Citizens for East Shore Parks facts for kids
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| Abbreviation | CESP |
|---|---|
| Founders | Dwight E. Steele, Norman La Force, Sylvia McLaughlin |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Legal status | Charity |
| Purpose | Open space preservation, Natural habitat restoration, Environmental justice |
| Location |
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Region served
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East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area) |
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Membership
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3,000 |
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President
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Shirley Dean |
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Executive Director
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Robert Cheasty |
| Website | www.eastshorepark.org |
Citizens for East Shore Parks (CESP) is an American environmental organization. They work to protect and create parks in the San Francisco Bay Area. CESP helps save natural areas and open spaces along the East Bay shoreline. They do this so animals have homes and people have places to play.
Since starting in 1985, CESP has helped protect about 1,800 acres (728 hectares) of public land. A big part of this was creating the 8.5-mile (13.7 km) long Eastshore State Park in 2002.
What CESP Does: Mission
The main goal of Citizens for East Shore Parks (CESP) is to protect and improve the natural places along the east side of San Francisco Bay. They also want to create more fun and learning opportunities there. Their dream is to connect all the shoreline parks from the Oakland Estuary to the Carquinez Strait, like a beautiful necklace.
How CESP Works
CESP has a team of 25 volunteers who serve on its Board of Directors. These are community leaders, environmentalists, and public officials. They have a long history of working to protect the environment in the East Bay.
Even though CESP does a lot of work, they have a very small staff. One executive director manages the daily tasks. They also get help from interns and volunteers.
History of CESP
CESP started in 1985. Their first goal was to stop a company called Santa Fe Railroad from building huge projects along the Berkeley and Albany waterfronts. People in the East Bay wanted to protect San Francisco Bay and its shoreline from harmful development.
Many local environmentalists, public officials, and concerned people joined together. They formed "Citizens for the Eastshore State Park." Their main goal was to create a state park. This park would permanently protect the shoreline for public use and recreation.
Protecting the Shoreline
By 1990, people in Albany, Berkeley, and Emeryville voted to protect the open spaces on the shoreline. Because of this, Santa Fe Railroad decided to sell their land. Citizens for the Eastshore State Park played a key role in planning the new park.
CESP helped create two successful bond measures. These measures helped the California Department of State Parks and the East Bay Regional Park District buy the land. CESP also helped different groups agree on a shared idea for the shoreline park. They acted as a go-between for the public and government officials.
Eastshore State Park Opens
In December 2002, the California Department of State Parks approved the plan for Eastshore State Park. The park officially opened in 2006. This was almost 40 years after people first dreamed of a shoreline park.
The park is 8.5 miles (13.7 km) long. It stretches along the waterfronts of Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville, Albany, and Richmond. It protects over 2,000 acres (809 hectares) of land and water. This area is home to 16 types of rare, threatened, or endangered wildlife.
In 2004, CESP changed its name. It went from "Citizens for the Eastshore State Park" to "Citizens for East Shore Parks." This new name showed their wider goal of protecting open spaces across the entire East Bay.
Saving Albany Shoreline
In 2006, CESP successfully fought to protect the Albany shoreline. A company wanted to build a large shopping mall there. This mall would have split the Eastshore State Park into two parts. CESP's efforts helped stop this from happening.
Protecting Richmond Shoreline
Around 2008, CESP worked with groups in Richmond. They wanted to protect the Richmond shoreline for open space, public access, wildlife, and recreation. CESP pushed for the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) to buy Breuner Marsh.
The EBRPD tried to buy the land, but the owner wanted to build on it. The issue went to court. In 2008, the court ruled that the EBRPD could buy the land for $6.85 million. CESP and other environmental groups helped protect and restore over 200 acres (81 hectares) of the North Richmond Shoreline.
Tom Bates Regional Sports Complex
CESP also played a big part in creating the Tom Bates Regional Sports Complex, which opened in 2008. CESP brought groups together to create a sports complex near the Eastshore State Park. They convinced the EBRPD to buy a 16-acre (6.5 hectare) lot from Golden Gate Fields.
This lot was in the middle of the Eastshore State Park. CESP helped organize a huge effort among five cities and the EBRPD. Many sports groups also worked hard. The complex was named after Tom Bates, who was CESP's Vice President and Mayor of Berkeley. This honored his many years of work to create the Eastshore State Park and the sports complex.
Current Projects
CESP is currently working on projects in two main areas: Eastshore State Park and Richmond.
Eastshore State Park Projects
CESP continues to support the Eastshore State Park. This includes restoring natural habitats and adding public facilities. One project is building a visitor's center and park entrance at the Brickyard site in Berkeley. CESP works with park agencies to give public ideas for this project.
CESP is also involved in many habitat restoration projects. The plan for Eastshore State Park includes improving different ecosystems. For example, the Berkeley Meadow is being restored to have seasonal wetlands, coastal scrub, and native grasslands. The City of Albany and East Bay Regional Park District are doing a similar project at the Albany Plateau. These projects help threatened wildlife like the northern harrier, white-tailed kite, and western burrowing owl.
CESP is also watching the Albany Waterfront Visioning Process. The Albany City Council is thinking about what to do with the land where the Golden Gate Fields racetrack is now, if it closes. CESP is working with local people to create a plan. This plan would restore the environment and add the land to Eastshore State Park. It also looks at responsible development.
Richmond Projects
The City of Richmond is updating its General Plan, which guides land use for the next 30 years. CESP wants Richmond to adopt a plan that improves public access to its 32 miles (51.5 km) of shoreline. CESP also teaches Richmond residents about the benefits of public parks.
CESP has a three-part plan for the Richmond shoreline.
- North Richmond Shoreline: This area goes from Point Pinole to Wildcat Creek Marsh. It has many different plants and animals and shoreline marshes. CESP wants this area to be protected as parkland and open space, with no more building.
- Point San Pablo Peninsula: This includes Point Molate. A developer wants to build a large casino and resort here. This could have big effects. CESP supports creating parkland along this shoreline instead of a casino.
- South Richmond Shoreline: CESP is concerned about the Zeneca/Cherokee site and University of California's Richmond Field Station. The Zeneca site is one of the most polluted "superfund" sites in California. CESP wants a full clean-up and restoration of this site. They also oppose housing plans for this area. They want the shoreline to become part of the Eastshore State Park after it is cleaned up.
Partnerships
CESP works with many local environmental groups and foundations. These partners share CESP's goals.
Supporting Organizations
- Golden Gate Audubon Society
- Sierra Club
- Save The Bay
- NRSOSA (North Richmond Shoreline Open Space Alliance)
- Oakland Waterfront Coalition
- Berkeley Partners for Parks
- California Native Plant Society
- Environmental Defense
- Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge
- Friends of Aquatics Park
- Oceanic Society
- Regional Parks Association
- Urban Creeks Council
- Contra Costa Hills Club
- California State Parks Foundation
- Citizens for the Albany Shoreline
- Ecology Center
Supporting Foundations
- California State Parks Foundation
- Columbia Foundation
- Dean Witter Foundation
- East Bay Community Foundation
- Firedoll Foundation
- Gerbode Foundation
- Heller Fund
- Loveland Foundation
- Patagonia Tithing Fund
- Points of Light Foundation
- Recreational Equipment Inc.
- Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund
- Rose Foundation
- San Francisco Foundation
- Strong Foundation
- True North Foundation
- Walter & Elise Haas Fund
- William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
