California Native Plant Society - East Bay Meetup

2025 Buy Nothing Day Garber Park Bio-Blitz Friday November 28 at 9 am; rain date on Saturday November 29 at 9am

Meeting Point: Trailhead at the end of Evergreen Lane (135 Evergreen Lane, Berkeley)

Join Garber Park Stewards, Kay Loughman and Janet to collect species ID's and photos of this open space park in Oakland above the Claremont Hotel. We will definitely be in search of vascular plants, birds and mammals, but we will also document bryophytes, lichens, fungii amphibians and invertebrates, including mollusks and insects, as opportunity allows. We will divide into teams to cover all the areas of the park. We will meet at the fireplace site mid-day for sack lunch, post in iNaturalist and/or calflora.org, and to share observations.

Please email either restoration@ebcnps.org or gpstewards@gmail.com to let us know if you have experience identifying any of the biological groups above. Bring cameras or phones with batteries charged, water and maybe binoculars and/or hand lenses for this half-day bioblitz. Cell phone reception is reliable in this section of Claremont Canyon.

Directions: From Oakland and points south or east, follow Highway 13 north to its end at Ashby. Turn right at the traffic light for Ashby and Claremont Ave. and follow Claremont Ave uphill past the hotel and look for parking at the pull-out area by the Claremont Ave. trailhead. You can then follow the trail to Evergreen Lane and document any species you come across going uphill.
From most of Berkeley and points north, exit I-80 southbound at Ashby and follow Ashby uphill and easterly several miles to the traffic light at Ashby and Claremont Ave. Turn left onto Claremont Ave and follow it to the trailhead.

Mass Transit: There is an AC Transit stop at the Claremont Hotel, which is only a couple hundred meters downhill from the Claremont Ave trailhead. However, AC Transit renumbered and re-routed many of its routes, so go to 511.org to confirm the AC Transit bus route. You can use the bus racks to bring your bicycle, but most of Garber Park is too steep and narrow to bike its trails safely.

Legal: By joining this group or participating in an event, members and any guests agree to be 100% responsible for their own safety and health. Members and any guests agree to hold harmless and indemnify California Native Plant Society, its representative chapters, any organizers, event leaders, agents and employees from any and all liability arising from the existence of this group. Members agree to notify any guests of this legal requirement before participation in a group activity. Additionally, if the member or participant is a minor, the minor's responsible adult must agree to this release of liability regarding the minor before the minor may participate.