MARCH  |  APRIL 2014   

  


In This Issue (Links)
New FOSC Website
Shop and Support FOSC
Dimond Canyon
Member Survey
Japanese Dodder Alert
Youth T-Shirt Design Contest
Erosion Control Resources
Native Plant Week
Events of Others
Bay Nature





MEMBER MEETING
Restoration for the Birds and the Bees
Wed., Mar. 19
7 p.m.-9 p.m.
Dimond Branch Library


WALK

Botany Walk

Wed., Apr. 30

10 a.m.-noon

TBD

 

 

CLEANUP

Earth Day Shoreline Cleanup

Sat., Apr. 26

8-11 a.m.

Fruitvale Bridge Park

 

Jingletown Arts Community Cleanup

Sat,. Apr. 26

9 a.m.-noon 

Jingletown-400 Derby Ave., Oakland 

  

 

 RESTORATION WORKDAYS 

 

Barry Place

Sat., Apr. 26 
9 a.m.-12 p.m.

 

Beaconsfield Canyon

Sat., Mar. 29, Apr. 26

9 a.m.-noon

 

Bridgeview Trail

Sat., Apr. 26

9 a.m.-noon 

  

Bridgeview Trail Ivy Removal 

Sun., Mar. 9, April 13

10 a.m.-noon

 

Bridgeview Trailhead Native Bee Garden

Sun., Mar. 16, Apr. 20

10 a.m.-noon

 

 Dimond Park

Sat., Mar. 8

9 a.m.-noon

Sat., Apr. 26

8:45 a.m.-noon

 

Marj Saunders Park

Mon., Apr. 7

11 a.m.-1 p.m.

   

Montclair Railroad Trail

Sat., Mar. 15, Apr. 26 

9-11 a.m.

    

Shepherd Canyon Park

Sat., Apr. 26

9 a.m.-noon 

 

Wood Park

Sat., Mar. 15, Apr. 26

10 a.m.-noon

 

 

 NURSERY WORKDAYS

 

 Thurs., Apr. 10

12-2 p.m.

 

Sat., Mar. 8, 22, & 29, Apr. 12

1:30-4:30 p.m.

  

Sat., Apr. 26

9 a.m.-noon 

   

 

COLLECTION HIKES

 

Wed., Mar. 12

9-11 a.m. 

Sat., Mar. 22

Thurs., Apr. 10 

10 a.m.-noon

 

 

 MONITORING

   

Aquatic Insect Monitoring

Sun., Apr. 6  

9 a.m.-noon

Bird Monitoring (start at Sequoia Arena)
Sat., Aprl 12
8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

 

 

BOARD MEETING
Wed., Apr. 9
7-9 p.m.
Park Blvd. Presbyterian Church


  

 

 

 

    

 

For more information:

FOSC Calendar 

 

Michelle Krieg 

Restoration & Nursery Manager

510-325-9006

 

Jaclyn Lim 

Intern

510-326-7132 

 

 Kimra McAfee 

Executive Director

510-501-3672

 

Like us on Facebook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Credits:

Martha Berthelsen

Susan Krzywicki

Karen Paulsell

Mark Rauzon

 

 

Layout:

Jaclyn Lim

 

 

 Editors:
Richard Kauffman

Kimra McAfee

Sarah Nathe

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 
You can now make a donation to support FOSC's work via PayPal or Network for Good





donate


Donate $50 and get a FOSC T-shirt. If you donate online email [email protected] with your T-shirt size.

 
FOSC logo
It's a brave new world for FOSC! We can earn money if you shop online. And (are you sitting down?) FOSC has a new website. Yet, after 17 years, the Friends of Sausal Creek remain committed to our mission of enhancing our local environment through restoration workdays on Earth Day and throughout the year. Thank you for lending your time and energy to this movement.

Restoration for the Birds and the Bees 

Wednesday, March 19, 7-9 p.m.
Dimond Library, 3565 Fruitvale Ave.
Local biologist Martha Berthelsen will give an introduction to the birds and the bees of riparian areas in the East Bay, and discuss recent research on how we can provide them with good habitat. Some Dimond Canyon hikers may have noticed Martha's field study along the creek a few years ago. Come learn about what she found here and in other local watersheds! Download a flyer.

 

Earth Day Workdays
Saturday, April 26
Act locally! Find an Earth Day workday near you on the FOSC event calendar. If you have a group interested in volunteering, please contact Michelle. All volunteers under 18 must bring City of Oakland and FOSC waivers signed by their parent or guardian.

 

Are you interested in leading a restoration project for the Earth Day workday? We can use your help! We will be hosting a variety of small projects around Dimond Park from 8:45 a.m.-noon, and we need a few more project leaders. All tools and a short training will be provided, and you will be paired with another leader if you choose. No prior leading experience necessary, only enthusiasm and willingness to give directions and support other volunteers. Please contact Michelle if you are interested. 

FOSC Website Facelift

 

As if the recent rains weren't enough cause for celebration, we are dancing a jig with the launch of the new FOSC website! We hope that you will find it easier to learn about what's going on in the watershed, and will enjoy visiting the site frequently. Please make sure you are using an updated browser. Thank you to Restoration and Nursery Manager Michelle Krieg for initiating this endeavor and to Board Member Richard Kauffman for his fastidious copy editing and leadership. We are indebted to Webmistress Jennifer Stanley for maintaining our old website for many, many moons. Thank you, Jennifer!

 

--Kimra McAfee

Support FOSC While Shopping at Amazon.com

 

Follow this link to get 0.5% of eligible AmazonSmile purchases donated to FOSC. Then bookmark it, so you can donate each time you shop.
Dimond Canyon 17 Years Later -- Dead or Alive?
 

Sausal Creek got a flushing in mid-February when about three inches of rain fell on our watershed. And shed it did, right down the creek. When the soil is so dry, rain doesn't soak in, it just runs off. But that's not entirely bad in this case, because the stream was at rock bottom. 


That bone dry creek bed was what we saw on January 26 when the FOSC board of directors held its annual retreat--creekside in Dimond Canyon--to reflect on the mammoth restoration project that brought the organization into being. Seventeen years on, how did it look? What impact had we had?

Read more ...

 
FOSC Member Survey:
Help Direct our Efforts in 2014 and Beyond
 
Last year we began a strategic planning process to focus our organization's efforts over the next year and beyond. We need your help! Please take this ten-minute survey  to help our board and staff assess what we do and how we do it. Thank you! 
Japanese Dodder Alert
 

After an eight-year absence, Japanese dodder, an invasive parasitic vine (Cuscuta japonica), has reappeared close to the Sausal Creek Watershed.  FOSC-folk were great at spotting eruptions the last time, so here's another call to action. Japanese dodder is a bright yellow, leafless vine that sucks its nutrients from many, many species of plants. It's much bigger and faster-growing than local native dodders, and the local dodders are orange. Check out the current infestation on E 28th Street, right at 21st Avenue, to see what Japanese dodder looks like as it covers a coast live oak and a fence full of ivy. Scary stuff! See photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/23034905@N05/sets/72157640435280414/.

If you spot something that you suspect is Japanese dodder, send an email to Kimra and someone from FOSC will come to check the site. Be sure to include exact instructions for finding it and your contact info. A photo would be great. FOSC will visit the site, verify the finding, and do the required reporting.

Design the New Youth Member T-Shirt!

We know that young people are interested in sporting FOSC T-shirts, but a $50 donation is tough for students. The new FOSC youth membership enables FOSCers 18 and under to support our efforts and get a FOSC T-shirt. But we need your help to design the youth T-shirt. Submit your T-shirt design via email to [email protected] or mail it to PO Box 2737, Oakland, CA 94602, by May 15. Entrants must not be over 18 years of age, please.

Designs should be one color and are for a one-sided T-shirt. Bold artwork is best--think about something that can be viewed from five feet away. Design should be 8" x 8". FOSC board and staff will vote to select the design, and the winner will get a free T-shirt. Designs can be hand-drawn or computer-generated. Contact [email protected] if you would like a digital copy of the FOSC logo. 
Resources on Erosion Control

Thank you to Drew Goetting of Restoration Design Group, and Kristin Hathaway and Pam Boyle-Rodriguez of the City of Oakland for presenting at FOSC's State of the Creek meeting on January 15. Handouts from this indoor workshop as well as other references on Oakland's Creek Protection Ordinance are available online:
Unfortunately, because of the dry winter, we were not able to schedule the anticipated follow-up outdoor training. We hope to do this next winter. Email
[email protected] if you would like to receive a notice when the outdoor erosion control training is scheduled.  
Celebrate Native Plant Week
Several years ago, the California State Legislature declared the third week in April as Native Plant Week. As Sausal Creek proves, "...restoring California native plants provides natural links to wild land areas, while introducing people to their beauty and instilling a greater understanding and appreciation for California's natural heritage." This year, between April 12 and 20 (we stretched the meaning a bit to include both the weekends), we are expressing our enjoyment for native plants in a variety of ways.
 
If you have a few minutes, take a picture a day of a native plant--while out on a walk, or sitting in your garden, or while weeding out those pesky invasive plants. Document something personal and share it with friends, family, and others. By just simply taking a moment to revel in our shared purpose, we reconnect and get energized. Take a snapshot and thank your legislators for providing this opportunity to focus on the over 6,000 native plant species, subspecies, and varieties (of which over 2,150 exist only in California) that make California home to more diverse plant life than all other states combined.
 
 --Susan Krzywicki, California Native Plant Society, Horticulture Program Director
Events of Others

Attend The River Otter Ecology Project's talk, "River Otters: Back on the Bay Area Map!" on Thursday, March 13, at 6:30 p.m. See wildoakland.org for details.

 

Bay Area youth ages 14 to 24 are invited to enter Be the Street's meme contest for the best anti-litter/pro-community meme. Defined as a unit of cultural transmission, internet memes have the power to sway public opinion, influence elections, empower communities, and inspire change. Deadline is March 17.

Check out the self-guided tour preview for the 10th annual Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour on Sunday, May 4. Sign-up to visit bird- and butterfly-friendly, pesticide-free, water-conserving low-maintenance gardens in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

Save the date for the East Bay Sudden Oak Death (SOD) Blitz on Saturday and Sunday, May 10 and 11. Trainings will be held on Saturday, May 10, at 10 a.m. at Orinda Public Library and 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley.
Partner Spotlight:  Bay Nature

Bay Nature is a quarterly magazine that helps you explore, understand, and protect the unique wildlife and landscapes of the Bay Area. Learn about the natural world right outside your door by subscribing to Bay Nature. You can use the coupon below to get a discounted subscription when making a $25 donation to FOSC.

To subscribe to this e-newsletter, email
or call (510) 501-3672.
Donation
Please help us maintain and expand our efforts in the Sausal Creek Watershed by making a donation today!

Donate online via PayPal or Network for Good or mail this form with your check made payable to:
Friends of Sausal Creek, P.O. Box 2737, Oakland, CA 94602
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