Park It: 2017's California Coastal Cleanup on Saturday

Family Night” stroll from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16, starting at the Nejedly Staging Area, which is on Carquinez Scenic Drive just past Alhambra Pioneer Cemetery in Martinez.It’s a chance to meet your neighbors and enjoy an easy walk, suitable for strollers, wheelchairs and people of all ages, with beautiful views of the strait. For information, call 510-544-2750.Berkeley, Crockett: Along with turning leaves and cooler weather, another harbinger of fall in the natural world is spider activity. Naturalist Trent Pearce will explore the phenomenon with a series of spider safaris, all from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in various regional parks.The group will search for orb weavers, wolf spiders, mygalomorphs (another kind of spider) and the ever-popular tarantulas. There’s a safari Sept. 16 at Tilden Nature Area near Berkeley, starting at the Environmental Education Center.Another safari is Sept. 30, starting at the Crockett Ranch Staging Area of Crockett Hills Regional Park in Crockett, led by Anthony Fisher. It’s back to Tilden’s Environmental Education Center on Oct. 1, and the last safari starts at the Tilden Steam Train on Oct. 29. For information on any of the spider safaris, call 510-544-2233.Briones: Astronomically speaking, another sign of fall is the autumnal equinox, when the sun is over the equator and the day and night are of equal length. It occurs this year on Sept. 22.Naturalist “Trail Gail” Broesder will lead a hike in search of signs of impending fall from 9 to 11 a.m. Sept. 17 at Briones Regional Park near Orinda. Meet at the Alhambra Staging Area on Reliez Valley Road near Martinez. The hike is for ages 8 and older. For information, call 510-544-2233.Oakland: The biggest trees in the world are the subject of a program by naturalist Michael Charnofsky from 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 17 at Roberts Regional Recreation Area in the Oakland hills.On a 1½-mile walk, Michael and the group will search for evidence of a redwood tree that wa... (East Bay Times)