CSPF has launched a statewide, online survey that asks Californians to share their thoughts on amenities and services they wish to see in state parks, barriers to park access, the primary purpose of California’s state park system, and more. More information about the Project is available on the CSPF web site.

Thank you again for your support!

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the former Immigration Station, President Barack Obama proclaimed January 21, 2010 to be “National Angel Island Day,” calling upon the people of the United States to learn more about the history of Angel Island and to observe this anniversary with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

The President’s Proclamation may be viewed at www.whitehouse.gov

Silvia Lange, an Angel Island State Park docent of 26 years, well-known for her historic sketches and wildflower walks, went missing over the weekend at the Point Reyes National Seashore. Search-and-rescue crews at Point Reyes National Seashore continue to comb the area.

Anyone with information about Lange’s whereabouts is urged to call the National Park Service Rangers at (415) 464-5170.

View web news results on the search for Silvia Lange.

The new solar-powered LED lights were installed just in time for the annual holiday lighting, and we continue to work in partnership with Angel Island State Park to look into various options to enhance the appearance of the lights in the future. Please know that as we work on refining the light presentation, we are taking the community’s comments into consideration.

As we make progress on this project, we will post updates on our website. Our hope is that the Angel Lights will continue to bring pleasure throughout the Bay Area for years to come.

Again, thank you for your feedback and please check our site for updates.

Click here to “Adopt” an Angel Light!

After the Angel Lights were destroyed by the dramatic fire in October of 2008, Angel Island was without its annual “Angel Lights” for the first time in over 50 years! AIA volunteers and Park staff immediately began work to bring back the lights and decided to install solar powered LED Lights to be consistent with one of AISP’s highest priorities – the “greening” and sustainability of the island. PG&E generously stepped up to the challenge with a gift of the equipment that provides the Bay Area with the new lights.

As part of the design, the new beacon flashes “dot-dash” then “dot-dot”, Morse code for “AI” (Angel Island). Although this feature was initially designed in part to allow the solar power to last longer, it also speaks to the Island’s military history and to the period when there was an active lighthouse on the island. In these tough economic times, some think of this as a general “Save our State Parks” SOS signal, reminding our community that AISP needs our support now more than ever.

For over 50 years, there have been lights on top of AISP during the month of December. There are lovely stories of the first lights that were placed up there. Some say a big wooden star decked with red, white, blue and yellow lights was placed there by a group of enlisted men in the Army serving on the island. Some say an electrician who was working on the island after the military left got lonesome around the holidays and put up a tree. Since the earliest days, and up until they were destroyed in the fire, the lights were powered by electricity that had previously powered the Nike Missile installation located on the island during its military days. The Park staff and AIA kept this tradition alive with small changes through the years to a pole with hanging cables of lights (pictured below – photo by Suzanne Badenhoop).

The new solar powered lights are similar to those of a modern day lighthouse, with 2 rows of LED lights that send out a 360 degree beacon to the Bay (pictured below – photos by AIA).
 

As a longstanding tradition, the “Angel Lights” mean something different to nearly everyone and those of us involved in supporting AISP are glad there’s a sense of ownership throughout the Bay Area. The new lights have received mixed reactions from some of our neighbors. Although saddened that the old lights were destroyed, some are thrilled that we “turned lemons into lemonade” and were able to create a “green” alternative to the old lights. Some miss the fact that the old lights were powered by the former Nike Missile control system, loving the cold war to peace and hope transition. Some like the LED beacon lights, and some miss the tree-like configuration of the old lights. Some enjoy the flash and its message and are glad that it draws our attention to the park’s challenge to stay open and continue valuable programs. Others find the blinking of the lights distracting and even annoying.

AIA and AISP want everyone to love the Angel Lights. This is our first year with the new lights, and AIA and the AISP park staff welcome your feedback. Because of some reports from those living close to the island, we have already dimmed the lights. So that in future years everyone will be happy to see the lights, we are encouraging feedback and working with AISP to revisit the exact way in which the Angel Lights will be displayed in the future. Please watch this website for more details as we work through these questions. We are committed to finding creative solutions that our friends around the Bay Area will enthusiastically support. For more than fifty years, the Angel Lights have been a holiday symbol of joy, hope and many other positive feelings, and we intend to ensure that it stays that way.

Thanks again for your interest and support!

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Guests enjoyed fine wine and hors d’oeuvres, although the focus of the evening was on the issues facing Angel Island State Park and its ability to survive and thrive in the current difficult times.  District Superintendent Rodriguez stressed the importance of the Park’s partnership with AIA and her appreciation for its support for the Park.  In addition, guests had the opportunity to speak with Bree Hardcastle and study her display covering ecological effects on the Island of fire and oil spills, including examples of new fire fighting and oil spill remediation equipment purchased with funds from AIA and BayWood Artists.  A promotional video put together by AIA showcased the Island’s beauty, recreational aspects and ravages of the October 2008 fire.

Celebrity co-hosts Doug McConnell and Jan Yanehiro performed emcee roles in their customary graceful and enthusiastic manner for the evening program.  After remarks by District Superintendent Rodriguez, retiring AIA Board President Suzanne Badenhoop passed the baton to newly elected Board President Gail Dolton, and AIA Board members and staff were recognized.  The evening’s highlight was the spirited entertainment provided by the live auction of extraordinary experiences on and/or related to AISP.  The assistance of park staff enhanced the fun and success of the bidding.

The festivities culminated with the lighting of the new, solar-powered LED light atop the island, made possible by the generous financial support of PG&E.  As the countdown began, the crowd surged to the windows where the darkened silhouette of Angel Island was visible.  Although a low cloud hanging over the island dimmed the view of the new light initially, it was shining proudly for all to see as guests left CYC after a truly inspiring evening.  The overall success of the evening and the record amount of funds raised is a tribute to the collaborative efforts among AIA, its State Park partners, and all of theits generous sponsors and donors.

Click here for additional photos from the 2009 Angel Lights Benefit.
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A centerpiece of this year’s Benefit will be the lighting of new solar-powered Angel Lights atop Mt. Livermore.  continued…  

   Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 6-8 pm
Corinthian Yacht Club, Tiburon
$125/ticket; $225/2 tickets; 3 or more tickets $100 each

To purchase tickets, become a sponsor of the benefit
or adopt an Angel Light
call (415) 435-3972, fax (415) 435-2950, email aia@angelisland.org
or
 Click here for the mail-in/fax two-page form.  

This 50-year tradition was interrupted last year because the fire destroyed the conventional lights and transmission equipment. The new lights are made possible by the generous financial support of PG&E, and their lighting will symbolize the resilience of the Island itself.

Over the last three years, Angel Island has been polluted by an oil spill and ravaged by a dramatic fire. Now it is being threatened by the persistent State funding crisis. Although the Park is not slated for closure, its funding has been substantially reduced, creating the prospect of future service cuts. Yet, despite all of these difficulties, the Park remains a living embodiment of over two thousand years of Bay Area natural and social history. After being used for hunting and fishing by the Coast Miwok Native Americans, it served as a refuge for a famous Spanish explorer, a Civil War military camp, a U.S. immigration station (now a National Historic Landmark) and a State Park for the last 47 years.

“By supporting organizations like AIA, the public can help ensure that local treasures like Angel Island State Park continue to exist and thrive for all of us to enjoy,” says Danita Rodriguez, Marin District Superintendent of California State Parks. “We are especially excited that this year’s AIA benefit will highlight one of the Park’s highest priorities – the ‘greening’ and sustainability of the park through the use of solar energy to support the Island’s electricity needs.”

Television personalities Doug McConnell and Jan Yanehiro will host the festivities, as Angel Lights sponsors and donors celebrate the past and help shape the future of the Park. While enjoying hors d’oeuvres and wine, supporters will have the opportunity to bid on special auction items, including once-in-a-lifetime experiences on Angel Island.

AIA is proud to be associated with Angel Island and is dedicated to doing everything possible to keep Angel Island State Park alive and well.

We thank our generous corporate sponsors…      

our in-kind sponsors…

these generous individuals: Lauren Barr; Juli Betwee; Mimi & Peter Buckley; Charlene Harvey; Dee Dee & Steve Kim; Barbara & Tom Sargent

and all of AIA’s Board Members: Suzanne Badenhoop; Kristine Browne; Jon d’Alessio; Gail Dolton; Janette Gitler; Michael Josselyn; Guy Lampard; Sudha Pennathur; Skip Spaulding; Kimberly Wicoff

Special thanks to co-hosts Doug McConnell and Jan Yanehiro; Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Heyday Books; and Jason Weisberger, photographer.

Click here for information on sponsor levels and privileges.

Several dignitaries were on hand to mark the occasion.  Those persons included:  Ruth Coleman, director of California State Parks; Cynthia Garrett, superintendent of National Park Service’s Ellis Island Immigration Station, who announced a new “sister park” status between the two key immigration sites; and Kathy Lim Ko, president of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation.  In addition, the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China, Gao Zhangshen, stationed in San Francisco, was present to honor the memory of the thousands who came from China.

Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1997, the U.S. Immigration Station, Angel Island was the entry point for over 1 million immigrants, many of whom came from Asia, between 1910 and 1940.  Chinese immigrants were the largest group, and they endured lengthy stays due to rigorous interrogations by officials to authenticate legal entrants.

For the first time ever, after extensive repairs and restoration work, the public saw all rooms of the immigration station barracks.  As visitors toured the barracks, they encountered cultural performances and heard a new soundscape designed by Felicia Lowe.  The newly created and dramatic living-history displays showed how immigrants lived in detention behind barred windows and doors for weeks and months.  The bunks have been outfitted with clothing, artifacts, luggage and personal items that reflect the nationalities of the tens of thousands of people who passed through the station.

Several local papers have great stories and photos about the efforts and results of the fight.

The Marin Independent Journal

• Initial story
• Follow-up 1
• Follow-up 2
• Follow-up 3

San Francisco Chronicle

• Tuesday (1)
• Tuesday (2)
• Wednesday

Various reports we have found say that the animals on the island mostly survived. There was one report of one raccoon dying, but no deer carcasses were found as of Wednesday, so it is likely that the herd of about 60 deer made it to safety and until the rains come this winter, when the island will green up, they will probably have enough to eat in the unburned areas. As it is not nesting season, there was no evidence of bird deaths either.

By day’s end on Monday, the fire was 90% contained. However, the landscape has been dramatically altered, especially the view from the south side. Photos shown here document the challenge and the efforts to save Angel Island. Click on any photo with a colored border for a larger version.

If you have a photo you would like to submit for consideration, please send it to webm@angelisland.org.