Election Section

Where has the time gone? Late summer wildflowers have morphed into sere grasses and again into autumn foliage greedily drinking in the first rains as we head for the final Challenge hike. It’s worthy of a graduation jaunt and a good test of skills acquired since June. Trails will lead through two parks, so be prepared to look for signposts and carefully follow directions. On this trek the Challenge booklet is a must. 

Before beginning, reflect on the land we’ve hiked. With 65 regional parks encompassing a myriad of habitats at our fingertips, this is a good time to consider the concept of stewardship; to be keepers of nature as responsible caretakers of natural resources for ourselves and for future generations. This is the purpose of the park district a nd one that should be embraced by each one of us, every time we step onto park land. 

Considering all the pleasures open space and wildlife provide, it’s easy to take the next step and consider how one can give back in kind. On each Challenge hike, I’ve n oticed and described areas where additional work is needed. With reduced resources, park staff alone can’t solve many environmental “problems.” Here we can contribute, as trail or wildlife volunteers.  

Like the painting of the Golden Gate Bridge, maintenance is an ongoing endeavor, curtailing growth of vegetation and erosion. Trail volunteers contribute time, supplies or both to improve trails, create new ones and ensure the safety of visitors. They gain by increasing their knowledge of conservation and stewardship. If working with large pipes and pruning shears or building retaining walls and causeways sounds worthwhile, the trail volunteers welcome your help. 

Wildlife volunteers work toward improving the habitat and quality of life for birds and wildl ife through conservation and resource management projects. Members are trained and participate first hand in important field research. Monitoring riparian songbirds, wetland nesting birds, quail and grassland reptiles provide vital data to the preservatio n of these species. 

Restoring pond habitat for California’s red-legged frog by increasing native flora and removing bullfrogs or studying the range of common lizards in grassland areas in relation to the density of grass cover are two projects undertaken this year. Open to all ages, the experiences gained are priceless. 

The Trails Challenge hikes have provided their own accomplishments. Hoofing over 20 miles through nine parks, enjoying time outdoors, exercising, communing with nature and hopefully, cha nging outlooks, one can’t help being awed by the natural resources around us and the importance of their preservation. Hopefully that awe will extend to falling into the rhythm of taking time to appreciate the outdoors. 

While the official Challenge period may be coming to an end, maintain your commitment. Other parks and open space preserves await you during crisp fall, cold winter and rainy spring days. Enjoy them all.  

Trails Challenge No. 7: Sibley Volcanic Preserve to Huckleberry Botanical Regional Preserve: 6.5 miles, rated moderate. 

Sibley’s rich geologic history and Huckleberry’s diverse botanicals are both visited during this outing that follows the ridge, descends to a creek and rises again onto a nature trail before looping back to the starti ng point. Having written about Huckleberry last spring, I’ll focus on Sibley Volcanic Preserve. 

Once home to volcanoes, Sibley is one of the park district’s original properties, dedicated as a preserve in 1936. Over the last 10 million years the land com prising the Berkeley hills underwent action resembling a roller coaster, experiencing uplifting, folding and tilting. One of the highest peaks in this area, Round Top, was created during this process. Through erosion and folding, volcanic dikes, mud and l ava flows tell the story of Sibley’s geologic past. With wide, open paths and far reaching views of Mt. Diablo and the Las Trampas hills, Sibley’s 660-acres effortlessly increase our geological knowledge while providing an engaging tramp. 

My hike began a t Sibley’s Visitor Center, an open pavilion of stone and wood, where three Interpretive Panels offered an introduction to the diverse plant communities within the park and to its tumultuous past: the survival of land under transition. Before me was an artist’s palette of plant communities: grassland, brushland, mixed broadleaf woodland and conifer forest; home to coast live oak, bay laurel, madrone, Monterey pine, buckeye, big leaf maple, eucalyptus, coyote bush, wild currant, snow berry and huckleberry. A diversity of habitats is matched by a diversity of animals, many utilizing the quarries and natural rock outcrops to soak up the warmth of the sun or nestle in rocky dens. 

The richness of vegetation greeted me as soon as my feet hit the trail. I breathed in air that was clean and crisp, refreshed by recent rains as was the foliage bordering the trail. I felt a deep sense of seasonal change and the cycle of life, from deciduous plants discarding leaves to reveal the symmetry and hues of their framework to small pine seedlings emerging above thick leaf litter. 

Through verdant greens I saw glistening white berries, the bright red of poison oak, the tiny white buds and flowers on coyote bush and the brightness of new eucalyptus leaves. Happy bird song abounded while gentle drops of water were bounced off foliage by the slight breeze. The rain had stopped but a deep mist remained creating its own mood. Though a challenge to photography it was a wonderful climate for walking. 

With park pamphlet in hand, I took a detour off the Challenge hike to the Round Top loop to follow the self-guided tour. Round Top volcano’s interior and layers of tuff-breccias were visible at the former quarry pit. Other signposts signaled redbeds, red streaks and layers of oxidized iron and good fossil sources, and massive sandstone blocks left over from the Age of Dinosaurs. Lessons in geology were almost overshadowed by the wealth of flora. Tall summer grasses beaten down, as though recently bedded by a brontosaurus, formed intri guing patterns and sepia hues. Spider webs were gauzily delineated by clinging moisture. Ready for the upcoming holidays, a red-leafed tree was bedecked in green lichen. 

Retracing my steps I accessed Skyline Trail leading to Huckleberry Preserve. The wor ld seemed to change to one of far-reaching pines, bay laurel and oak. Where Sibley’s greens were muted, here brightness prevailed. Foliage greens contrasted with the deep russet of pine and leaf litter, coating trunks and like confetti under my feet. 

Nat ure’s power was evident on each trail. On Round Top, blasted rocks were embedded in the dirt trail; here, a network of gnarled exposed roots, supporting and giving life, formed an integral part of the path. 

The trail soon narrowed as it snaked a steep d escent into the canyon. Magnificent oaks spread tentacle-like branches above the trail, their trunks tinted green. Plush moss blanketed boulders. Moisture scented the air, gladdened the banana slug at my feet and coated the shiny leaves of coast huckleber ry as it led me the canyon’s floor. Here the waters of Huckleberry Creek encouraged my final challenge up to Huckleberry Preserve and the remainder of my hike.  

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