FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2026
Contact: Michael Blenner, michael.blenner@sierraclub.org
Sierra Club California Applauds the Trust for Public Land Purchase of Golden Gate Fields
Sacramento, CA — Today, The Trust for Public Land announced its acquisition of Golden Gate Fields, a former horse racing track, as new public park land serving East Bay communities. The parkland acquisition will benefit people, the climate, and nature. Turning the racetrack into a park will offer local families recreational access to the Bay, space to restore wetlands and marsh habitat, and create a resilient shoreline to counter ongoing sea level rise. Before the area was filled for the race track in the 1930’s, most of the site was marsh and wetland with five creeks emptying into the Bay.
The State’s projected sea level rise for San Francisco Bay shows that by 2100 the sea level will rise 7 feet, inundating almost all of the racetrack site. The Sierra Club and other environmental groups have endorsed an exciting Restoration Concept Plan drafted by Jeremy Lowe of the San Francisco Estuary Institute to bring back wetlands that were destroyed by racetrack construction as has been done at Crissy Field in San Francisco. “This restoration would advance the goal of increasing wetlands and habitat in San Francisco Bay and protecting against sea level rise,” noted Arthur Feinstein, Chair of the Sierra Club’s Bay Alive Committee, which is working on nature-based solutions to sea level rise in the Bay.
Transforming Golden Gate Fields into a public park land will be a win-win-win by providing new shoreline recreational access for the public, restoring wildlife habitat, and protecting our shoreline for the future.
Statement from Miguel Miguel, Director of Sierra Club California:
“We greatly appreciate the work that Trust for Public Lands and the East Bay Regional Park District put into this deal to make it possible.”
Statement from Norman La Force, Sierra Club’s longtime leader in this campaign.
“The Sierra Club has campaigned for over 40 years to add this spectacular shoreline site to the McLaughlin Eastshore State Park.”
Statement from Vicky Hoover, co-chair of Sierra Club California’s 30x30 Task Force
“We made it one of our priority areas for our Statewide 30x30 Campaign.”
###
Sierra Club California is the legislative and regulatory arm of Sierra Club’s 13 local chapters in California, representing half a million members and supporters, with a mission to practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources; to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives. Among Sierra Club’s highest priorities is advocating for federal regulatory policies that address the impacts of climate change, including impacts to the financial system. Sierra Club also has an investment portfolio of approximately $62 million and represents millions of members and supporters, many of whom have significant investments of their own. The Sierra Club and its members seek more reliable and comparable climate-related disclosures.