Urge Governor Newsom to “Walk the Talk” and Protect Tesla Park
The 3,100-acre Tesla Park sits on the eastern edge of Alameda County where several biotic zones converge and transition. As a result, it has a richer than usual biodiversity.
Its landscape is a combination of Blue-Oak woodland, scrub sage, and riparian habitat, among others. It’s home to a number of sensitive species that are listed as “of concern”, threatened or endangered. These include California red-legged frogs, western spadefoot toads, foothill yellow-legged frogs, golden eagles and tule elk.
Generations of famous naturalists, scientists and graduate students, from the University of California and beyond, have studied the area’s natural history and identified it as a uniquely rich spot.
Tesla is also important to descendants of California Native American Tribes for its archeological and spiritual features, including sacred ceremonial and burial sites.
Despite its rich cultural and biological value, the park has been targeted for conversion to an off-road vehicle park since it was first purchased by the state in the late 1990s. If it is converted, the quiet, scenic and biologically important park will no doubt be disturbed and destroyed, similar to other off-highway parks in the area.
Tesla has been a source of debate and dispute since it was purchased. But recently, a Sacramento Superior Court judge rejected as inadequate the park system’s environmental impact report on the proposed conversion to off-highway vehicle use.
Late last year, Governor Newsom signed an executive order supporting protection of California’s biodiversity. Protecting Tesla Park, preserving it for only non-motorized recreation, is consistent with that executive order.
Urge the governor today to “walk the talk” and permanently protect Tesla Park for non-motorized use.