Category: News

Help spread the word about our all-volunteer organization by watching and sharing our new 30-second public service announcement (PSA).

Download our 30-second PSA.
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At this time last year, we had just launched Oakland Volunteer Park Patrol. So now, it’s time to celebrate our first anniversary! We’ve grown to be 44 volunteers strong – hikers, mountain bikers, trail runners, and dog walkers – all using our training to help welcome and assist park users, address park maintenance issues, and assist OPD and OFD in emergencies.

We’ve logged 3,043 volunteer hours and have assisted 2,802 park users. We’ve led free hiking tours, removed litter and graffiti, and this winter, when the trails took a beating, we cleared more than 200 fallen trees, keeping the trails open and safe for all users.

We’re also team players. We proudly collaborate with the Bicycle Trails Council, Friends of Sausal Creek, Friends of Joaquin Miller Park, and Oakland Public Works. We’ve led youth, church organizations, and corporate teams in park work days, and we continue to work closely with OPD and OFD to help improve emergency preparedness inside the parks.

We need your support

Our stewardship programs require funding for tools and materials. We are an all-volunteer organization, so your tax-deductible contribution goes directly to support our mission to help promote, maintain, and enhance Oakland’s wildland parks and trails. Since launching our fundraising campaign in late June, we’ve reached nearly 1/3 of our $3000 goal for summer stewardship projects. With donation levels as low as $10, every little bit helps! Please donate HERE.

Back in January, I reached out to Oakland Police Department Area 3 Captain Freddie Hamilton with an idea to pair up OPD officers and Park Patrol volunteers with the goal of improving emergency preparedness in Oakland’s wildland parks. He approved the community policing beat priority, and we launched the joint patrols in February, 2017.

To learn more about this important collaboration, read the East Bay Times article by Sarah Tan HERE.

Special thanks to KTVU’s Frank Mallicoat, and their Bay Area People program, for doing such a great story about our Park Patrol program! Watch it HERE.

“KBLX Cares” is a community spotlight show hosted by Sterling James. They invited me in this week to talk about Oakland Trails and the work we’re doing in and for Oakland Parks

The 15-minute radio segment aired on Saturday, February 25, but can also be heard on their blog.

Please click HERE to listen.

We talked about our stewardship, hiking tours, Trailhead, and Oakland Volunteer Park Patrol. And, as always, I was proud to give a shout out for our community and our parks.

Our mission is to promote, maintain, and enhance Oakland’s wildland parks and trails.

Introduction

We are proud to share the details of our accomplishments in 2016 with the community, including our supporters, collaborating organizations, and City of Oakland agencies. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments.

Synopsis

With our newly released documentary, TRAILHEAD, Oakland Trails hit the ground running in January of 2016. For most of the year, we had weekly presentations at local theaters, schools, senior centers, and community halls. With the brisk fundraising that came with the screening events, we invested in trail projects. Hand saws, trail building tools, and redwood lumber were purchased for projects including the installation of trail steps, a new foot bridge, and year-round trail maintenance. With the launch of Oakland Volunteer Park Patrol, we were able to outfit our 35 volunteers with uniforms and other supplies. We also led 18 free hiking tours, providing outdoor recreation education for youth, adults, and seniors.

Budget Summary

Starting Balance: $5,156.68
Income: $18,704.96
Expenses: $14,607.80
Available funds: $9,253.84

Details of Income

Donations received from 59 individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations: $12,196
Retail sales of Oakland Trails merchandise at 40 events (screenings, hiking tours, art festivals, etc.): $6,508

Log of Volunteer Hours in 2016

Trail Work: 241 hrs
Promotions (screenings, hiking tours, other outreach events): 306 hrs
Oakland Volunteer Park Patrol: 1,436 hrs
Admin: 100 hrs
Total Volunteer Hours: 2,083

Website

Users: 11,598
Sessions: 16,365
Page views: 25,891

Social Media

Follow us on Instagram: @oaklandparkpatrol

We launched our account in November, 2016.
Posts: 131
Followers: 51

Screenings of TRAILHEAD

01/13/2016: St. Paul’s Towers
01/21/2016: Sequoia Diner
01/24/2016: Sunday Assembly at Oakland Peace Center
01/25/2016: Chabot Space & Science Center (PPNA Annual Meeting)
01/27/2016: Urbano Cellars Winery
02/01/2016: New Parkway Theater
02/10/2016: Grand Lake Theater
02/11/2016: Grand Lake Gardens
02/25/2016: Octopus Literary Salon
02/26/2016: Oakland Museum of California
03/15/2016: EBRPD Volunteer Trail Safety Patrol
03/20/2016: Albany Filmfest
03/25/2016: City Commons Club
03/31/2016: deFremery Recreation Center (OPR Foundation Annual Meeting)
04/04/2016: Berkeley High School
04/17/2016: San Francisco Green Film Festival
04/18/2016: Released on-line (OaklandTrails.org/watch)
04/23/2016: Ale Industries Taproom
05/03/2016: Glenview Neighborhood Association
05/11/2016: Oakland Main Library
05/21/2016: Nature Friends Tourist Club
05/24/2016: Friends of San Leandro Creek
06/16/2016: REI Berkeley
06/22/2016: Dimond Recreation Center
06/27/2016: KTOP-TV10
07/07/2016: KTOP-TV10
07/22/2016: San Francisco Frozen Film Festival
08/02/2016: Sustainable Lafayette “Open Space” Film Series
08/21/2016: Lindsay Wildlife Experience “Nature Speak” Series
09/09/2016: Oakland’s Short, Short Film Festival
09/12/2016: California Independent Film Festival
09/16/2016: New Parkway Theater
09/17/2016: New Parkway Theater
09/22/2016: REI Berkeley
10/20/2016: Epworth UMC, Older Adult Ministries
10/25/2016: Dorothy C. Wong Senior Center

On-line plays: 1,526

Hiking Tours

We led 18 free hiking tours:

01/01/2016: Dimond Park to Chabot Space & Science Center
02/15/2016: Dimond Park to Chabot Space & Science Center
02/15/2016: Dimond Canyon Park
02/21/2016: Dimond Park to Chabot Space & Science Center (private tour for Girl Scout leaders)
04/25/2016: Joaquin Miller Park (private tour for SF 3rd graders)
05/21/2016: Dimond Park to Joaquin Miller Park (private tour for Nature Friends Tourist Club)
05/30/2016: Dimond Park to Chabot Space & Science Center
07/04/2016: Dimond Park to Chabot Space & Science Center
07/17/2016: Joaquin Miller Park (private tour for Redwood Heights Neighborhood Assoc.)
07/25/2016: Joaquin Miller Park Redwoods Tour (3X)
09/05/2016: Dimond Park to Chabot Space & Science Center and back to Dimond
09/11/2016: Joaquin Miller Park Redwoods (private tour for “Jack & Jill of America”)
09/12/2016: Joaquin Miller Park and Redwood Park
10/10/2016: Dimond Park to Joaquin Miller Park and back
11/24/2016: Dimond Park to Chabot Space & Science Center
12/25/2016: Dimond Park to Chabot Space & Science Center

Miles: 92
Attendance: 370

Oakland Volunteer Park Patrol

Co-founded with Vice Mayor Annie Campbell Washington, we launched Park Patrol in June. We held 7 training sessions, bringing the total number of volunteers to 35. Our diverse group of men and women includes hikers, runners, mountain bikers, and dog walkers.

Total hours: 1,436
Number of park users assisted: 1,388

Trail Improvement Projects

Our stewardship programs are active in Dimond Canyon and Joaquin Miller Park:

• Cleared 86 fallen trees
• Installed 30 redwood steps on hiking trails
• Replaced the bridge over Palo Seco Creek on lower Palos Colorados Trail
• Improved drainage on Palos Colorados, Sunset, Sunset Loop, Big Trees, Sinawik, Sinawik Loop, Sequoia-Bayview, Wild Rose, Old Cañon, and Bridgeview trails
• Cleared a landslide on Cinderella Trail
• Maintained the drains under the Bridgeview Trail cement footbridge
• Cleaned graffiti from Big Trees, Dimond Canyon, Old Cañon, Sequoia-Bayview, Sinawik, Sunset, and Wild Rose trails
• Repaired 15 trail markers, and installed 6 new trail markers in Joaquin Miller Park

Collaboration

TRAILHEAD collaborated with the following City of Oakland agencies and nonprofit organizations:

• Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay
• Dimond Business & Professional Association
• Dimond Improvement Association
• East Bay Regional Park District
• Friends of Joaquin Miller Park
• Friends of Sausal Creek
• Girl Scouts of America
• Glenview Neighborhood Association
• League of Women Voters of Oakland
• Montclair Village Association
• Oakland Fire Department
• Oakland Parks & Recreation Foundation
• Oakland Police Department
• Oakland Public Works Agency
• Oakland Parks & Recreation Department
• Oakland Vice Mayor Annie Campbell Washington
• Oaklandish
• Oakmore Neighborhood Association

Here, we’re collaborating with BTCEB on fallen tree removal.

In the News

“Oakland Trails: Dimond to Chabot”, Our Oakland Blog
“Ambassadors help park users navigate trails”, East Bay Times
“Montclair: ‘Short, Short’ film festival slated”, East Bay Times
“Walking in Oakland – #8”, The Urbanist
“Raising Awareness in Oakland’s Dimond Canyon”, Oakland Mama Blog

Community Education

We hosted two educational events:

• Project Coyote – providing information about how to cohabitate with coyotes and other wildlife
• East Bay Regional Park District Ward 2 Candidate Forum

Newsletters

⋅ 12/21/2016
⋅ 11/22/2016
⋅ 10/18/2016
⋅ 10/03/2016
⋅ 09/16/2016
⋅ 08/18/2016
⋅ 07/21/2016
⋅ 06/21/2016
⋅ 05/20/2016
⋅ 04/18/2016
⋅ 04/01/2016
· 03/16/2016
· 02/16/2016

With gratitude,

Stan Dodson, Executive Director
December 31, 2015

I captured these videos from my phone during and after the big storm early January. There’s water flowing where I’ve never seen water flowing before. And there’s A LOT of water where I’m used to seeing it.

Sunset Trail, Joaquin Miller Park, January 10, 2017

Palo Seco Creek, Palos Colorados Trail, Joaquin Miller Park, January 10, 2017

Palo Seco Creek, Bridgeview Trail, Dimond Canyon Park, January 10, 2017

Sequoia-Bayview Trail, Joaquin Miller Park, January 11, 2017

Sequoia-Bayview Trail, Joaquin Miller Park, January 11, 2017

Shop at Oaklandish TODAY (Sat, 10/15) to support our work in the parks!

In their continued support of our all-volunteer organization, Oaklandish will donate 10% of all proceeds from their Dimond Shop on Saturday, October 15, to OaklandTrails.org. And from noon–4pm, we’ll be offering our new Oaklandish t-shirt design, Trailhead DVD’s, and more!

Saturday, October 15, 10am–7pm (visit our booth noon–4pm)
Oaklandish Dimond Shop
3419 Fruitvale Ave, Oakland 94602

Connect with Oaklandish to learn more about their quality goods and love and support of Oakland neighborhoods:

Web: http://oaklandish.com/
Instagram: @oaklandishhq
Twitter: @0aklandish (with a zero)

Our new shirt!

a tribute to Oakland’s redwoods

Never Elsewhere has chosen OaklandTrails.org as their “Nonprofit-of-the-Month”, with 10% of all online purchases in April going to support our work in Oakland’s wildland parks. They’ve also created a special coupon code for OaklandTrails supporters. Use “CPS2016” at checkout to receive 10% off.

As written for The Urbanist, a SPUR publication (#8 in the list)

Read More

Donate to Oakland Trails

Here are my favorite spots in Joaquin Miller Park (some seasonal, some year-round, and all more spectacular after a day or two of rain):

Palos Colorados Trail – Palo Seco Creek runs the length of lower Palos Colorados Trail. It’s a year-round creek, but with any rain it swells quickly, funneling all the smaller creeks in Joaquin Miller Park before joining Sausal Creek. The site and sound of water rushing through this deep, wooded canyon makes for a unique and awesome Oakland experience. The middle section, as pointed to on the map above, offers the best view of waterfalls. *Sections of this trail are steep and narrow, and can be slippery in all conditions. Only experienced hikers should use this trail.

Fern Ravine Trail (seasonal waterfall) – Whether you make your way up from Sunset Loop Trail, or reach the top via Sequoia-Bayview Trail, you’ll get a great view of a long, cascading waterfall from the upper third of this trail section. *This trail is steep and narrow, and requires intermediate to advanced hiking skills.

Cinderella Creek from Sunset Trail – This creek is easily viewed from Sunset Trail, a wide and relatively flat trail that traverses the mid section of the park. Once you reach the creek intersection, a few steps up along the wide banks will treat you to a natural section of creek under a wooded canopy.

Sinawik Trail (semi-seasonal creek) – This is an easy to moderate hiking trail that bends through mixed redwood forest along Palo Seco Creek. Loop back on the middle section of Palos Colorados Trail. You’ll get close to the creek while using these trails.

The Oakland Neighborhood Project is proof enough that Stephen Texeira loves Oakland. A professional photographer and longtime Oakland resident, Stephen has launched a project that lets other passionate Oaklanders tell their own Oakland story.

I met Stephen while doing my initial outreach for TRAILHEAD back in January, and was honored by his invitation to represent Dimond. As I see it, our goals are very similar – we both strive to improve Oakland’s story…just by telling it!

Please visit Stephen’s site to explore Oakland and see how you can get involved.

photo: © stephen texeira photography – TexeiraPhoto.com

On Thursday, I led Oakland Local reporter Nastia Voynovskaya and four of her friends on a three-hour hike from Dimond Park to the Chabot Space & Science Center, where we then hopped on the 339 AC Transit bus line for a ten-minute ride back to Dimond. It was a fantastic day in Oakland parks, and her article does a great job of capturing the spirit of my passion for the trail system. Click here to read the story.

After a great hike and a few cookies packed in
from La Farine, the bus ride back was a breeze.
Thank you, Nastia (left), and Oakland Local!

For a map of the route covered in the story, click here.

In my continued effort to promote the trail system that connects Dimond Park to the Bay Area Ridge Trail, I am now offering private hiking tours for routes that include Dimond Canyon Park and/or Joaquin Miller Park. To learn how to set one up for you and your group, please visit the “Hiking Tours” page.

This is a great opportunity to learn new trails, and also to introduce the trail system to your friends, family, and co-workers.

Thank you, Mike Dobson, for helping me launch this website!

We are now fundraising. Please explore the website to learn more.

Thanks!

– Stan Dodson
Executive Producer
Volunteer