Lake Merritt Conservancy Launch Fundraiser Raises Over $20,000 for Lake Stewardship
On April 24th, the Lake community came together in inspired fashion for the Lake Merritt Conservancy Launch Fundraiser, filling the evening with energy, laughter, and a shared commitment to the stewardship of our Town’s most celebrated park. We’re thrilled to share that together, we raised over $20,000 to support the Lake Merritt Conservancy’s ongoing work, including a generous grant from the Rainin Foundation.
The room was at capacity, and we were delighted to be joined by an amazing array of civic leaders, city hall veterans, designers, park lovers and other luminaries. Among us were City Councilmembers Charlene Wang and Zac Unger and former City Councilmember Pat Kernighan, PRAC (Parks) Commissioner and founder of Salsa by the Lake, Isaac Kos-Read, Kymberly Miller, the CEO of Fairyland, Cybele Gerachis, Executive Director of the Junior Center of Arts & Science, Leeann Alameda, Kate Steel of the Lake Merritt Community Alliance, Ana-Marie Jones founder of Oakland Speaks, Josiah Albertsen, Board Member at the Lake Merritt Institute, Kira Pascoe from the Oakland Parks & Recreation Foundation, Barbara Leslie, CEO of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce & Cochair of Mayor Barbara Lee’s Transition Team, Matt Davis, Chief Public Engagement Officer for the Port of Oakland, Jim McGrath, past Chair of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board, Sonomia Byrd from Oakland Parks & Rec (OPR), former OPR director Audree Jones-Taylor, Barry Yu from Laney College, Judy Lyons and Nafchi from Commercial Bank of California, Jen Cavanaugh, the Mayor of Piedmont, Steve Snider, Executive Director of the Downtown Oakland Association, Josh Ullmann, Chief Partnership Officer of Redaptive, Susan Hamilton, founder of Care Better, Rohan Kalbag, CEO of Main Street Launch, Rosemary Orozco who brought some perfect weather from KTVU, Screenwriters Phil Lorin & Kiel Murray from Pixar and beyond, Punit Shah from Anthropic, Jorge Zuniga from Fletcher Studio and Daniel Cunningham and Jeremy Dvorak from swaGroup.
The Lark Skylounge, a beautifully appointed room with panoramic views of the Lake and of Oakland was buzzing — old friends, new partnerships, and the conversations, music, and sense of purpose made for a night to remember.
Rene Bihan, Managing Principal of swaGroup, shared with us examples of how Conservancies in Dallas, Houston and San Francisco have formed to bridge the gap between what those cities were able to provide, and what the communities need from their parks. These organizations have delivered transformational impact to make possible what once seemed at best a dream.
Rene provided detailed case studies of the Buffalo Bayou in Houston and the Katy Trail in Dallas, explaining their historical context and transformation. He described how these projects started with small, community-driven initiatives and grew into large-scale developments with significant positive impact.
You can see the slides from his presentation here.
The Conservancy Portal
David Fletcher presented Fletcher Studio’s preliminary design for a Conservancy Portal - think of it as a visitor’s center for the park of the future.
The goal is to repurpose and reimagine the “snack shack”, an abandoned concession stand in the middle of Lakeside Park, as an outdoor classroom, a focal point for stewardship, and a hub for community collaboration.
Design Collaboration with Cal Poly Landscape Architecture
The Lake has been on the EPA’s Impaired Bodies List since 1999, and efforts to improve the water quality have been hampered by ongoing water quality issues, including low levels of dissolved oxygen and an excess of floating material. Twenty Cal Poly Landscape Architecture students spent their winter term exploring the challenges and opportunities presented by the ecological and human landscape of the Lake, and what kind of features and programs could be enabled through a concerted effort to improve the water quality.
The grail-like goal of addressing water pollution to the point where it’s safe to swim, though seemingly far-fetched, has the potential to fundamentally transform the tenor of the Lake experience. The breadth and depth of the students’ work challenged our sense of the possible, and sparked our collective imagination. You can see the unabridged designs here…
Thank you to everyone who joined us, in person and in spirit! And if you wanted to donate but couldn’t make the event, there’s still time…
We are especially grateful to our collaborators and community partners, who were instrumental in making this event possible:
Collaborators
SWA Group - Rene Bihan, Gerdo Aquino, Daniel Cunningham, Jeremy Dvorak, & Jennifer Hung • Cal Poly Landscape Architecture - Christy O’Hara & the Students of LA404 • Fletcher Studio - David Fletcher, Lauren Ewald, Jorge Zúñiga, Julie Gossage, Mariko Kaku • Laney College Architecture - Barry Yu & the Students of ARCH1234
Event Sponsors
We are grateful for the in-kind contributions from these fine local establishments:
The Lark Uptown • Bay Grape • Buckingham Wines and Spirits • Justin Bench Photography • La Dolce Vita Gondola • The Excellent Cheesecake • The Lake Chalet • The Lake Merritt Breakfast Club • Oriental Trading Company • Safeway • Salathiel Bluitt - DJ • Trader Joe’s • Whole Foods
Donors were sent home with cheesecake, a sweet farewell, generously donated by Akilah, founder of The Excellent Cheesecake.
With Gratitude,
The Lake Merritt Conservancy Team
Jonathan Hoffberg, Jennie Gerard, Jason Young, Erin Poppler, Paul Yee, Lori Smith, Seemant Kulleen, Cory Moore, Jereemy Aldana & Bob Redman
The Lake Merritt Conservancy
A 501(c)3 Non-profit • EIN: 99-3002241
www.lakemc.org