December News: Two new faces and thanks for a great year!

December 2024

BPWA WELCOMES TWO NEW BOARD MEMBERS!

We always love welcoming new members of the BPWA community to our circle, and we’re happy to introduce Nancy Graham as our new Treasurer and Jen English as our new Walks Co-coordinator (with Tamara Gurin). Read More

HELP US KEEP BERKELEY’S PATHS SAFE AND SOUND

Thanks to the support of our donors, the Berkeley Path Wanderers Association had a productive 2024! Your donations are used directly to make path improvements, and one critical measure is by purchasing and installing handrails. Over the past year, we added handrails to four paths—Betty Olds, Shasta, Stoddard, and Tilden—the most we’ve ever installed in one year! Handrails are an important factor in ensuring that our paths remain safe for everyone to enjoy.

But Berkeley’s paths require dozens more handrails and, at a cost of $15,000 to $25,000 each, we need about $1 million for this project alone. More broadly, along with the City of Berkeley, we’ve estimated that it will cost nearly $5 million to repair crumbling 100-year-old concrete steps; construct new paths on public rights-of-way; and install handrails, lighting, signage, and pedestrian safety improvements.

Please consider making a tax-deductible, year-end donation in support of our work on Berkeley’s paths. The easiest way is to donate online, at www.berkeleypaths.org/donate. Donors of $250 or more will be eligible to receive a snazzy BPWA bucket hat (provided on request)!

DONATE NOW!

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.

Tank House Tour

When: Saturday, December 7 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Leader: Aaron Goldstein
Start: Corner of Sixth and Harrison Streets in Berkeley

End: Corner of Hopkins St. and Kains Ave. in Berkeley
Distance: 3 miles, mostly flat
Accessibility: Mostly level terrain, but some narrow and/or uneven pavement. Periods of standing for 10-20 minutes at each of the sites. Because they’re quite spread out, there are some long stretches of walking at the beginning of the tour. Well-behaved dogs on leash are welcome.

This walk reconstructs a once ubiquitous but now largely forgotten piece of the circa-1900 Berkeley urban landscape. Back then, windmill-topped water towers stood on nearly every city block, pulling up water from wells into elevated water tanks and providing pressurized water for domestic use. Of the thousands of original “tank houses,” only a handful remain. We'll visit six surviving examples in North and West Berkeley and learn how people got their water pre-EBMUD in the East Bay. READ MORE

Northbrae and Thousand Oaks

When: Saturday, December 14 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (in case of rain, will be postponed to January 11)

Leader: Bob Johnson

Start/end: Northwest corner of Solano Avenue and The Alameda (at the bottom of Indian Rock Path)

Distance: 2 miles with an elevation gain of 250 feet

Accessibility: On sidewalks and paved paths almost all the time but not accessible to wheelchairs due to stairways. Well behaved dogs on leash are welcome.

This neighborhood of North Berkeley has it all—fine architecture, gardens, volcanic rock outcroppings, former homes of famous people and, of course, some nice paths. Although there will be some ups and downs, we’ll go at a moderate pace. READ MORE

Step into the New Year

When: Wednesday, January 1, 2025 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Leaders: Glen Lindwall and John Ford

Start/end: Dorothy Bolte Park in Berkeley

Distance: 3-4 miles
Accessibility: Well behaved dogs on leash are welcome.

Welcome the new year with a walk along the Berkeley/Kensington border including Ye Olde School Path with its views of Wildcat Canyon as well as paths of both Berkeley and Kensington. We will all start together but will separate into a moderate-paced group and a group that will travel a more vigorous route that is somewhat longer with more up and down. Excess mud on the trail may require changes of route. Dorothy Bolte Park offers both its famous concrete slide and a picnic area where treats can be shared by those who wish to linger. Rain cancels. READ MORE

PATH MAINTENANCE WORK PARTIES

Join us for a path maintenance work party!

Thursday, December 12, 10 a.m. to noon

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 will 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.

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. 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 Coordinator Tamara Gurin or Jen English 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.