How the East Bay Got Its Regional Parks

Amelia Marshall

Mount Diablo Bird Alliance will meet Thursday, April 2 in the Camellia Room at the Gardens at Heather Farm, 1540 Marchbanks Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94598.

Learn about the founding of the East Bay Regional Park District with a presentation about the history of the Park District.

Amelia Sue Marshall is a 27-year volunteer for the East Bay Regional Park District, with the Volunteer Trail Patrols and the District archives and history center. There, a team of park district retirees, staff members, and others curate materials, develop oral histories, and recall stories that rarely appear in official documents. She was awarded the 2023 “Outstanding Volunteer” award by the California Association of Recreation and Park Districts.

Her first book on local history was Oakland’s Equestrian Heritage (Arcadia Publishing 2008). The second is East Bay Hills: A Brief History (The History Press, 2017), which describes the origins of parks in Oakland, Moraga, and Castro Valley. She is currently collaborating with the Verona Band of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe.

Amelia serves as trails chair for California State Horsemen’s Association. Region 5 (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties). She sits on three nonprofit boards: the Regional Park Association, the Oakland Heritage Alliance, and the Friends of Joaquin Miller Park. She and her family live on Peralta Creek in Oakland with a plus-size German Shepherd named Chewy.