Category: Berkeley Partners for Parks

This is the location for general BPFP announcements.

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Thin willows on Berkeley’s only trout stream Sun., Jan. 9

Join Friends of Five Creeks on Berkeley and Albany’s only trout stream to thin exuberant willows along a reach restored seven years ago. We’ll harvest some of the prunings for planting on nearby Village Creek, get a look at older and new restored areas, and talk about what remains to be done!

Meet at 10 AM at the north end of Fifth Street (one block north of Harrison, two blocks north of Gilman; AC Transit 25 or 72). Wear closed-toed shoes with good traction and clothes that can get dirty. Dress in layers for all weather. All ages welcome. Snacks, water, tools, and gloves provided.

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Pre-Applications for UC Chancellor’s Grants due Feb. 9

Early Deadline: Community groups hoping for 2011 funding from UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Community Partnership grants must email a short pre-application describing their project by 5 PM February 9. Because so many groups seek funding, and the $225,000 available for the year’s grants be distributed among only about 12-15 projects, UC hopes to save everyone time by asking only some groups to fill out complete applications. The form, grant guidelines, brief descriptions of past awards, and background information are available at UC Berkeley’s Government and Community Relations web site. A workshop is scheduled for 5:30-7:30 PM Wed., Jan. 12, at North Berkeley Senior Center, Hearst and MLK.

What are UC Chancellor’s Grants? The 15-year program was established in 2006, settling a lawsuit by the City of Berkeley. It awards $225,000 yearly in grants of $5000 or more to nonprofit organizations that join with a UC-related partner to carry out projects in Berkeley in the areas of arts and culture, community safety, economic development, education, or environmental stewardship.

Contact BPFP about fiscal sponsorship: Berkeley Partners for Parks partner groups have received significant numbers of these grants for a wide range of projects. Grants must go to legal nonprofit organizations, so groups needing a nonprofit fiscal sponsor for a project aligned with BPFP’s mission are urged to contact us. If your project requires volunteer labor and less than the $5000 minimum grant, it may fit into our “Greening Berkeley” partnership, in which several groups seek funds for small projects to be carried out with the help of UC student volunteers. Please get in touch if you think we can help you!

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BPFP partners with Bay Nature

A Note from our president, John Steere:

Oct-Dec 2010 coverWe encourage all current and prospective members of Berkeley Partners for Parks to take advantage of our new partnership with the Berkeley-based award-winning and bio-regionally informative magazine, Bay Nature, which you can receive a year’s subscription for only $17.95 (or as a Holiday gift subscription) when you sign up for BPFP! That’s more than 25% off a regular subscription prIce….

Bay Nature is the only magazine dedicated to exploring and protecting wild places at the urban edge AND the wild places right outside your door, connecting Bay Area people to the mountain lions nearby, restoration of thousands of acres of tidal wetlands, the butterflies of the Presidio, the best local hikes, and more.

From now until December 31, you can get a one-year gift subscription to Bay Nature for only $17.95.

Even better, if you give two or more subscriptions, they will be only $15 each! That’s a savings of over 32% off a regular one-year subscription. http://store.baynature.com/Search.bok?category=Gift+Subscriptions+and+Renewals

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Make Mark Liolios of Aquatic Park EGRET your Conservation Hero (and help BPFP win $5000)

For more than a decade, Mark Liolios has worked to transform Aquatic Park into great habitat for herons, egrets, shorebirds, native plants — and people! On September 13, the Trust for Public Land, with Cox Enterprises, has named him one of five “Cox Conserves Heroes” for the Bay Area for 2010! See the Sept. 14 story on www.Berkeleyside.com!
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Mark and four other finalists receive $1,250 for the nonprofit of their choice — and Mark has chosen Berkeley Partners for Parks! If Mark gets the most online votes, BPFP will get a total of $5,000!

Watch videos of the five winners and vote online for your favorite at
www.coxconservesheroes.com/san-francisco-bay-area-ca/2010-finalists.aspx.

Mark Liolios weeding with volunteers at Aquatic Park
Mark Liolios weeds with volunteers at Aquatic Park
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Oct. 3 Sunday stroll, progressive party celebrates volunteer greening!

On Sunday, Oct. 3, Berkeley Partners for Parks invites you to enjoy
• A leisurely afternoon stroll or bike ride
• A progressive picnic
• Music, food, fun for all ages
Celebrate great green spaces! See how Berkeley volunteers have transformed neglected scraps of city!
We’ll start at 1 PM at Presentation Park, Allston Way and California, where residents have turned thickets into a butterfly garden and more.
At 2 PM we’ll make our way to Schoolhouse Creek Common, Virginia and Curtis. Neighbors have turned an old parking lot behind Berkeley Adult School into a flowery oasis where neighbors gather, children play, and students take breaks and relax.
At 3 PM we’ll follow the old Santa Fe Railroad route, now the Ohlone Greenway, to Westbrae Commons (along the greenway between Hopkins and Gilman). There we’ll join the annual harvest-time celebration of three community gardens, restored native coastal prairie, and whimsical to spectacular public art along the old rail corridor.
Free, all welcome! (The distance is a level 1.5 mi. one way.) Information at www.bpfp.org, Charlie_Paths@comcast.net, 540 7223.