Contra Costa Park Council records, 1951-1986

Summary

Creators:

Contra Costa Park Council

Abstract:

Records of the Contra Costa Park Council, a citizens’ group formed in 1951 to promote active use of park land and preserve open space in Contra Costa County as well as around the Bay Area. The collection documents the Council’s collaboration with conservation organizations, planning officials, and lawmakers at the city, county, and state level.

Extent:

5 cartons, 1 oversize folder (6.25 linear feet)

Language:

Collection materials are in English.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of administrative records specific to the operations of the Contra Costa Park Council as well as documents pertaining to planning efforts and parks projects led by other local groups and organizations, often carried out with the Council’s collaboration. Spanning over three decades of activity, from 1951 to 1986, the records offer glimpses of significant changes taking place in the Bay Area during this time, from the development of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system to the expansion of the multi-county East Bay Regional Park District. Meeting minutes, policy resolutions, and master plans indicate the breadth of planning activity that took place and underscore the delicate balance—and conflicting priorities—between maximizing the natural advantages of the Bay Area and accommodating the region’s rapid growth. Two important debates over open space in the 1970s are covered in extensive detail: the disputed north peak of Mount Diablo and the freeway extension known as the “Gateway” proposal. These debates are accessible through environmental impact reports, legislative memos, meeting notes, maps, and clippings.

Biographical / historical:

The Contra Costa Park Council (formerly the Contra Costa Park and Recreation Council) was established in 1951 as a citizens’ group devoted to addressing the creation and preservation of recreation areas in the county. At the time of the Council’s founding, the county was estimated to be home to only one square mile of public park land. Parks, in fact, were not a county responsibility. The Council’s initial activities included recruiting members and launching public information campaigns with the aim of convincing the county government to assume this responsibility: these efforts resulted in county officials’ decision to sanction a park system that would be governed by a county Park Commission (later the Contra Costa Recreation and Natural Resources Commission). In 1964, the Council successfully pushed forward an initiative to annex the county’s parks system to the East Bay Regional Park District, which would help to give the county’s parks a stable funding source and more secure future.

At this time, the Council began taking action on park and recreation initiatives that extended beyond the county, advocating for a comprehensive platform of regional land conservation. These initiatives were shaped by the increasing urbanization and suburbanization of the Bay Area, which threatened to encroach upon the areas the Council had fought to preserve. In these efforts, the Council aligned with other established or newly-formed conservation and planning groups (Sierra Club, People for Open Space, Association of Bay Area Governments). Together, they collected data, carried out surveys, and lobbied local and state lawmakers to preserve the region’s existing parks network and to create new areas as well. Chief among these participants were Susan Watson and Alvin Burton, who at different times each served as President of the Council. Both active within the Council and within the planning community at large for several decades, Watson and Burton were at the forefront of a dedicated citizen movement to redefine questions of land use and wilderness in a rapidly changing urban landscape. Nearly thirty years after its creation, the Council began to reexamine its purpose and in 1980 determined that, having accomplished its intended goals, it was time to cede its work to other groups: the Council’s legal status was shifted to the auspices of the nascent Contra Costa Corridor Parks Committee, and the organization’s remaining assets were transferred to sister group Save Mount Diablo, which had emerged during the struggle over commercial development on the mountain’s north peak. The East Bay Regional Park District would continue to serve as steward of Contra Costa County’s parks.

Acquisition information:

The Contra Costa Park Council records were given to the Bancroft Library by Susan Watson and Mary Burton in 1981 and 2004.

Physical location:

Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.

Rules or conventions:

Finding Aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Location of this collection:

UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library

University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library

Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US

Contact:

510-642-6481

bancref-library@berkeley.edu

Website