SF Bay Area Water Trail Spring Update

  • by BPC Staff
  • on April 4, 2014
  • 0 Comments
Is it really spring?
   

Dear Water Trail Community Member,

We have several Water Trail updates and announcements to share with you.

Stewardship of the Bay:
Next week – The Water Trail will be participating in EarthEXPO, a festive lunchtime environmental fair, featuring exhibits by green businesses, government agencies, and community and environmental groups in downtown Oakland. EarthEXPO will be held on Wed., April 9th, from 10am to 2pm at Frank Ogawa Plaza. Stop by!

Celebrate Earth Day with the Water Trail – The Water Trail is partnering with the City of Oakland and East Bay Regional Park District to celebrate Earth Day with a kayak clean-up at Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline in Oakland on April 26, from 11am to 2pm. Please contact Galli Basson if you are interested in participating, or visit Oakland’sEarth Day website.

Coming Soon…The Water Trail is planning an additional kayak clean-up near Jack London Square, thanks to the donation from California Canoe and Kayak, which has generously offered to allow use of its kayaks for our cleanup efforts. Details will be announced shortly.

City, County, and District Support for the Water Trail:
Support for the Water Trail continues to grow! The following cities and county have passed resolutions of support since our last update in early February:

  • Suisun City
  • City of Martinez
  • Contra Costa County

Site Designations:
We are pleased to welcome Suisun City into our network of conditionally designated sites. Both the downtown dock with gangway and the full marina with boat ramp were reviewed and discussed at the March 7 Water Trail Implementation meeting. These two sites are the first in the North Bay to join, and they are also unique in that they are reachable by Amtrak!

Water Trail Grant Program:
Grant agreements are being finalized and signed for capital improvement projects at three conditionally designated Water Trail sites. It is not too late to contact Galli Basson to discuss the potential for a Water Trail grant for your site.

Other Grant Programs to Consider:

  • The Division of Boating and Waterways offers many different grants and loans that universities and colleges, nonprofits, local government and public agencies can apply for. These grants may be of interest to site owners hosting non-motorized small boat use. The deadline for the most recent grant round just passed, but you are encouraged to contact Boating and Waterways now to learn about possibilities for your facility and put yourself in a good position to be successful in the next grant round: http://www.dbw.ca.gov/Funding/
  • 2014 Paddle Nation Project Grants – Outdoor Nation is accepting applications from non-profit organizations who are interested in connecting young Americans with their waterways through recreational paddling. This funding opportunity supports pioneering projects and initiatives that are youth-developed and that result in increased paddling participation. The application deadline is April 18, 2014. http://outdoornation.org/grants

Next Water Trail Implementation Meeting:
We hope to see you at our next Water Trail meeting on June 6 from 10 am to 1 pm at the Coastal Conservancy, 1330 Broadway, 11th Floor Conference Room. Meeting agendas are always posted on the Coastal Conservancy website ten days before the meeting.

Thank you for your continued interest in the Water Trail. Stay connected by “liking us” onFacebook.


Ann Buell, Project Manager
State Coastal Conservancy
abuell@scc.ca.gov
Tel: (510) 286-0752
Fax: (510) 286-0470

Galli Basson, Water Trail Planner
Association of Bay Area Governments
gallib@abag.ca.gov
Tel: (510) 464-7936
Fax: (510) 433-5536