105 results for author: CESP

New shoreline camp boosts Bay Water Trail

By Denis Cuff, Contra Costa Times Wednesday, October 7, 2009 It was just a two-hour kayak paddle from San Rafael to Richmond, but it was a big step forward for the San Francisco Bay Water Trail, a network of launching and camping spots for paddlers. A trio of kayakers paddled five miles across the Bay to Point Pinole Regional Shoreline in Richmond on Monday to become the first visitors to the first new campground for the Bay Water Trail since California lawmakers authorized its creation in 2005. The East Bay Regional Park District developed the group camp - its first shoreline one - cozily inside the sheltered earth and concrete walls of ...

S.F. Bay’s slide in mud worries scientists

By Kelly Zito, Chronicle Staff Writer Monday, October 5, 2009 Millions of tons of sand and clay that Gold Rush miners scoured from the Sierra Nevada have finally flushed out to sea after more than a century in San Francisco Bay, according to the San Francisco Estuary Institute. While that has led to a remarkably clearer bay in the past decade, scientists are worried about the implications for fish and wetlands, which require a certain amount of free-floating silt for survival. "This sediment was introduced during hydraulic mining, and the ecosystem adapted," said Dave Schoellhamer, who leads the program to monitor bay water sediment ...

Point Isabel in Richmond Picked as #1 Dog Park In Country

By Patrick Monday, October 5, 2009 Today, Petside.com counted off the top 10 dog parks in the country and, most notably, they included the Bay Area's Point Isabel Regional Shoreline as it's number 1 choice. I'm not sure exactly how you judge dog parks that are across the county from one another and I'm not entirely sure why petside.com has decided to undertake such a grand account of the best dog parks in America (probably so blogs like ours will talk about it), but there is little doubt that they were anything but spot on in picking the Richmond park as their number one choice. With over 21 acres bordering the San Francisco Bay (making ...

West County Times 9/30/2009

Letter to the Editor September 30, 2009 The sights, sounds and fragrances of our shoreline and wildlife need to be protected. We need to preserve it for ourselves and for our children — in perpetuity. Once it's gone, it's gone forever. The traffic congestion at the intersection of Central Avenue and Rydin Road is already very frustrating. Further intrusion will permanently destroy our wildlife and views, and pollute our air. I enjoy Kohl's. I especially need to shop without going on the freeway (to Hilltop Mall or elsewhere). Instead of bringing more blight to Richmond, Kohl's could perform community service, as well as exhibit commercial ...

West County Times 9/28/2009

Letter to the Editor September 28, 2009 As a Richmond resident, I hope the city of Richmond will support shoreline access and keep the current designations for all shoreline parcels. Our shorelines are one of our greatest assets. I urge the city to protect all of our shoreline and especially North Richmond, South Richmond and San Pablo Peninsula. David Moore, Richmond Find more Letters to the Editor at: http://www.contracostatimes.com/letters

West County Times 9/17/2009

Letter to the Editor September 17, 2009 Richmond's proposal to rezone Point Isabel for commercial development and housing circumvents the community's desires, while benefiting Kohl's. Kohl's leased property at Point Isabel more than two years ago. Then it announced plans to open a 99,011-square-foot department store. That land is zoned light industrial, minimizing the impact on adjacent critical wildlife habitat. Kohl's needed Richmond to spot-zone for commercial development. That required a hearing and the public was against it. We want to preserve the shoreline, with the lightest possible industrial footprint. In February, Kohl's ...

Richmond’s casino plan clears hurdle

by Blanca Torres Friday, July 31, 2009 The City of Richmond and the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs have completed the environmental impact report for a proposed $1.5 billion casino, hotel and resort development on a 415-acre site. The controversial casino project is expected to generate close to $1 billion per year in revenue, create 12,000 permanent jobs and aims to raise Richmond's cachet as a vacation destination. The developers estimate it would also raise more than $100 million per year in tax revenue for the city. The site is a former Naval fuel depot on Point Molate, a small peninsula just north of the San Rafael-Richmond Bridge. ...

Point Molate Casino Plan Draws Concerns, Praise

By Richard Brenneman Thursday July 30, 2009 The massive draft environmental impact report on what could become California's first Las Vegas–style metropolitan casino reveals sharp divisions among Richmond residents. But those opinions were gathered four years ago, during an economic boom that has since crested and collapsed. Berkeley developer James D. Levine, partnered with a Napa developer, a former Clinton cabinet member and two Native American tribes—one impoverished and the other flush with gambling wealth—plans a billion–and–a–half–dollar casino resort and upscale housing complex at Point Molate. Located on one of ...

Fate of Golden Gate Fields Still Uncertain

By Richard Brenneman Thursday July 30, 2009 The fate of Golden Gate Fields, the Bay Area's last remaining horseracing venue, remains uncertain as parent Magna Entertainment continues to undergo bankruptcy proceedings in the United States and Canada. In a filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, creditors of the ailing company claim it illegally siphoned off $125 million in assets to other companies controlled by Magna Entertainment chief executive Frank Stronach. Representatives of Stronach's company have denied the allegations, according to Frank Angst, in an article he wrote for Thoroughbred Times last Thursday, July 23. The ...

Rumor’s of Eastshore Park Closure Untrue

By Richard Brenneman Thursday July 30, 2009 Despite reports from the state Department of Parks and Recreation, Eastshore State Park isn't about to close, reports Larry Tong, interagency planning manager for the park district. “Over my dead body,” said Robert Cheasty, who chairs Citizens for Eastshore State Park, the advocacy group that has helped raise funds for the shoreline park used by countless Bay Area residents and visitors. Tong said he has asked the state agency to correct the erroneous reports, which were broadcast Tuesday night on some regional television stations. “The department does not provide any funds for Eastshore ...