The California Department of Parks and Recreation and East Bay Regional Park District officially dedicated Eastshore State Park October 4, 2006. The dedication was held at the newly-restored Berkeley Meadow section of the park and was followed by a walking tour of the 17-acre site featuring ADA accessible trails, interpretive panels, and reconstructed wetlands.

The dedication location was significant in that it marked the first project to be completed from the Eastshore State Park General Plan, adopted in 2002.

Park officials said that the dedication was symbolic in honoring the 4,000+ stakeholders and interested parties who shared a vision for saving the Bay and shoreline from development and use as a dumping ground for cities' refuse. While the park is still a work-in-progress, the dedication paid tribute to those organizations and key community leaders who raised the level of awareness about the Bay and its environmental and recreational value.

Speakers at the event included Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, Ruth Coleman, Director, California Department of Parks and Recreation, Nancy Skinner, East Bay Regional Park District Board Member, Sylvia McLaughlin with Citizens for Eastshore Parks, and mayors from Emeryville, Albany, Berkeley, and Richmond. Eastshore State Park, although still a work in progress, is considered one of the most outstanding achievements in open space protection. The relatively undeveloped condition of the parkland is in sharp contrast to the urban development that surrounds it. When completed, the Eastshore State Park project will become an 8.5-mile ribbon of parkland seamlessly connecting recreational and habitat areas to the cities of Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, Albany, and Richmond. The Bay Trail will be the primary means of shoreline access and passage through the park.

• Eastshore Fact Sheet (Word doc, 2 pages)
• Project Boundaries (PDF, 1 page)
• Eastshore State Park General Plan
• Berkeley Meadow Habitat Restoration Phase II (PDF, 1 page)

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