On Saturday, December 15, at 10:00 am, the Alameda community will celebrate a historic occasion with the grand opening of Jean Sweeney Open Space Park. This 25-acre park on the west side of the island includes open space areas and active uses such as a natural based playground, picnic pavilion, open lawn area, a gazebo that is a restoration of the last Alameda Belt Line train waiting station, a plaza, small picnic areas, landscape with California native and drought-tolerant plants, and a segment of the Cross Alameda Trail for bicyclists and pedestrians. Future phases will add a community garden, more playgrounds, bike skills loop, demonstration gardens, outdoor classroom, and hiking trails through woodland areas.
The Jean Sweeney Open Space Park is located on the former Alameda Belt Line Railroad property that was secured by the City at its original purchase price due to the advocacy efforts of local resident, Jean Sweeney. This area extends from Constitution Way and Atlantic Avenue (by the Alameda Food Bank) to Sherman Avenue.
The history of this park is rich and colorful. After the railroad was decommissioned in the 1990s, the land was slated to be sold to a housing developer. Through tireless research, Jean Sweeney found the original contract between the City and the railroad, which entitled the City to purchase the land back at the original purchase price plus improvements. This land was valued at $20 million and the City was able to purchase it for just under $1 million. Jean Sweeney also initiated a ballot measure to zone the land as Open Space, which passed by a large majority of voters. The process to develop the Jean Sweeney Open Space Park master plan exemplified the residents deep-rooted commitment for this park development. Kristoffer Kr of KKDesign generously developed the parks master plan at no cost to the City and more than 1,000 residents participated in the design process.
“This has to be a park.” As Jim Sweeney explained, These were the inspired words Jean expressed when she first visited the Beltline Railroad yard property after observing the quiet, pristine, and secluded nature reigning there which surrounded her. She recognized it as a wonderful treasure that had to be preserved. It has taken 20 years, but through her dedication and persistence and that of many others her dream has come true. The strong community support of
Sweeney Park is also evident in the funding sources of this $10 million project to date. Major funding came from grants from the Active Transportation Program, administered by Caltrans, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, administered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, and Tim Lewis Communities. Additional significant local funding came from the Rotary Club of Alameda, Jean Sweeney Open Space Park Fund, Alameda Kiwanis Club, and Alameda Community Fund – plus the City of Alameda. Sweeney Park is the culmination of the work and thought of our entire community. People who attended meetings, contributed to concept and design ideas, volunteered for clean-ups, donated funds, wrote letters of support, and voted. This park is here because of the desire and commitment of Alamedans, remarked Amy Wooldridge, Director of Alameda Recreation and Parks Department.
Presenters: Damian Mason, and two additional CASA members
Reversing Global Warming: Introduction to Drawdown is a 2-hour workshop – open to all – that invites our local Alameda community to see the possibility of reversing global warming and to understand that we each have an important role to play in that process.
Through videos and group activities, presenters will introduce a comprehensive plan to reverse global warming from “Project Drawdown“, a scientific study that identifies 100 solutions which, if implemented together, can begin to not just slow down, but to actually roll back, global warming by 2050.
“Drawdown is that point in time when the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere begins to decline on year-to-year basis.” ~ Project Drawdown
Need more info? Contact: drawdownalameda@gmail.com
Help Save Our Monarchs by Planting Milkweed and Flower Seeds!
Last Thanksgiving, only 28,429 monarchs were counted in their wintering colonies compared to a historic population of about 10 million in the Western Monarch migration. Today monarchs face several challenges, the most intractable being a lack of milkweed (Asclepias spp.), where females typically lay their eggs, as well as a lack of winter blooming nectar plants to feed them along their journey. They are also being decimated by the increased use of glyphosate in agriculture, which kills milkweed and other sources of food for these butterflies.
If you have a sunny, open 4′ x 4′ space where you could plant milkweed and butterfly flowers – you could be part of the solution!
At this special workshop we will talk about how to plant and maintain a butterfly garden, then help you plant California native milkweed (and other flower seeds) so you can create your own butterfly garden. You will leave with milkweed, winter blooming flowers and information on how to help the monarchs!
The City of Alameda’s Climate Action and Resiliency Plan recognizes the importance of trees:
- Trees sequester carbon by breathing in carbon dioxide and storing the carbon as plant material
- Trees not only help settle airborne particles during wildfire smoke events, but also remove carbon from the atmosphere and reduce heat impacts
As part of its climate action and resiliency efforts, Alameda is updating its 2010 Street Tree Plan. A vibrant urban forest can help protect us from the impacts of climate change, sequester carbon, increase property values, and promote social equity.
Come hear the research conducted by CASA’s (Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda) Brown University winter intern Kian Kafaie on Wednesday, January 15th at 6 p.m. in the Stafford Room at the Alameda Free Library, 1550 Oak Street, Alameda, CA 94501.
Light refreshments will be served and there will be an opportunity for questions and discussion.
Sadly, due to COVID-19, the City of Alameda has cancelled the Earth Day festival in Washington Park. Please celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day by supporting your favorite environmental organization, or participating in any of the many online events via many environmental non-profits.
Take care and stay healthy! Alameda Backyard Growers
Come and visit our booth at the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Earth Day! We’ll have tomato plants to buy, information to share (on growing food, going plastic free, planting trees, etc.).
You may also have the opportunity to plant trees around Washington Park.
We’ll be sharing our booth with StopWaste – so you can learn more about stopping food waste, urban carbon farming and much more!
If you’d like to volunteer at our booth, please email us: info@alamedabackyardgrowers.org
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Per Aspera Ad Astra: From Adversity to the Stars
Benefit Concert with Black Violin
December 10, 2020 from 4 – 7 PM Live Streaming
Acta Non Verba Celebrates 10 Years!
100K Trees 4 Humanity is back mulching trees!
This Saturday 12/12 – 9am-12pm
@ Franklin Park. 1432 San Antonio Ave.
map: https://goo.gl/maps/R2bkhKqecwPDMAyz8
10:30am-12pm @Washington Park
740 Central Ave., Alameda, CA
map: https://goo.gl/maps/aLDF1xuALVbard17A
Join us and Alameda Recreation and Parks Department (ARPD) as we work to help save these trees on this day of mulching!
First 40 people to sign up get to volunteer. Signup here!
Masks are mandatory. We follow a strict COVID protocol of social distancing and work procedures found here. We ask all participants to adhere to these guidelines at all events and work projects.
Tools: We are providing mulch, buckets, wheelbarrows and shovels.
Optional: If you want, bring your own gloves, water bottle, and shovel.
See you on the 12th!
Sheet mulching is an easy and efficient technique for saving water, recycling resources, suppressing weeds and building healthy soil. Please join Lori Caldwell as she discusses the steps for this process as well as her own tips and tricks for how to sheet mulch. Please bring all your questions!
Lori Caldwell is an Alameda County Master Composter, self taught edible gardener and residential sheet mulch maven. Her mission is to “connect people to the soil and all that it provides”. She has been happily teaching sustainable gardening classes and transforming yards in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2007.
The Alameda Free Library invites you to attend Edible Garden Basics, an exciting virtual gardening program.
UC Master Gardener Susan Fritz will review the importance of selecting a planting site for sun/shade, improving and preparing your soil, watering, mulching, fertilizing, deciding what to plant, and keeping pests at an acceptable level. Making the right decisions about all of these items will lead to a plentiful harvest! Join our fun gardening event and learn the essentials to be a successful vegetable gardener.
Susan became a Master Gardener in May 2014, and has led the Speaker’s Bureau for five years. She enjoys teaching the public about gardening and how they can improve the methods they use to make their gardens more sustainable.
The event will be hosted by the Alameda Free Library via Zoom. A brief Q&A will follow the presentation.
WHAT: Edible Garden Basics, an exciting virtual gardening program
WHERE: Zoom!
WHEN: June 26, 11:00 am
HOW: Register online before the event to receive a link to the event
Please contact Jenny Gillette at refdesk@alamedaca.gov with any questions. For more information about library programs, please visit www.alamedafree.org/Events-directory/Calendar or contact the Main Library at 510-747-7740 during Library Takeout hours, Monday 2:00pm-7:00pm and Tuesday-Friday 12:00pm-5:00pm.
Join Alameda Backyard Growers as we work and learn at Farm2Market, one of our favorite Alameda places. Farm2Market (2600 Barbers Point Road) is a great place to learn innovative and sustainable techniques for growing fruit and vegetables. Lots of different tasks will be available – at least one should fit your interests and abilities! Have fun, gain some gardening know how and enjoy the company of other food growers while helping out a valuable Alameda non-profit.
Farm2Market is a small, diversified working urban farm and a social enterprise of Alameda Point Collaborative. The farm employs APC residents to work with staff and volunteers to produce delicious, nutritious fruits and veggies, raw honey and beautiful flowers. Proceeds from its Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) membership program are used to help sustain APC’s supportive housing community.
COVID precautions: If you are fully vaccinated, you are not required to wear a mask. If you are not fully vaccinated, you must wear a mask whenever you are within six feet of another person.
Bring along your garden gloves, water bottle, sunscreen, your favorite hand tools, and whatever else you’d like to make your gardening work comfortable – knee pad, stool, kneeler, etc. Be sure to wear sturdy closed toe shoes!
Volunteers will help weed, sheet mulch, weed whack, compost, etc. After the work party tours of the farm and neighboring MakerFarm will be available.
After you get your ticket, we’ll contact you so you can sign the APC waiver, which is required in order for you to volunteer at this work party.
Questions? Email info@alamedabackyardgrowers.org and put WORK PARTY in the subject of your email.
