Photo of the riverbank along the Kern River at Hart Park in Bakersfield, Calif., in March.
County supervisors voted on Tuesday to move forward with a project to repair damage along the Kern River at Hart Park, despite requests from environmental advocates to delay the decision for more public input.
The Board of Supervisors approved plans to begin bidding on the Hart Park Equestrian Trail Repair Project, which is funded largely through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The project is intended to restore the equestrian trail and repair fencing and irrigation along the river’s edge following damage from the 2023 floods. Bids are scheduled to open Jan. 20, 2026.
Before the vote, speakers urged the board to postpone the item so community groups and experts could review the plans and suggest changes. They said the project could benefit from stronger long-term erosion solutions that are alongside the riverbank.
“This is about community engagement,” said Eddy Laine, a longtime environmental advocate and member of the Sierra Club Kern-Kaweah chapter.
Laine asked supervisors to allow time for discussions with groups such as the Kern River Parkway Foundation, Audubon of Kern, and scientists from California State University, Bakersfield.
Concerns about erosion at Hart Park are not new. Hart Park is Bakersfield’s only park located directly along the Kern River, but parts of the riverbank have steadily crumbled over the years, creating safety hazards near walking and riding trails.
In March, CSU Bakersfield biology professor Antje Lauer and geologist Robert Crewdson visited the park and said erosion is caused by both the natural flow of the river and poor maintenance. They said steep, unprotected riverbanks on the park side make the area more vulnerable to damage during high water.
“The embankment on the park side is much steeper,” Lauer said. “That makes it easier for the river to eat away at the soil.”
Crewdson said private property owners across the river have reinforced their banks with rock and gravel, while much of the park’s riverbank remains unprotected. He also said water from culverts near Hart Park Lake flows back into the river, worsening erosion in some areas.
Laine and other advocates have criticized past repair efforts, including a $125,000 project completed about a year and a half ago that they said failed to stop erosion. Some have suggested using gabion wire cages filled with rock and preserving trees along the river, which helps hold soil in place.
At the board meeting, another speaker, David Schaad of the Hart Park Working Group and Audubon Society, warned that without stronger erosion control, future floods could wash away repairs.
County officials said some suggested methods, including gabions, are not eligible for FEMA funding. Supervisor Leticia Perez Flores said the project has been in planning for years and has received approvals from federal and state agencies.
“This is a safety issue,” Perez Flores said. “We need to move forward before FEMA funding is no longer available.”
Parks officials said unstable areas along the river have been fenced off, but permanent repairs are needed to protect visitors.
