SAN MATEO COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION FOUNDATION

Connecting children to the magic of parks by the age of ten is critical if we want to spark a lifelong love of nature and open space. However, transportation is often a costly barrier preventing schools and after-school programs from reaching our parks. Bus trips can cost up to $1,000 a trip. The Parks Foundation covers the transportation cost, connects groups to docents and/or rangers, offers Spanish-translation when needed and provides lunch for longer outings.

Restoring Edgewood's grasslands to their former floral beauty and species diversity is a challenge that cannot be handled by a small County Parks department alone. A strong cadre of volunteer leaders have come together to lead restoration efforts at Edgewood, with support from the Parks Foundation, Friends of Edgewood and other community partners. Overarching goals are to reduce invasive grasses and increase native plants, grasses, and wildflowers in Edgewood’s grassland acres; support recovery of listed plant species and the butterfly; and inspire, educate and engage the community in biodiversity conservation.

Every Sunday (except on holiday weekends), 4 miles of Cañada Road is closed to car traffic and opened up to cyclists, runners and roller-bladers who may enjoy a safe and beautiful location in which to partake in some non-motorized fun!

The Parks Foundation wants to break down the barriers that prevent people from knowing about and accessing the parks. We do this in a variety of ways:

+ Accessibility upgrades to paths of travel and restrooms
+ Annual park passes for check out in every library in San Mateo County
+ Funding for bilingual interns at SMC Parks
+ Translate self-guided tour brochures into Spanish and Chinese
+ A mini-grant program for BIPOC-led organizations to improve park access for their communities (e.g. Brown Girl Surf in Oakland gets a grant for their Mirada Surf surfing school)

In celebration of the San Mateo County Park Foundation’s 25th anniversary and San Mateo County Parks’ centennial, the Parks Foundation want to engage the arts community to design posters that capture and celebrate the essence of each park. This is a new program and the first three parks we are seeking posters for are: 1) Memorial Park - a popular camping spot in the redwoods with Pescadero Creek flowing through it; 2) Fitzgerald Marine Reserve - home to a teeming community of marine life which make their home in that area between low and high tide and 3) Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve - whose serpentine grasslands are famous for their magnificent springtime wildflower display.

In the lead up to Parks Centennial which began the 4th of July in 1924 when Memorial Park opened to campers for the first time, the Parks Foundation has been making steady improvements to the park:

+ environmental upgrades to the visitor center
+ refurbished and accessible restrooms at the visitor center
+ new ADA picnic areas
+ Accessibility upgrades to the flow around the visitor center
+ supporting the 'Crumb Clean' campaign to protect the endangered seabird, the marbled murrelet

Upcoming: upgrades to the Nature Center