Residents, Friends of Albany Hill recall activist Carol Fitzgerald at commission meeting

Several residents and volunteers paid tribute to Carol Fitzgerald, a longtime Albany Hill activist, during public comment at the May 8 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting.

"I'm Margo Cunningham. I'm natural areas manager for the City of Albany. And I learned a couple of days ago that a longtime resident and activist, Carol Fitzgerald, died," Margo Cunningham said, identifying herself as the city’s natural areas manager.

Cunningham described Fitzgerald's decades of work organizing volunteers on Albany Hill and restoring native plants. "She was president of Friends of Albany Hill for decades and did a lot to help Albany Hill over the years," Cunningham said, adding that despite recent personal conflicts she recognized Fitzgerald’s impact on local stewardship.

Ralph Pericoli, a board member of Friends of Albany Hill, said Fitzgerald had been active for about 50 years and helped stop development that would have removed open space on the hill. "She was really instrumental in stopping a lot of the development on Albany Hill," Pericoli said, and he described Fitzgerald’s role organizing revegetation and monarch butterfly counts with the Xerces Society.

Speakers noted Fitzgerald’s public-art legacy, including a native plants and butterflies mural on the hill, and her work to involve community members in nature events and education.

The commission reopened public comment later in the meeting to allow an online speaker to submit materials by email after technical difficulties prevented remote remarks earlier. Staff provided a city email address for submissions and asked members of the public who could not connect to send comments to pr0sc@albanyca.org.

No formal city action was taken in response to the comments; speakers presented remembrances and notes about Fitzgerald's contributions to Albany Hill conservation efforts.