January 10, 2025 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Four opportunities for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service will take place in Oakland’s Joaquin Miller Park on the weekend and holiday. Adults and children are invited to participate. Volunteers can just show up or register in advance at www.oaklandca.gov/topics/mlk-day-of-service. Find the map for the following work area at that site or on www.fojmp.org.
Fern Ravine: [Saturday 1/18] 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Directions: At the Sequoia Arena Gate (entrance on Skyline Blvd across from the Redwood Bowl staging area) walk down the trail to the picnic area. Crews will protect and improve restoration areas by removing non-native, invasive plants and reducing the fire hazard in Fern Ravine. RSVP at http://www.sausalcreek.org/volunteer
Youth Volunteer @ The Cascade: [Sunday 1/19] 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Along Joaquin Miller road. We will meet at the pool by the playground and work to restore the cascade. Sign up at https://tinyurl.com/jmpmlk25.
Cascade Restoration: [Monday 1/20] 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.- 3232 Joaquin Miller Road, about ¼ mile up the hill from the Woodminster Market and Highway 13. Volunteers will be cleaning the upper pools and tidying other areas around the Cascade. Contact: Dale Risden
Write-In @ The California Writers Circle: [Monday 1/20] 1:30 p.m-4:00 p.m.- 3590 Sanborn Drive. Words also help us move forward together. Write letters, articles, op-eds, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, or science fiction. This is a volunteer opportunity for those unable to do physical work and those who would like to rest after working. Bring a blanket, snacks, hat, and notebook or laptop (there is no wifi). The California Writers Club will provide prompts and a chance to share our words. Contact: Kristen Caven, or see www.berkeley-cwc.org or https://tinyurl.com/mlkjmp25.
For all sites, please bring your own water bottle and gardening or heavy-duty work gloves and wear old clothes that will likely get dirty or paint stained: long sleeves, pants, and sturdy shoes recommended .
Look for the on-site coordinator for each event, who will be wearing a neon-yellow vest. The City of Oakland supports this National Day of Service by committing staff to plan and coordinate with volunteer groups and by supplying hand tools. The City requires a brief safety orientation and your signature on a waiver for each adult, and a parental release for children under 18.
 www.fojmp.org | Contact: Cascade Restoration – Dale Risden 4150517-3338 Fern Ravine – Ella Matsuda 510-325-9006 Write-In at Ranger Station – Kristen Caven 510-338-5206 |
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The Friends of Joaquin Miller Park formed in 2010 after a 2009 Stewardship Planning Workshop. Today the FoJMP operates as a 501 (c) 3 under the fiscal sponsorship of the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation, EIN # 94-2751052. Learn more about the stakeholder groups and the Friends’ work on Park maintenance, capital improvements, and park engagement on the website, www.fojmp.org.
The FoJMP board of directors meets on the first Monday of each month on Zoom and offers volunteer opportunities and events throughout the year, as do the 22 groups represented. Contact each group directly from the website, or through .
For more information on City of Oakland programs such as Adopt-A-spot and Adopt-A-Drain, visit, contact Oakland Public Works, .
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In 1887, Joaquin Miller began uniting numerous parcels of unceded Ohlone hunting land to create an arts colony called “The Hights” (his spelling). Renowned California writers of the day such as Bret Harte, Sam Clemens aka Mark Twain, Jack London, Ina Coolbrith, and George Sterling spent time in what is now his eponymous park. Ambrose Bierce helped build his home, “The Abbey,” and Yone Noguchi, who introduced Haiku to the West, assisted with the special effects of Miller’s “rain dance” to the thousands of visitors, hungry to meet the famous Miller, and hear his poems and stories about living with Native Americans. Miller’s mother and Wintu daughter also had homes on the site. Sculptor Gertrude Boyle and poet Takeshi Kanno also lived at The Hights, but had to marry in Seattle as interracial marriage was then illegal in California.
When Joaquin Miller died in 1913, California Writers Club members led the campaign for the City to buy the land and establish a 500-acre Park, then build the WPA theater and Cascade which opened in 1941. For 50 years, members planted trees to honor California’s most beloved writers, which now tower in the Memorial Grove below the Woodminster Amphitheater. where a summer musical series and fall concerts continue the tradition of artistic events. The CWC now hosts poetry readings several times a year in various Park locations.
The Metropolitan Horsemen’s Association built the Sequoia Arena (near Fern Ravine) and hosts equestrian events. The Friends of Sausal Creek runs a nursery in the Park. There are off-leash dog runs for large and small dogs. Hikers, mountain bikers, picnickers, history lovers, writers, and more, enjoy the Park’s nature and views.
In 2022, the City returned 5 acres of the Park to Ohlone care. Rinihmu Pulte’irekne (formerly Sequoia Point) will become a cultural center for indigenous learning. The new mural above the California Writers Circle depicts a preview as well as images and values of The People.