By Nikki Muench
Everyone’s definition of “nature” can be different. A connection to nature can be found on any scale, from your lovingly tended-to backyard to a national park, and everything in between. We often seek out nature as a place to escape to, a place to restore our fatigue or melt away our frustrations, a place to connect with family and friends. Your favorite place could be a short walk from your office, a bike ride to your local park, or an hour-plus drive in the car. Nature is able to offer each of us something different to appreciate and take in. Embracing this month’s theme of love and appreciation, we asked The Watershed Project staff to tell us where their favorite place was in the Richmond area and why they connected with it so that everyone else can have a chance to discover a new piece of nature in Richmond.
Pha
ela:
I love the Bay Trail in Richmond by Stege Marsh. The combination of urban and nature there is beautiful, and creates a very strong, magical place. It’s next to the highway, but you can still find so much nature there.
Helen:
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline Park – it includes both aquatic, intertidal and terrestrial habitat, so I see a great variety of plants and animals.
Lauren:
The Richmond Shoreline! From the views across the Bay to the shoreline birds, walking or biking along the water is always makes me grateful to live is such a beautiful and unique place. I also love Alvarado Park – it is a great place to bring kids to play in the creek.
Paula:
I’m fortunate enough to be able to ride my bike along the Richmond Shoreline on the Bay Trail on my way to work. I love seeing birds poking around in the mudflats during the low tide, the play of the light on the water at dusk, and sometimes I get lucky and see a Great Blue Heron in the marsh just east of the trail.
Shimada Friendship Park (Marina Bay Pkwy & Peninsula Drive in Richmond) is a great place to access the Bay Trail and get to Stege Marsh easily (go south on the Bay Trail from the park).
For more information on the San Francisco Bay Trail, visit: www.baytrail.org. Be sure to check out their Get On The Trail page to find out where you are in proximity to the Bay Trail and how you can access it at http://baytrail.org/baytrailmap.htm
Image sources: http://s3.amazonaws.com/ClubExpressClubFiles/748044/graphics/alvarado_canyon_1614439902.jpg
