Photo: Enesa
Alamo • Danville • Blackhawk • Diablo • San Ramon
Valley
The
Look inside
Sentinel
for this Activity Guide
always for the community VOL 23, NO 2 February 2018
SPOTLIGHT
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at Lake Ch
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Castro Va
Photo: J. Zarz
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www.valleysentinel.com lley
Inside:
ge 4 guards • pa s and Jr. Life ge 5 pa • s Swim Lesson tie ni tu ating Oppor Bo g/ in ak ay K page 6 Challenge • ts • page 10 2018 Trails Native Plan ia rn ifo al C of le Sa g rin ge Sp nol • pa 12 Festival at Su Wildflower
Center ile Visitor New Mob page 2. 2018 • See Coming in
2018 Trails Challenge Swim Lessons & Jr. Lifeguards Kayaking/Boating at Various Parks Spring Sale of California Native Plants Wildflower Festival at Sunol Plus many other activities for kids and families in your East Bay Regional Parks!
Robert Chambers, San Ramon Valley High School Graduate, Class of 2017, was sworn in on October 31, 2017 to the United States Air Force and departed to Lackland
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Each year, the East Bay Regional Park District launches its “Trails Challenge” program that features 20 different trails throughout the parks to get people out and enjoying new trails and different venues. This is year 25! A guidebook, t-shirt and commemorative pin for those who complete the challenge is an incentive to get out on the trails. For information, see the article top of page 7.
The Pacific Tree Frog sings for his valentine by James Hale
T h e P a c i f i c Tr e e F r o g (Pseudacris regilla), also known as the Pacific Chorus Frog, ranges from the tip of Baja California, along the west coast through California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia to extreme southern Alaska. Their range extends eastward into Nevada, Idaho, and Montana. This small frog with a big voice frequents a variety of habitats from sea level to high into the mountains above 11,600 feet. The Pacific Tree Frog may be found in grasslands, woodlands, lakes, ponds, seasonally ponded wetlands, marshes, reservoirs, slow streams, and even roadside ditches, chaparral, and desert oases. They are usually found among low plant growth near water. Since 1986, the taxonomy of the Pacific Tree Frog has undergone a very confusing and
controversial history. Grand choruses of the Pacific Tree Frog may be heard throughout Contra Costa County. Many populations thrive in backyard ponds. The Pacific Tree Frog grows to over two inches from the snout to the urostyle at the tail end. Males are usually smaller, and have a dark gray patch on their throats, the round vocal sac, which stretches out when the males call the females at their breeding sites. A black or dark brown eye stripe that stretches from the nose, across the eye, and back to the shoulder is diagnostic. They may be a variety of different colors, ranging from green, tan, reddish, gray, brown, and cream, to black, with a pale or
white belly. A rare recessive “blue morph” is known. Pacific Tree Frogs are able to change color seasonally to better match their environment. They may change from light color phases to dark phases in a few minutes. Small bumps cover the skin, which may have dark and spotty markings on the back and sides. Long, slender and muscular legs are capable of propelling this little frog great distances for its size. Their toes are long, slightly webbed, and ending in round, sticky pads or discs used for climbing and sticking to surfaces. T h e b re e d i n g s e a s o n f o r t h e Pa c i f i c Tre e Fro g varies according to the local g e o g ra p h i c a l c o n d i t i o n s, however, generally extends
This month’s Special Section:
Senior Services
pages 8-9
from early winter to spring. It begins when the males migrate to the breeding pools and call to lure the females to the water to mate. The Pacific Tree Frog is the most commonly heard frog on the Pacific Coast with its twoparted kreck-ek or ribbit. Hollywood movie producers frequently use its voice for nocturnal background sounds, regardless of location. I’ve See FROGS page 5