Hayward shoreline hosts Earth Day March for Science along San Francisco Bay

HAYWARD, Calif., April 18, 2017—The Hayward shoreline will serve as the location of one of more than 500 satellite events taking place worldwide in association with the planned March for Science and Earth Day rally on Saturday, April 22, in Washington, DC.

Nearly a half century after the first Earth Day in 1970, people concerned about environmental protections in the U.S. are mobilizing in response to federal budget cuts, rollbacks of policies aimed at reducing carbon gas emissions, and questions regarding the legitimacy of climate change science.

“The single most important issue facing the Hayward shoreline—and the Bay shoreline regionally—is sea level rise caused by climate change,” said Adrienne De Ponte, naturalist and recreation coordinator with the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District.

Sea level rise projections for San Francisco Bay this century range from approximately five inches to as much as two feet by the year 2050, and to as much as 66 inches, or five and a half feet, by 2100.

Potential ecological and economic impacts range from more frequent and longer-lasting storm flooding; to permanent inundation of tidal zones and increasing shoreline erosion; to interruption of and damage to critical infrastructure along the shoreline and water intrusion into low-lying contaminated lands.

The Hayward Shoreline March for Science is scheduled to begin will start at 10:30 a.m. at the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center, 4901 Breakwater Avenue, Hayward.  It will follow a 1.5-mile course along the Bay Trail and includes a group aerial photo scheduled to take place at 11 a.m.

Participants are strongly encouraged to register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/march-the-hayward-shoreline-tickets-32877017043 so that organizers know how many people to expect.

Other affiliate events of the national March for Science in the Bay Area are scheduled to take place in San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Rosa, Walnut Creek, Pacifica and Livermore.  Information about the national march and rally and affiliated events is available at https://www.marchforscience.com/.

The Hayward Shoreline March for Science has been organized as part of the Hayward Book-to-Action 2017 program Confronting Climate Change.  It is sponsored by the City of Hayward, Cal State East Bay’s Center for Community Engagement, Hayward Area Recreation and Park District, Friends of the Hayward Library, and Sun Gallery art studio and culture center.  Additional information about Book-to-Action 2017 Confronting Climate Change, including parking for the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center, is available at www.HaywardBooktoAction.org.

Public preparations for the Hayward Shoreline March began Saturday, April 8, with a Brain Hat craft workshop at the Hayward Main Library where participants assembled and decorated zany headgear with recycled materials.  On Saturday, April 15, an Earth Day sign-making event took place at Sun Gallery, 1015 E Street, Hayward.

In 2011, the Hayward Public Library launched the first Book-to-Action program in the state of California.  It has since blossomed into a statewide collaborative initiative between the California State Library and the California Center for the Book.  In 2015, Book to Action became a collaborative effort between the Hayward Public Library and Cal State East Bay. The goal of Book-to-Action is to stimulate education and civic engagement in social issues that are significant to demographically diverse communities.

To learn more about starting a Book to Action project, visit California State Library and the California Center for the Book at Book-to-Action Tool Kit.