Saving Hayward's Last Open Space
In the latest episode, Collin and Nestor interview organizers from the SOS Skywest campaign!
A few weeks ago, I went on a bike tour through Skywest. For those unfamiliar, Skywest was formerly the site of a 126-acre, 18-hole public golf course, located directly behind Kennedy Park and running alongside the Hayward Airport.
The site is astonishingly beautiful. It is hard to believe that, as a lifelong resident of the area, I had never set foot there. I remember seeing older men play there when I used to do my soccer training at the duck pond (San Lorenzo Community Park) as a teen. That’s how big the site is! If it remains open, it could potentially connect the Hayward shoreline with Kennedy Park!
Ever since the golf course closed during the pandemic, it has been in the process of rewilding. Rewilding is a cool term you can watch me learn about live in the latest episode of Over the Loud Speaker. Rewilding is sort of like a natural environment healing. By the way, it also turns out that golf courses can be pretty gnarly for our health due to all the pesticide use. Is it too optimistic of me to think that maybe through the process of rewilding, we can also *insert healing sound fx* heal?
Episode six features guest speakers, Mimi and Tyler, who are leading the charge with the SOS Skywest campaign. They give us the rundown of why it is important to keep Skywest an open space for the public to walk, jog, bike, explore, and enjoy.
Episode six also happens to be the very last episode of season one. This is just a way of saying Collin and I are taking a much-needed break for the summer. But we will still be around. You can catch us at the Hayward Night Market, for example. Look at it this way, taking a short little break gives you all a chance to catch up on any episodes you might have missed! We plan to be back after summer break with more great video content for you all, so please keep spreading the good word with your friends and family. During this break, we may even be able to make some upgrades, like acquire a real green screen and some decent recording equipment (let’s be real, it’s a long shot, but a man can dream)!
Oh, if you're interested in getting involved with the Skywest campaign you can visit here. Oh, and you can also sign the petition here.
Enjoy the episode!