By Todd Marco
The public kickoff event May 30 for Nisene Rio Gateway (NRG) was fun for all ages! There was a great turnout of volunteers to cut invasive ivy from the trees around Aptos Village Park. Yum Yum Eatery, owned by a local 6-year-old entrepreneur, sponsored the event along with other great local sponsors — New Leaf Community Markets & Original Ferrell’s Donuts.
Nisene Rio Gateway volunteers ready to get to work.
At the off-site after-party, supporters enjoyed some long overdue in-person socialization! It was great to put faces to names and chat in more detail about NRG’s ambitious plans to improve safety & access for active transportation in Aptos. We also enjoyed some local beer and a variety of wines from another one of our sponsors, Bridge To Nowhere Cellars.
During the event, our latest adventure campaign was announced: “Get your NRG out!” Explorers are encouraged to post their GPS track as they pilot the proposed NRG Park & Trail Network. More details are on the NRG Public Forum on Facebook.
NRG is planning future events like a group hike along the Gateway Trail, reading of The Lorax for storytime in the forest, and of course there’s still plenty of invasive ivy to cut.
Kids are part of the new Nisene Rio Gateway network.