This Saturday, November 5, beginning at 10 AM, Bay Nature magazine is sponsoring a naturalist-led, four-mile walk at scenic Point Pinole Regional Shoreline where you may learn about "angel buggies" and other tales concerning 80 years of explosives manufacturing history. Details of the walk are pasted below or may be found at http://www.baynature.com/events.html. Registration is requested by email to: hikes@baynature.com

Point Pinole Regional Shoreline is located on San Pablo Bay in the City of Richmond. For more information about this 2,147-acre park, see http://www.ebparks.org/parks/ptpinole.htm, especially the Quick Time Movie link, which leads to three excellent movies about the park and its history. The park brochure and map may be downloaded from http://www.ebparks.org/resources/resources_maps.htm. 

This park has over 12 miles of relatively level trails for hiking and biking, as well picnic facilities and fishing from both the shoreline and a massive pier. East Bay Regional Park District has completed the Bay Trail within the park; however, there are no Bay Trail connections yet to link the park with nearby residential and shoreline areas.

TRAC hopes that you will be able to take advantage of this Saturday's opportunity to enjoy Point Point Pinole Regional Shoreline and learn about its "dynamite" history.

Bay Nature Hike: Point Pinole Regional Shoreline Saturday, November 5, 2005 10am

For nearly 80 years, from 1881 until 1960, Point Pinole teemed with the sights and sounds of dynamite manufacture. The powder company moved on, and the land endures today as an increasingly popular park of Bay vistas, rare bayside bluffs, and peaceful woods.

Join Bay Nature and EBRPD naturalist David Zuckermann for an exploration of this varied landscape. We'll look for traces of the Point's storied past, and evidence that nature has taken hold once again in this altered terrain. The eucalyptus woodlands, originally planted as a buffer against potential explosions, now shelter wildlife such as deer, fox, hawks, owls, monarch butterflies, and many other species. We'll keep an eye out for shorebirds along the edge of the Bay, and listen for song sparrows who make their home among the reeds in the park's salt marshes.

We'll cover nearly four flat miles on fire road, pavement, cobblestone, and sand. Among the foundations and bunkers, railroad grades and paths, we'll traverse the parkland habitats of eucalyptus, grasslands, beaches, and bluffs. Wear sturdy shoes and bring a hat, sunscreen, water, lunch, and snacks.

RSVP:

To help us plan for the day, please let us know if you're planning to come by emailing hikes@baynature.com or calling (510)528-8550 by November 2. There is no charge for this (or any other) Bay Nature hike. But there is a parking fee of $5 per vehicle on weekends. Heavy rain cancels.

Getting There:

We'll meet in the Point Pinole Regional Shoreline parking lot off of Giant Highway. From Highway 80, take the Richmond Parkway exit (which is one exit East of Hilltop Drive). Head West on Richmond Parkway, cross San Pablo Ave., and turn right at the next light onto Atlas Rd.

Follow Atlas Rd. until just past the railroad crossing, where you'll turn left onto Giant Highway. Watch for the park entrance on your right, just past the West County Detention Facility.

© Bay Nature, 2005