Outdoor activities have grown in popularity since the first stay at home order took effect last year.
More people are biking, jogging, hiking, golfing and picking up new hobbies to avoid being cooped up indoors. An East Bay organization is now providing more outdoor activities for families to get outside during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Save Mount Diablo is expanding its series of free guided hikes in more than 10 communities, including some in areas that are rarely open to the public.
Executive Director Ted Clement said they wanted to give people more opportunities to take advantage of nature during these stressful times.
"We’re very fortunate in the Bay Area to have incredible natural resources and during this crisis I think people are starting to realize how important those natural resources are for their well-being," Clement said.
Last April, the nonprofit started lighting the beacon on top of Mount Diablo every Sunday as a symbol of gratitude for frontline workers.
"It’s meant as a salute to all those heroes - the doctors, the nurses, the EMT workers, the grocery store workers and so many others that are really on the frontline as we deal with this pandemic," he said.
The light has already inspired so many people in the East Bay.
"We hope that they feel we’re together and that if we keep our eyes and chins up focused on our beautiful natural resources here and have gratitude for that, with that strength we can get through this," Clement said.
Their ultimate goal is to build connections between people, helping them to develop a strong sense of place.
"We rely on our communities for support and whenever we can show our gratitude and do something special for our communities, we’re so happy to do that," Clement said.
If you know someone who is working to keep us safe during the coronavirus pandemic and would like to nominate them as a KCBS Radio Difference Maker, email us at differencemakers@kcbsradio.com.
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