Update 1-21-2008
Thanks: Big thank-yous almost 50 volunteers who came out to remove invasives on the Bay shore Sat., Jan. 12. Special thanks to high-schoolers from Building with Books and Berkeley High School Environmental Science classes.) Thanks and cheers, too, to about 30 UC Berkeley student residence-hall advisors who did great work removing ivy and planting natives at Berkeley's Mortar Rock Park Jan. 17. What a transformation there since fall!
Plant Natives on Hill Paths Jan. 26: Please join us from 10 am - 12:30 pm Sat., Jan. 26, as F5C and Berkeley Path Wanderers Assn. plant natives on Covert Path in Berkeley's upper Codornices watershed. This is the last of this rainy season's three work parties piloting native plantings on these beautiful and historic paths. The long-term goal is a signed route with interpretive materials. Meet at the top of Covert Path, Keeler Avenue north of Shasta, close to Twain. If you get lost (easy in the hills) call 510 599 4709.
Talk on Berkeley paths Feb. 4: Continuing our partnership with Berkeley Path Wanderers, the speaker at our meeting 7 pm Monday, Feb. 4, at Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin, will be Charlie Bowen, BPWA path-building chair. Charlie will speak and show slides on her very successful volunteer projects extending the Berkeley path network. Free, all welcome!
Cerrito Creek/Albany Hill walks Feb. 6 and 7: In February, our focus shifts back to lower Cerrito Creek and Albany Hill. I will lead two free walks there in the first week of February, both starting at Peets Coffee, San Pablo and Carlson, El Cerrito (72 bus, El Cerrito Plaza BART). On Wed., Feb. 6, the Berkeley Path Wanderers' first Wednesday walk starts at 10 am. On Thursday, Feb. 7, the first in a series of walks exploring Albany's natural treasures, for folks 50+, starts at 9 am. Both walks will be about two hours and will climb Albany Hill, gaining almost 300 ft. elevation. Wear sturdy walking shoes; bring water as well as walking sticks if you use them.
Volunteers return to Cerrito Creek Feb. 9: For our February work party, from 10 am to 1 pm Sat., Feb. 9, we'll plant natives and remove invasives along Cerrito Creek at Albany Hill in the huge areas we freed from blackberries. Light and heavy tasks for all ages, and a playground for the younger set! Meet at Creekside Park, south end of Santa Clara, El Cerrito (72 bus, El Cerrito Plaza BART).
Events of others:
Registration is required and attendance is limited for a more technical workshop 8:30 am - 4:45 pm Friday, Jan. 25 at Elihu M. Harris State Building, 1515 Clay Street Oakland . At this work, scientists, agency representatives, and others will discuss data gathering so far, data gaps and monitoring needs, and opportunities for restoration and mitigation of damagesTo register, go to http://www.sfei.org/CoscoWorkshopReg.html.
Only a small fraction of the thick bunker fuel was recovered. Much of it has evaporated or will harden to relatively harmless asphalt. However, tar-like patties are still washing ashore at Albany beach and in Richmond. Please report any oil you see to Baykeeper, www.baykeeper.org.
Meetings re Santa Fe Right of Way/Ohlone Greenway: Three meetings in the next week may affect the Ohlone Greenway/Santa Fe Right of Way, the popular Berkeley - Richmond pedestrian-bicycle trail that crosses many of "our" creeks.
On Tuesday, Jan. 22, the Albany City Council will consider a Parks Commission recommendation to combine its now separate pedestrian and bicycle trails. The meeting starts at 8 pm in Council chambers, 1000 San Pablo (at Buchanan).
The City El Cerrito Parks and Recreation Commission will hold a workshop on park and recreation amenities on the Ohlone Greenway Wednesday, January 23, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the City Council Chambers, 7007 Moeser Lane. Basic design (combining the separate pedestrian and bicycle trails) and landscape and ecological aspects were considered at earlier meetings.
On Mon., Jan. 28, Berkeley Council Member Linda Maio is sponsoring a meeting on lighting and safety on the North Berkeley portion of the Ohlone Greenway/Santa Fe Right of Way, from the recently built pedestrian trail at Delaware Street and the Albany border (including the recently opened fence at the Schoolhouse Creek culvert at Lincoln Street.) The meeting will be 7-8:30 pm at the Ala Costa Center, 1300 Rose St., Cedar Rose Park, Berkeley.
Local green initiatives: This newsletter gets so crowded with events that I rarely feel I have space to comment on more general "green" matters. For a delightful chatty newsletter along those lines, get on the email list for Betsy Thagard's Green Planet Econotes, Betsy_Thagard@mail.vresp.com. Betsy is a Berkeley realtor who gives a portion of her sales to local environmental organizations, so there's some self-interest here, but it really is a nice newsletter.
In another business-related initiative, the Albany-based Green Chamber of Commerce will hold an Oakland mixer Thurs., Jan. 24 and a founding conference Sat., Jan. 26, at EB MUD headquarters in Oakland. Information at http://www.greenchamberofcommerce.net/
Berkeley seeks Watershed Resources Specialist: Applications must be received by Feb. 4 for the new full-time position of City of Berkeley Watershed Resources Specialist. The position, with limited authority, is supposed to deal with watershed restoration and urban-runoff-pollution programs, including volunteering, outreach, and implementation of the city's creeks ordinance. Information at http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/hr/Jobs/CurrentRecruitments/WatershedResourcesSpecialistBrochure.pdf.
Volunteer opportunities with others:
Save the Bay is looking for businesses and other groups interested in scheduling Tues. - Fri. work parties for groups of 15 to 40, to help plant 30,000 seedlings along the Bay shore. Information on their website, www.savesfbay.org. (If you're in the Berkeley/Albany/El Cerrito/Richmond area, Friends of Five Creeks also schedules weekday work parties for groups.)
SPAWN, which seeks to protect endangered Coho salmon in Marin's Lagunitas Creek watershed, will hold streamside reforestation projects 10 am - 1 pm every Saturday starting Jan. 26, and nursery and plant-propagation workshops every Friday, 10 am - 1 pm. Contact Paola@SpawnUSA.org, 415-663-8590 x102.
Help stop aquatic invaders:
Inspect and remove plants, animals, and mud from boats, motors, and trailers.
Meetings re Nov. Cosco Busan oil spill: The public is invited to an "open house" 11 am - 1 pm Tuesday, Jan. 22, in the 1st Floor Auditorium of the Elihu M. Harris State Building, 1515 Clay Street Oakland (near 12th St. BART). State and Federal Trustee Agencies, responsible for restoring injured resources, will summarize the restoration process and seek information on damage and injury from the spill. This meeting does NOT deal with clean-up - just with long-term assessment of damages and restoration of human and natural resources. The meeting repeats 6:30 - 8:30 pm Tues., Jan. 29, in the Cascade Room of the Mill Valley Community Center.
The Union of Concerned Scientists would like help this week in its Berkeley office. They need to match supporters' signed postcards to the correct asseambly members, and type in addresses, for the California Clean Car Discount bill. This bill basically would provide discounts for purchasing clean vehicles, paid for by surcharges on high-pollution vehicles. For details on the bill go to their website, http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_california/. To volunteer, email Erin Rogers at erogers@ucsusa.org.
The bad news is that Zebra mussels have been found for the first time in California. These freshwater mollusks have crossed the country in 20 years, carried mainly by boats. They clog water pipes and boat engines, completely cover the bottom and eradicate native mussels, and transform food webs and water chemistry. Efforts to control them cost in excess of $5 billion a year. The California infestation is in San Benito County. Our best hope against these pests, as well as others such as the New Zealand Mud Snail, which can destroy habitat in trout streams, is to properly clean, dry, and treat everything that moves between waterbodies. Please, if you use the outdoors, become familiar with these pests and how to avoid spreading them:
Clean and dry everything for at least five days.
Brush dogs to remove hitchhikers.
Drain water from boats, bilges, bait containers.
Dispose of unused bait and worm in trash.
Do not take plants or animals home to aquaria, or dump or release anything from aquaria or pet stores into the wild.
After using waders or other gear in streams, wash and scrub everything with bleach or 409. Freeze it overnight; place it in very hot water for several minutes, and let it dry thoroughly.
If you are going to contact a stream known to have New Zealand Mud Snails (now found in Alameda County), use a separate set of boots or waders.
If you find New Zealand Mud Snails, Zebra mussels, or Caulerpa taxifolia, contact the Department of Fish and Game at invasives@dfg.ca.gov or 1-888-DFG-CALTIP.