May News: BPWA Friend Honored by City of Berkeley

May 2024

ELSA TRANTER HONORED BY BERKELEY CITY COUNCIL

Wed, Apr 24

Elsa Tranter Honored by Berkeley City Council

Think back to what you were doing on March 19, 2024; whatever it was, you were doing it on Elsa Tranter Day in the City of Berkeley. That was when our friend Elsa Tranter was given a proclamation by the city council honoring her years of work cleaning up local beaches and roadways and naming the day for her.

On May 4–5 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. the El Cerrito Trail Trekkers, one of our friend organizations, will host their tenth annual El Cerrito Hillside Festival in the Hillside Natural Area. There will be something for everyone, including guided hikes about local geology, trees, edible and medicinal plants, birds, lichen, and El Cerrito history. Family-friendly events will include a nature scavenger hunt, crafting from nature, art in the trees, and an insect hike. People of all ages can learn how to use apps to identify flora and fauna or enter a haiku contest and hear the winners recite their poetry on a “haiku hike.” See the full schedule at www.ectrailtrekkers.org.

UPCOMING WALKS

Note: Heavy rain cancels; If rain is in the forecast, check the www.berkeleypaths.org website the day before to see if the walk is cancelled.

The following two walks were originally scheduled for March but had to be cancelled due to rain.

Mill Valley Ramble

When: Saturday, May 25, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Leaders: John Ford and Alex Krivoruchko

Distance and elevation: 5-6 miles on stairways and narrow dirt paths; you may want to bring hiking poles.

Start/end: Old Mill Park, the corner of Throckmorton and Cascade in Mill Valley (map)

Accessibility: This walk is not wheelchair accessible, and no dogs are allowed.

The group is limited to 20 people so to reserve your place please email John at johnford19@gmail.com and indicate whether you need a ride or can provide a ride for someone else.

Mill Valley has as many paths and stairways as Berkeley, possibly more. Alex, a lifelong resident of Mill Valley, will lead us on a sampling of the paths and a couple of fire roads. READ MORE

Great Estates of Claremont-Rockridge

When: Sunday, May 26, 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Leader: Ron Sipherd

Distance and elevation: 3 miles, 200 feet of elevation gain

Start/end: Claremont Avenue at The Uplands (opposite Star Market). Served by AC Transit line 79 (map)

Accessibility: Well-behaved dogs on leash permitted

Circa 1900, this scenic neighborhood boasted several imposing mansions with extensive grounds that belonged to some of the Bay Area’s wealthiest tycoons. READ MORE

WANTED: WALKING BUDDIES

If you’re interested in joining a BPWA hike but would like a little support or company, you can arrange for a walking buddy by emailing walks@berkeleypaths.org. In your email, please specify:

Your name
Preferred day and time you plan on walking
Desired distance and pace (miles/hour)
Maximum number of people in the group

Please be aware that your email address will be shared with those who have matchinginterests.

PATH MAINTENANCE WORK PARTIES

Join us for a path maintenance work party!

Saturday, May 11, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday, May 16, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Do you enjoy working with your hands and seeing tangible results of your efforts? Join us to clean up Berkeley’s paths—work that’s mostly weeding, sweeping, raking, and clipping. We’ll have gloves and tools available, but feel free to bring your own. Please also bring your own water, as we won't be offering water or refreshments. Please RSVP to receive an email confirming the meeting place by writing to Mary Lynch at path.maintenance@berkeleypaths.org.

HELP US KEEP THE PATHS SAFE AND ACCESSIBLE

In 2018, a cast of thousands — okay, about 80 volunteers — fanned out across Berkeley to walk every path and record its condition. BPWA collected the data into this status report. This “living document” was last revised in May 2023 to show more recent progress on path repairs and improvements, and we plan to post the results very soon.

But we can’t be “everything everywhere all at once.” We rely on you, our surrounding community, to let us know if you spot a problem that needs to be fixed right away. If you see something, say something! You can submit your own report of path conditions to path.maintenance@berkeleypaths.org.

Many thanks for being our eyes and ears!

Berkeley Path Wanderers Association

Berkeley Path Wanderers Association is a community organization of people who treasure the public pathways that crisscross our city. Learn more

The BPWA board generally meets monthly. Our next meeting is Thursday, May 16 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Guests are welcome! Please contact info@berkeleypaths.org for more information.

We always welcome new volunteers to lead walks on Berkeley’s paths. If interested, please contact Walks Co-Coordinators Tamara Gurin or Desmid Lyon at walks@berkeleypaths.org.

To support Berkeley's paths, you can donate online. All donations are tax-deductible and go toward building new paths, repairing and clearing existing paths, purchasing handrails, and advocating for paths and walkers.