Font ResizeThe weekend of March 3 and 4 will bring cause for celebration at Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in Antioch.
That's because the park's underground Greathouse Visitor Center, which storm damage closed in December 2007, will reopen to the public. The damage has been repaired, a new entrance has been built, and visitors will once again be able to view artifacts and photographs from the park's historic mining days.
Starting March 3, the visitor center will be open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through November. Entry is free, and all ages are welcome.
There's more: Black Diamond's Hazel-Atlas Mine will begin its 2012 season of underground tours with an open house the same weekend.
From noon to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, park visitors will be able to take free, self-guided tours of 1,000 feet of mine workings, with park staff posted along the way to point out interesting features.
Participants must be 7 or older, but there will be a special area just inside the mine entrance for younger kids to enjoy.
After the open house weekend, mine tours will be available on weekends through November at a cost of $5 per person. More information is available at the Greathouse Visitor Center or by calling 888-327-2757, ext. 2750.
Black Diamond Mines is at the end of Somersville Road, 4 miles south of Highway 4 in Antioch. Parking costs $5 per vehicle when the kiosk is attended.
Traci Parent, Black Diamond's supervising naturalist, has spent 30 years researching and documenting the life of every person known to be buried at Rose Hill. The result is her definitive book on the subject, "Rose Hill: A Comprehensive History of a Pioneer Cemetery."
Reading the book leaves you with an appreciation for the courage and fortitude of these people, whose short lives were often ended by tragedies such as disease, mine explosions or other accidents.
You can meet Traci and buy the book at the Greathouse Visitor Center between noon and 4:30 p.m. on March 3 and 4.
Traci will also present and discuss her book in a program from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Clayton Community Library, 6125 Clayton Road. The program is free of charge.
REPRESENT THE PARKS: If you enjoy volunteering, and would like to learn more about the regional parks, and then share your information with the general public, consider becoming an official Regional Parks ambassador.
Ambassadors represent the park district alongside staff at a variety of community events, fairs, and park dedications. All ambassadors receive an official pin, T-shirt and guidebook full of park district information.
The next free training session for ambassadors will be at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 3, at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont. For more information about the ambassador program, contact Isa Polt-Jones at 888-327-2757, ext. 2207, or email her at ipjones@ebparks.org.
SEE THE BIRDS: Naturalist Anthony Fisher will lead a strenuous, four-mile bird-watching safari from 9 a.m. to noon on Monday, March 5 at Briones Regional Park. Meet at the innermost parking lot inside the park's Bear Creek Road entrance near Orinda. For information, call 510-544-3241.
HAVE A BLAST: The explosive history of Pt. Pinole Regional Shoreline in Richmond will be recounted during an Over-the-Hills Gang hike from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, led by Dave Zuckermann, supervising naturalist. The point was a center of dynamite manufacturing for many years before becoming a public park.
The gang is an informal group of hikers aged 55 and older who enjoy nature study, history and outdoor exercise.
The hike is free, and reservations are not necessary. Meet at the park entrance on Giant Highway in Richmond. For more information, call 510-544-2233.
GET YOUR SHARK ON: Sharks will be the catch of the day in a program from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Crab Cove Visitor Center in Alameda. Visitors will learn about the various kinds of sharks that inhabit San Francisco Bay and view some of them in the center's aquarium.
Then from 3 to 3:30 p.m. both days it's feeding time at the aquarium for the sharks, crabs, flounder, perch, pipefish and other aquarium denizens.
The programs are free of charge. Crab Cove is at 1252 McKay Avenue. For information, call 510-544-3187.
MARS RISING: Astronomy buffs will enjoy a program scheduled for 5:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday, March 3 at Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park in Pleasanton, led by naturalist Cat Taylor.
The program takes advantage of the fact that Earth will be positioned between Mars and the Sun, so from the ridge top, you can see the red planet rise. There may be some earthbound wildlife out and about, too.
The hike is free of charge, designed for ages 7 and older. Bring dinner, a blanket and a flashlight. Registration is required. To register, call 888-327-2757 and refer to program 28184. For information, call 510-544-3249.
Ned MacKay writes about East Bay Regional Park District sites and activities. Email him at nedmackay@comcast.net.
