Office --- San Francisco 85 2nd Street (between Mission and Market)

  • Thursday, February 11, 6:00 pm
  • Sunday, February 21, 10:00 am
  • Saturday, February 27, 10:00 am

To sign up: pjones@eastshorepark.org
Questions about training: Laura Hahn: (510) 848-0800 x323

Citizens for East Shore Parks endorsed the State Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act of 2010, a proposed statewide initiative slated for the November 2010 ballot, that would provide a stable, reliable and adequate source of funding to protect state parks and conserve wildlife.

"With our state parks facing an insurmountable funding crisis and irreparable damage, it is essential we provide our parks with a sustainable and reliable funding stream," said Jim Metropulos, Senior Advocate of Sierra Club California. "For years California's 278 state parks have been an integral public asset that residents and visitors alike enjoyed, and it is imperative we maintain these priceless assets for our children and future generations."

The State Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act of 2010 would ensure a dedicated and reliable funding stream for state parks through an $18 annual State Park Access Pass surcharge and, in return, would provide vehicles subject to the surcharge free, year-round admission to state parks.

CESP will coordinate with the Sierra Club and the State Parks Foundation to gather signatures for this important effort to save our State Parks. We encourage our supporters to join us to keep our parks open by helping to ensure that this initiative ultimately succeeds.

If you would like to volunteer, please sign up by clicking here and by contacting us by e-mail or phone: (510) 524-5000

Training workshops start January 10 in Berkeley and San Francisco.
Click here for dates and times.

What is the future of the Albany Shoreline at the racetrack?

Albany Hopes Community Input Will Resolve Waterfront Debate

For more than 40 years the city of Albany has been caught in a game of tug-of-war over its waterfront property. But the city hopes that a new campaign to solicit community input will break the stalemate and provide a shared vision for the community's shoreline.

More than 375 Albany residents attended the city's Community Center and Senior Center over the Jan. 9-10 weekend to participate in the last round of community meetings aimed at finding common ground in a battle over the property that has pitted environmentalists against corporate developers. The meetings were the final phase of Albany's Voices to Vision program, which was designed to help find a strategic vision for the waterfront's future.

Next month, 102 acres of land owned by the bankrupt Magna Entertainment Corporation - most of which is occupied by Golden Gate Fields and its adjacent parking lots - will be put up for auction. The city hopes these community discussion sessions will provide the next owners with a blueprint for what Albany residents want for the the shoreline property.  See the Full Story >>

Golden Gate Fields bankruptcy -auction to highest bidder?

Magna Entertainment Corp (MEC), the owners of Golden Gate Fields (GGF) declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy last March and will auction Albany's horse racing track next February (More auction details).

As part of ongoing effort to raise funds to repay creditors, MEC got bankruptcy court approval to put Albany's GGF up for sale on Feb. 25, 2010. Bids are due Feb. 10, 2010.

This presents a fantastic opportunity for the community to have those lands (or some part of them) incorporated into the Eastshore State Park. See the Full Story >>

Auction News: Golden Gate Fields to go up for auction

Albany Waterfront Planning: JAN 19 - Waterfront Community Forums

Bay Trail gains 2 more miles of shoreline

The public will have future access to nearly 2 miles of shoreline along Point Molate in Richmond that have been off-limits to pedestrians for decades.
 See the Full Story >>

Bay Area cities must cut trash in storm drains to protect SF Bay

By Kelly Zito, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 14, 2009

More than 70 Bay Area cities from Fairfield to Los Gatos must slash the volume of trash flowing from their streets and storm drains into San Francisco Bay by 40 percent under a new permit plan from regional water quality regulators.

The permit, touted as the first of its kind in the nation, is the most comprehensive effort yet to control the amount of litter that makes its way into the region's waterways and sets a long-term goal of zero trash discharge by 2022.

Millions of pounds of trash - about 80 percent originating on land - end up nestled along shorelines and floating in the region's waterways each year, according to environmental advocacy groups. Without stricter rules, those plastic bags, cigarette butts and Styrofoam cups threaten to further harm wildlife, increase pollution and choke streams and rivers.  See the Full Story >>

Related Articles:

Saving the Bay on KTEH

Tune in to watch CESP board members speak about the bay and its turbulent yet inspiring history.

See CESP Board members, Sylvia McLaughlin, Doris Sloan and David Lewis talk on local grassroots efforts to save San Francisco Bay, geologic origins of the Bay and the bay's historical and natural resource significance.

Look for Saving the Bay on KTEH and KQED at various times.

More info at:

Richmond General Plan and Pt. Molate DEIR

View: the Richmond General Plan
          Pt. Molate news
          CESP's Pt. Molate DEIR comments.

Bruener Marsh Restoration Funds To Be Approved!

On April 20, 2009, the East Bay Regional Park District in cooperation with federal, state and local agencies reached a tentative arrangement that would provide $3 million for tidal wetland restoration on the 218-acre Breuner Property on the North Richmond Shoreline. Citizens for East Shore Parks (CESP) has long fought for mitigation funds to be spent in Richmond and is excited that restoration of this jewel of the Richmond shoreline will soon begin.

This funding will pay for the planning and construction of the first phase of the project (construction to begin in 2012), which includes restoration of up to 45 acres of tidal wetlands. The total project will restore about 100 acres of wetland and grassland habitat for a number of plants and animals, including the endangered California clapper rail. The project would also enhance Rheem Creek, and potentially restore it to its historic alignment. See the Full Story >>

 

 

Park Information


- Courtesy of The Trust for Public Land