Legacy of Change

Legacy of Change. . , Try to imagine what Anza’s expedition saw when it first arrived in the East Bay. The creeks teemed with salmon and trout, grizzlies and elk roamed free, shore birds flocked by the millions, and it was home to dozens of communities of Ohlone/Bay Miwok people., Though changes to the landscape began with native people’s horticultural and fire management practices, they were subtle in comparison to the changes that European settlers would bring. New animals, plants and diseases changed the ecology. Large cattle ranchos replaced the more sustainable practices of the native people., Then, subsequent waves of immigrants, drawn by abundant natural resources, brought grazing, commercial hunting, agriculture and flood control practices that depleted many of the natural resources and shaped the urban landscape we see today. The Anza expedition simply marked the beginning of changes to come., All the rest of the road is through very level country, green and flower-covered all the way to the estuary, but with no other timber or firewood than that afforded by the trees in the arroyos which we encountered, which were five. , - Padre Pedro Font, March 1776, (The text repeats in Spanish, but is too light and difficult to read.), This project was funded in part by the National Park Service Challenge Cost Share Program. , Alameda Clean Water Program , Parks and Water Bond 2000 , Hayward Area Recreation and Park District , Hayward Area Historical Society , Juan Bautista De Anza National Historic Trail