And so it goes...
Our Vision
Piedmont Pines will be a scenically beautiful, diverse community dedicated to quality schools, neighborhood safety and living in harmony with our natural environment.
Our Vision
Piedmont Pines will be a scenically beautiful, diverse community dedicated to quality schools, neighborhood safety and living in harmony with our natural environment.
Beautification & Wildfire Safety
Crime Prevention
Emergency Preparedness
Go Green Conservation
Organized Neighborhoods
Support our Public Schools
Traffic & Parking
Utility Undergrounding
Walking Paths
Marjorie Saunders Park
Beaconsfield Canyon
Castle Canyon
French Broom Abatement: Pulling Tool for Loan
Many of us moved to Piedmont Pines because we fell in love with its natural beauty. The Association puts a very high value on keeping our surroundings neat, tidy, and fire-safe and enhancing the natural beauty by removing non-native invasive plants and replacing with natives. We’ve staked out three major beautification projects. If you’d like to volunteer to help on any of these, to find out how you can help, and check the calendar for work dates.
Marjorie Saunders Park
Much of what is beautiful about Piedmont Pines is directly attributable to the tireless efforts of Marj Saunders. In 2003, more than 100 Piedmont Pines residents petitioned the City to honor Marj's many contributions by renaming Sulphur Springs Park (affectionately dubbed “Painted Rocks”) to Marjorie Saunders Park. On June 26, 2004, more than 100 neighbors and dignitaries turned out for the dedication of the park in her name.
Our debt of gratitude to Marjorie Saunders (1909-2009). For more than 50 years, Marj advocated for open space and lobbied against large and unsafe development. She set an example by taking a bag with her on her daily walks and picking up litter, as well as cleaning up the open space areas herself. The recent purchase of Castle Canyon and earlier purchase of Beaconsfield Canyon by the City was due in no small part to Marj's decades-long battles. In 1949, she crusaded for the acquisition of the Boy Scout camp that is now home to Montera Middle School and Joaquin Miller Elementary School. She also worked on replacing septic tanks with sewer lines, reopening Chelton Road when it was closed by a landslide, defeating a proposed four-lane highway on Skyline Boulevard, preserving Beaconsfield Canyon (the land surrounding the Painted Rocks), and gaining approval for the construction of Joaquin Miller Community Center. The list could go on and on. We thank you, Marj, and we miss you!
We have made Marjorie Saunders Park our official Oakland Adopt-a-Spot as well as an Adopt-a-Drain site.
Our partners: We work with several partners, including Hillside Gardeners, Joaquin Miller Elementary School Ecology Club, Keep Oakland Beautiful and Friends of Sausal Creek. (FOSC) (http://www.sausalcreek.org/). FOSC supports our efforts with advice and provides native plants from Joaquin Miller Native Plant Nursery. It also identified a serious creek erosion issue, which with a little manual labor we were able to fix by redirecting the creek to its proper path.
PPNA Director Elaine Geffen organizes monthly work parties and twice a year organizes Earth Day and Creek To Bay Day cleaning and planting events. E-mail Elaine Geffen to find out how you can help, and check the calendar for work dates.
Beaconsfield Canyon
In 1987, the association rallied to convince the City to buy the property at the end of Beaconsfield Place (off Chelton Dr.), thus defeating a 16-home development. The land remains as open space and has been undergoing a beautification and creek restoration effort, spearheaded by resident Richard Kauffman, with major assistance from Wendy Tokuda and the Friends of Sausal Creek. (http://www.sausalcreek.org/).
Castle Canyon
Castle Canyon, now part of Joaquin Miller Park, is bordered by Castle Drive on the east and Mastlands Drive/Larry Lane on the west. In the late 70s, this land was part of a 30-acre parcel threatened by a huge development. Two neighbors purchased 10-acre portions, leaving 10 acres open to development.
In 1999, the developer proposed 17 homes. The Association went into high gear, gathering environmentalists, slope engineers, and attorneys to fight what would have been a very dangerous development. In 2006, we emerged triumphant with a compromise that allowed four homes: two at the top of the canyon and two on the southern side near Castle Park Way. Eight acres were purchased by the City after our successful lobbying to use Measure K funds.
Today, resident Jeff Sharp is Piedmont Pines’ steward for Castle Canyon. Jeff organizes two work parties a year, one on Earth Day in April, one on Creek-to-Bay Day in September. E-mail to find out how you can help beautify the canyon and reduce the fire load.
French Broom Abatement: Pulling tool for loan
Piedmont Pines is working hard to rid our neighborhood of invasive and highly flammable French Broom. We have a medium-sized week puller we will loann to member that meakes removal of plants that are too big to remove by hand. Contact to arrange to borrow.