Maximum tidal wetland design approved for De-Pave Park

Environmental groups are celebrating an historic decision on what is now destined to become a model for shoreline ecological adaptation around San Francisco Bay.

At issue was whether to keep Building 25, a 55-foot-tall hangar, as a source of lease revenue, or remove it to maximize natural habitat. 

On November 7th, ten years after the De-Pave Park concept was first introduced, the City Council approved moving forward with a plan to remove the building to make way for a park that will welcome sea level rise.  The term “de-pave” refers to the removal of paving.  The paving will be recycled on site to provide the elevated observation overlook and the elevated entrance.  The decision was the latest step in the process of developing a Master Plan that will provide the foundation for receiving a multitude of regulatory permits and construction grant funds. 

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Bogus recycled water signs at Alameda Landing

The extensive landscaping at the recently-completed Bohol Circle Immigrant Park and the Pulte Homes condominiums at Alameda Landing is a beautiful sight to behold.  And hats off to the city and Pulte Homes for installing recycled water pipes during construction. 

The only thing wrong with the landscaping are the signs that say that the plants are irrigated with recycled water from East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD).  This is not true, according to EDMUD Public Information Representative Christopher Tritto.

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Pesticide drone manufacturing OK’d on State Tidelands

On September 5th, by a vote of four to one, the City Council approved an eight-year lease of an Alameda Point hangar to an autonomous electric aircraft manufacturing company called Pyka Inc.  Their planes are designed for spraying pesticides on agricultural land.  While the company hopes to one day be selling autonomous planes for cargo delivery, the bulk of the discussion at the meeting centered on environmental concerns raised by residents about industrial-scale aerial spraying of petroleum-based pesticides.

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Pesticide drone company is a bad fit for Alameda Point

At its September 5 meeting, the City Council will consider whether to lease a hangar at 950 West Tower Avenue at Alameda Point to a company that makes autonomous aircraft for spraying pesticides on agricultural crops.  The lease proposal can be rejected on the grounds that the use of synthetic pesticides is completely at odds with principles of environmental sustainability. 

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PFAS remediation work underway next to Alameda Point shoreline

In late June, a Navy contractor began the month-long process of injecting over 180,000 gallons of activated carbon solution into the ground at Alameda Point to prevent a hazardous substance called PFAS (Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) from entering the Oakland Estuary.

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It’s growing season for plants, birds, and insects at Alameda Point farm

Tilling the land to grow food for people at the Alameda Point Collaborative farm also provides food opportunities for birds and butterflies. 

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Clif Bar employees enhance Alameda Point farm

On June 27, two tour buses pulled up at the Alameda Point Collaborative’s Farm2Market urban farm.  Roughly 100 employees of Clif Bar & Company, maker of plant-based energy bars, disembarked for a day of community service on company time.  Another 65 workers disembarked at other Alameda Point Collaborative (APC) locations.  In an effort to keep the farm successful, the workers fanned out in teams to prune fruit trees, pull weeds in vegetable rows, construct rinsing tables for fruits and vegetables, and assemble and stain picnic tables and benches. 

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