County Connection to introduce new hybrid buses at Heather Farm Park Saturday

The County Connection is honoring Earth Day this year by unveiling nine new hybrid electric buses that are joining the transportation system' fleet. 

The unveiling will take place at Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek, Diablo magazine reports.The celebration will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and participants are invited to enjoy a free test drive before the buses take route on Monday.

According to Diablo, these buses are super-energy efficient, providing a fuel savings of up to 20 percent with a comparable reduction in CO2 emissions.

The promotional bus tour will travel between Heather Farm Park and the Walnut Creek BART, making a stop at the Lesher Center for the Arts for those interested in traveling between Heather Farm Park and the Pacific Fine Arts Festival in downtown Walnut Creek. For more information on County Connection’s Earth Day event, call 676-7500 or visit cccta.org

A beautiful day for trail building on Lime Ridge Saturday

As part of Walnut Creek's celebration of Earth Day, volunteers worked to build a new trail in the Lime Ridge Open Space, with Bayberry Pond on one end. Other open spaces also became sites for Saturday's Earth Day events in town. Thanks to Bob Brittain for supplying these beautiful photos.

Bayberry Pond below, with a mallard swimming on it (below left), and a Bullocks Oriole in the grass (below right).

Celebrate Earth Day in Walnut Creek's Open Space

The world first began celebrating Earth Day in the early 1970s. Around that time, residents of Walnut Creek decided to show their own concern for nature and the environment--on a local scale--by campaigning to save some of our grass- and oak-covered hills from development. These residents worked to have Walnut Creek voters agree to set aside 2,500 rolling acres for open space.

Walnut Creek now has six open space areas, some of which will become the center Saturday for Earth Day celebrations, sponsored by the city Parks and Open Space department and and the Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation.

Here are all the activities planned for Saturday:

8 a.m. The day begins with a trail construction service project at the Bayberry Drive entrance to Lime Ridge Open Space. Volunteers will be creating a connector trail from Bayberry Pond to the Savannah Trail in North Lime Ridge. Registration starts at 8 a.m., and the group will work until noon. Participants must be over 16 and pre-registration is required. Register by e-mail to simmons@walnut-creek.org.


9 a.m. City staff and the Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation will lead a bird walk out of Borges Ranch in Shell Ridge. The walk will include visiting habitat restoration areas that the foundation has completed to the benefit of wildlife and humans alike. Information on watchable wildlife opportunities in the Open Space will be shared. Pre-registration is not required.

Noon: Bring your family and picnic basket to the Hanna Grove picnic area at Shell Ridge for a community picnic. We will be celebrating the volunteer spirit of Walnut Creek and the opportunity to spend the day together in nature. No registration is required.

3 to 5 p.m. Environmental education activities for children will be conducted at Howe Homestead Park on Walnut Boulevard from 3 to 5 p.m. These activities will be appropriate for children in second through sixth grade. Pre-registration is required. Register by e-mail to dollard@walnut-creek.org.

7 p.m. Finish up at the Sugarloaf Open Space, where staff will lead a campfire program under the stars.  No registration is required.

For more information on Earth Day activities, e-mail dollard@walnut-creek.org.
You can also visit the Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation's website or Facebook page.