One Book One BART returns with a natural history theme, new book, and 3 outdoorsy events
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Just in time for National Reading Month, BART is thrilled to announce the One Book One BART Spring 2025 book club, this time with a natural history-themed group read and three events for nature lovers of all ages and interests (scroll down to “Events” for more info).
BART's book club is novel strategy for rider and employee engagement that invites members of the public to read the same book at the same time and participate in themed events in BART trains and stations.
As BART faces a significant financial crisis, we are experimenting with new and creative ways to engage community members and get people riding – and excited about – BART. One Book One BART encourages people to get on BART and experience the region’s abundance of transit-accessible adventures, all while celebrating the long tradition of reading books onboard.
"The BART book club's natural history theme is an inspiration to get out and explore the remarkable place in which we live," said BART Board President Mark Foley. “BART can transport you to so many green spaces, from the urban wilds of Lake Merritt to the mudflats of Point Isabel, and it takes you there in earth-friendly style.”
This year’s official One Book One BART selection is Bay Area Wildlife: An Irreverent Guide by local conservationist Jeff Miller, with illustrations by Oakland-based artist/author/conservationist Obi Kaufmann. Bay Area Wildlife, which is published by Berkeley-based nonprofit Heyday Books, takes an educational and highly entertaining approach to the region’s local fauna, “revealing why each of these creatures matters, as well as the threats that loom over our region’s incredible biodiversity.”
"How cool that Bay Area Wildlife is the selection for this year’s BART book club, connecting Bay Area residents with our open spaces and wildlife neighbors," said author Jeff Miller. "When you get outdoors to explore, definitely ditch the car and use public transit for your Bay Area wildlife expeditions. Our car-centric culture results in a disturbing toll of road-killed animals, fragmentation of wildlife habitat, and spewed emissions that are altering the climate to the point of impending species extinctions. How we move through the world also affects us and how we perceive our surroundings. Riding BART is a great way to do yourself and the planet a favor while connecting with our amazing bioregion."
Added Gayle Wattawa, general manager and editorial director at Heyday Books: “Heyday is thrilled to partner with BART on this innovative book club. One of the many reasons we take BART is that we get to read on board! And we get to feel good about the environmental impact. So why not pick up this funny Bay Area nature guide published by a local nonprofit publisher at a BARTable independent bookstore (yay, you!), admire Obi Kaufmann's beautiful artwork, read it—and laugh out loud—onboard, and exit the station more deeply attuned to our beautiful natural setting? All the wins.”
Bay Area Wildlife will serve as a jumping off point for a series of free outdoor excursions by BART stations and on trains – just pay your fare! The events are intended to encourage the public to take BART to explore and witness the Bay Area’s wealth of natural phenomena. Public transportation is one of the greenest ways to get around, and the many at-risk wildlife populations who call the Bay Area home are yet another reason to prioritize sustainability when you travel. Focusing on nature is also a key theme of Earth Week, which is celebrated globally during the week leading up to April 22. BART is committed to raising awareness about environmental issues and ways that BART riders can do their part to protect our planet.
“This year’s One Book One BART book club emphasizes that our transit network connects us to places and people, flora and fauna,” said BART Communications’ Michelle Robertson, Principal Marketing Rep., who created One Book One BART. “BART provides access to so much more than urban centers – did you know there are 900 parks located within a mile of our stations? It’s true! So pick up a copy of Bay Area Wildlife, hop onboard a train, and explore the majestic natural world that surrounds us – that includes gazing out of the big windows onboard our trains. You never know what natural wonders you’ll discover!”
Bay Area Wildlife illustrator Obi Kaufmann also created three original paintings that feature wildlife found by BART. The works will soon be displayed in ad spaces across the BART system.
Get going on your next outdoor adventure, by visiting bartable.bart.gov/outdoors to discover a wealth of hikes, bike rides, and outdoor itineraries by BART stations. And check out the many libraries accessible by BART.
One Book One BART homepage: bart.gov/bookclub
Download the One Book One BART flyer to print and post here [pdf]
A photo from One Book One BART’s 2022 ”train read-in,” a book club on a moving, in-service train.
One Book One BART Events
Guided Nature Walk with Author Jeff Miller and pals
When: Saturday, April 19, 9am to approx. noon
Where: 19th St/Oakland Station
Meet Bay Area Wildlife author Jeff Miller as he and his conservationist pals take us on a four-mile guided nature walk around Lake Merritt that will begin and end at 19th St. Station in Oakland.
Lake Merritt is a natural jewel woven into the urban fabric of Oakland, and Jeff will tell us all about the flora and fauna that call the lake home. We’ll likely see herons, egrets, coast live oaks, lady beetles, free-floating phytoplankton, and so much more, on this leisurely paced walk on the paved section of the lake path.
Wear comfy walking shoes, fill up your water bottle, and bring whatever else you may need for the walk. And don’t forget your copy of Bay Area Wildlife – Jeff will be signing books.
We will gather in the non-paid area of the 19th St. Station concourse near exit A2, by the station agent booth (Broadway/Thomas L. Berkeley Way). Look for BART staff holding One Book One BART signage. Find a map of the station here.
Bike Ride and Birdwatching
When: Saturday, April 26, 10am to approx. 1pm
Where: North Berkeley Station
Heath Maddox, BART Manager of Bicycle and Micromobility Access Programs, and local birdwatchers will host a ~15-mile roundtrip bike ride with birdwatching stops along the way. This is an easy bike ride on mostly paved surfaces that is suitable for all skill levels. Find the route – which is subject to change – here.
We’ll meet at North Berkeley Station and bike to the Aquatic Park North Trailhead. Birdwatching spots will include the wetlands overlook at Codornices Creek, the mudflats of Point Isabel, and other stops along the Bay Trail toward El Cerrito. At the end of the ride, we’ll gather for an optional group lunch at Seabreeze Cafe – pack a lunch or enjoy the cafe’s food and drink offerings. After lunch, we’ll ride back to the station and say our farewells.
In addition to the expertise of local birdwatchers, we’ll have a digital guide with information on birds we might spot on the ride.
Bring your bike, helmet, and binoculars – we’ll have extras on hand to lend. You should also bring anything you need to be self-sufficient and keep your bike rolling (spare tube, patch kit, pump, etc.). This is a social pace, no-drop ride, and we can offer some assistance with trailside repair if needed, but we can’t anticipate all wheel and tire sizes.
We will gather outside the North Berkeley Station entrance near the intersection of Virginia and Sacramento streets. Look for people with bikes and BART staff holding One Book One BART signage.
BART Train Expedition with Obi Kaufmann
When: Saturday, May 3, noon to approx. 1pm
Where: Pleasant Hill/City Centre Station to 12th St/Oakland Station
RSVP on Eventbrite – Because the expedition takes place in the first car of a moving, in-service train, capacity is limited to 70 participants. You must RSVP to secure your place.
"Bay Area Wildlife" illustrator and acclaimed poet-naturalist Obi Kaufmann takes the public on a first-of-its-kind BART Train Expedition!
We’ll put on our explorer hats for a family-friendly ride on a moving, in-service passenger train as Kaufmann regales us with stories about the natural history of the East Bay’s mosaicked, ecological landscape through the windows of a Yellow Line train. The experience will take us on a journey through “deep time” as Obi teaches us about the area’s ecosystems, water, fire, infrastructure, volcanic history, trees, and more. All while on a moving train!
At the end of the approx. 30-minute ride, we’ll disembark at 12th St./Oakland Station and walk with Obi to Frank Ogawa Plaza, where we’ll pay homage to the Town’s most famous oak tree.
We will gather in the unpaid concourse area of Pleasant Hill/City Centre Station by the intersection of Sunne Lane and Coggins Drive (near the Add Fare machines). Look for BART staff with One Book One BART signage.
The ride will start at Pleasant Hill/City Centre. Arrive no later than noon as the train, which is in-service, will depart at at 12:20pm and cannot be held for latecomers. We will be riding in the first car. The BART ride is approximately 30 minutes. After disembarking at 12th St., Obi will lead us to City Hall Plaza, where the expedition will conclude.
A photo from BART HQ Book Day 2023, a celebration of books and community held for employees at BART HQ.
Where to find the book
Bay Area Wildlife is available for purchase at many local bookstores, including our One Book One BART independent bookstore partners, who are offering 20% off the title when customers show their Clipper cards. All of our partners are within a mile of a BART station:
Banter Bookshop - Fremont Station
Bird and Beckett – Glen Park Station
Books on B - Hayward Station
Mrs. Dalloway’s - Rockridge Station
Orinda Books - Orinda Station
Spectator Books - MacArthur Station
Tally Ho! Books – MacArthur Station
You can also check the title out from local libraries – find BARTable’s roundup of libraries accessible by BART here – and on the digital app Hoopla.
Win a copy of Bay Area Wildlife + BART swag
BARTable will be running a sweepstakes for free copies of "Bay Area Wildlife" and other One Book One BART prizes on the BARTable Contests and Deals page. The sweepstakes will run from March 24 to March 30.
We'll also be running social media contests on BARTable’s Instagram.
Keep up with One Book One BART contest announcements by signing up for the book club mailing list (see instructions at the top of this page) and the BARTable This Week newsletter.
About Jeff Miller
Jeff Miller is an amateur naturalist, professional conservationist, and passionate advocate for wildlife. Jeff is the founder of the nonprofit Alameda Creek Alliance and has served as its executive director since 1997, working to restore steelhead trout and salmon to Alameda Creek and protect the Bay Area’s largest local watershed. He’s a senior conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, spearheading biodiversity protection campaigns throughout the Bay Area and California, preparing endangered species listing petitions, writing press releases, and doing public outreach and organizing around wildlife protection issues. Over the last quarter century, he has been involved in conservation efforts for dozens of the most iconic imperiled wildlife species in the Bay Area, the most recent being securing state protections for burrowing owls. Jeff says that loving nature is as important as fighting for it and grieving ecological destruction. People tend to care more about animals and places that they have a direct experience with, so he wrote Bay Area Wildlife: An Irreverent Guide to try to connect readers with our regional fauna and inspire them to make a pilgrimage to witness the Bay Area’s spectacular natural phenomena.