2010 marks a year since “Ours To Keep” the 75th anniversary celebration of the East Bay Regional Parks District – one of the finest cures for Nature Deficit Disorder.

Established in 1934, the East Bay Regional Parks District became the first regional parks agency in the United States. It consists of 65 parks with more than 100,000 acres and remains the largest in the country. Once home to the Ohlone and Miwok people until the “Mission Era” of the late 1700s to the early 1800s, the area became a territory of Spain, Mexico and finally the United States. Contained within Alameda and Contra Costa counties, the parks are open to everyone with many activities to enjoy.  Parks are fairly easy to access.  Several parks are accessible via public transportation. Here are 7 reasons why I truly like East Bay Regional Parks.

1. Tilden National Park is one of the oldest of the 65 parks. Located in Berkeley, it features the Little Farm with cows, sheep, pigs, rabbits and chickens. Of course the animals love to eat! So please bring lettuce or celery to feed them. Some other notable features are the famous Jewel Lake Nature trail, the Brazilian Room for weddings and banquets, a Merry-Go-Round, the Botanical Garden and the Steam Train.

2. Meet the Naturalists. Many of the parks have Naturalists who teach classes and guide tours. Are you into sailing, swimming, archery, golfing or hiking? Good! Try these activities at various parks. Chabot and Tilden Regional Parks are known for having beautiful golf courses. Del Valle Regional Park and Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline are popular for boating.

3. Lake Chabot was once a primary source of water for the East Bay.  It is still used an emergency source for water.  Mainly built by Chinese laborers, the park is now popular with boaters, hikers, picnickers and bicyclists.  Did you know that many of the trees were originally transported from several foreign countries?

4. Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve. You guessed it! Until the end of the 1800s, it was a coal “black diamonds” mine. It then became a sand mine for glass production until the 1940s. Today this preserve is a favorite among wildlife lovers. In addition to lush vegetation, coyotes and snakes, some mountain lions, foxes and over 100 bird species can be seen here. Be sure to visit this beautiful 6,286 acre stretch of wilderness located in Antioch.

5. Alameda Creek Trail opened in 1973 however, much of the area’s history dates back to centuries earlier.  Once home to the Ohlone people, this area became part of Mission San Jose de Guadalupe in the late 1700s.   After the “Mission Era” ended, it became private territory. One time the governor sold the land to private owners. U.S. courts declared this sale to be illegal in 1858 and designated the land for public use. Charlie Chaplin and Gloria Swanson made films in the town of Niles near here before the film industry settled in Hollywood. Athletic types come by now to enjoy running and cycling.

6. What has 978 acres of marshland and grass-covered hills and was once home to elk and condors?  What has a rich history and was once a quarry, a settler ranch and a missile site? Where is a stretch of Alameda Trail Creek located?  Coyote Hills Regional Park. Visit the 2,000-year old Ohlone shellmounds site. Check out the birds and butterflies at the Nectar Garden. Visit the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge and the Marsh Boardwalk. Sightseers and nature lovers won’t be bored!

7. The Regional Parks Foundation provides a vital function for the park district. Environmental restoration, camping programs and low cost group transportation are among the projects that the foundation supports. Interested in staying fit? or getting fit? Take the self-paced Trails Challenge and explore what the parks have to offer!

Extra: Bob “4 Wheel Bob” Coomber. Complications from diabetes eventually caused Bob Coomber to be confined to a wheelchair. Yet, the optimistic “4 Wheel Bob” thought of the wheelchair as a challenge rather than a limitation. He’s the first person in a wheelchair to climb California’s 3rd highest peak, the 14,000 ft. White Mountain. He’s also one of 27 Americans to receive the President’s Council on Physical Fitness Community Leadership Award in 2008. What’s next for him? Plans are in the works to climb Africa’s Mt. Kilimanjaro and to distribute over 200 wheelchairs in Tanzania via the Wheelchair Foundation. Find out more about “4 Wheel Bob” here.

For this multifaceted, ambitious work, Maya Lin approaches her favorite subjects: science, nature and art with a high-tech, high-touch sensibility. Several plans are in the works for “What is Missing?” Lin has committed to the evolution of this work over time and place – sites will include: San Francisco, New York City, Beijing, Washington D.C. and cyberspace – until 2020. Media and installation projects incorporate: a recently completed sound cone sculpture in San Francisco, a billboard for Times Square, an expanded website, a traveling exhibit starting in Beijing, both a virtual and physical book, a sound sculpture, a projected light sculpture, limited edition glass castings of animals and a virtual online map – the greenprint. If only there could be more public art projects such as this.

The process and research for this memorial has taken place over several years. Working with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Geographic Society, ARKive among others, data, images and sounds of species, habitats and locations have been compiled to create this accessible yet complex public art project.

What are some of the themes explored? Certainly a sense of what is occurring and a true perspective on the resulting impact. As Dr. Gregory Farring, Director of the California Academy of Sciences states, these themes “… they encourage people to think about the world and their responsibility to it.” The Academy’s mission is to ask two basic questions: “Life – How did we get here?” and as part of the “challenge of sustainability – How are we going to find a way to stay?” Maya Lin explores biodiversity, habitat destruction, fragile and exploited ecosystems. Effective and current, ephemeral and timeless, ask yourself what is missing?

The distinct voices of frogs have always been among the most familiar of nature’s sounds. Alas, it may no longer be the case due to disappearing and declining populations. Some varieties of harlequin frogs and tree frogs are a high priority on the endangered species list due to declines of over 80% in 3 generations. From the American Association for the Advancement of Science website, findings published by Science Express in 2004 show that:

“1,856 species – 32.5 percent of the total 5,743 known species of amphibians (including frogs, toads, caecilians and salamanders) – are “globally threatened,” meaning they fall into the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List categories of vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.

In addition, 2,468 amphibian species (43.2 percent) are in decline, 435 (7.6 percent) are in rapid decline, and up to 122 (2.1 percent) seem to have disappeared since 1980 (many of which are probably extinct).

These numbers indicate that the situation for amphibians is much worse than it is for birds or mammals.”

Why are amphibian species dying and vanishing at such an astonishing rate? Scientists believe that pathogens – and one in particular known as Chytridiomycota – are the primary cause. The good news is that researchers are currently working with a probiotic that cures the chytrid fungus. Pesticides, habitat destruction and changes in climate are also listed as culprits. Remember amphibians eat countless insects and are a connection to the worlds of land and water and therefore a leading indicator of environmental change. Frogs are very commonly used for some things not condoned here at les violettes such as delicacies (frog legs) and dissection in science classes. In fact, frogs are so common that we take them for granted. Fortunately, organizations like Amphibian Rescue, Amphibian Ark and the Tropical Research Institute are dedicated to protecting and saving frogs while there is still time.

Today the weather is absolutely horrific with a major rain storm and wind gusts of up to 77mph! Due to the storm the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers closed for the day. Have you ever been there? What a beautiful place! Set in a white, wooden Victorian greenhouse, it is the oldest public conservatory for flowers in the Western hemisphere. What will you find inside? For starters a humid sensory environment with over 2,000 species of plants. There are also aquatic, tropical and potted plants along with one of the largest collections of orchids in the world. The building was built in 1878 and nearly destroyed during several storms (similar to the one today) in 1995-96. Due to neglect over the years, the structure was closed. Thanks to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the conservatory was repaired and reopened to the public in 2003. Many of the plants on view no longer exist in their natural habitat. If you love flowers and you have a chance to visit San Francisco, don’t hesitate to stop by this inviting place.

QUEST on KQED Public Media.

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For more on the water cycle: http://crew.iges.org/

“The Landfill Designers” is an audio production of the BBC. Please click here to listen.