Update 1-24-2007
THANKS
HELP F5C RESTORE CERRITO CREEK SATURDAY, JAN. 27
TALK ON ESTUARIES MONDAY, FEB. 5
OTHER WATERSHED EVENTS:
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FAIR SATURDAY
SYMPOISUM ON WATER LAW SATURDAY
TALK ON RESTORING EAST BAY STEELHEAD MONDAY
GARDEN TOUR REGISTRATION OPEN, VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Alameda County StopWaste's fourth annual Bay-Friendly Garden Tour, showcasing natural gardening techniques that minimize pollution, will be 10 am to 4 pm Sun., Apr. 29. More than 40 gardens, from backyard orchard to front lawns replaced by vibrant perennials will be open, including walkable and bikeable clusters and opportunities to buy native and Mediterranean plants. Register at www.bayfriendly.org. Volunteers are needed for the tour day - contact lgrodeska@stopwaste.org or 510-614-1699.
The 2007 Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, with 60 Alameda and Contra Costa County gardens that feature native plants and are pesticide-free and water-conserving, will be 10 am to 5 pm Sunday, May 6. This year, the event includes a Saturday and Sunday Native Plant Sale Extravaganza at native plant nurseries, some not normally open to the public. Group tours of select gardens, led by gardening experts, also will be offered Saturdays, Apr. 28 and May 5 for $30 per person. Information and registration (for both free and guided tours) at www.bringingbackthenatives.net. The website offers a way to plan carpools, and lets you sign up to volunteer. Volunteers can visit tour gardens through garden soirees held throughout the year. Information at Kathy @kathykrmaerconsulting.net or (510) 236-9558, 9 am to 9 pm.
Thanks for the wonderful outpouring of emails concerning the herbicide destruction on Cerrito Creek at Pacific East Mall. Please keep the email to Joe Light coming -- see our last email for details. Lynn Scarpa of the City of Richmond will brief us on progress toward remediation at our regular meeting Monday, Feb. 5 - see below. To keep us from getting too discouraged, our other sites are flourishing. Special thanks, too, to Ivan Sturman for copies of Stephanie Analocy's wonderful DVD showing our Cerrito Creek restorations.
Please join us at 10 am this Saturday, Jan. 27, as we continue replacing evergreen thornless blackberries with varied natives at the foot of Albany Hill opposite Creekside Park, in Albany and El Cerrito (upstream from Pacific East Mall). As usual, wear shoes with good traction and dress in layers. Take San Pablo Avenue or I-880 to Central in El Cerrito. From San Pablo go west and from I-880 go east to Santa Clara Street. Turn south on Santa Clara, toward Albany Hill, and follow the street to its end at Creekside Park, where you'll see us. It's a short walk from El Cerrito Plaza BART or the 72 bus on San Pablo (get off at San Pablo & Carlson, walk west).
Friends of Five Creeks' meets at 7 pm Monday, Feb. 5, at Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin. I will be the speaker, giving a slide tour and talk on US estuaries outside California, "Restoring America's Estuaries: Winning Battles But..." In addition, Lynn Scarpa of the City of Richmond will brief us on Richmond's efforts to get remediation for the herbicide-blasted vegetation at our restoration site along Cerrito Creek at Pacific East Mall.
The 30th annual Bay Area Environmental Education Resource Fair will offer displays and workshops for teachers, community educators, and others, 10 am - 4:30 pm Sat., Jan. 27, at Marin Civic Center, San Rafael. Information at 510 657 4847 or www.baeerfair.org.
The third annual Water Law Symposium, organized by law students from Boalt, Hastings, and USF, will be held at UC Berkeley Sat., Jan. 27. Find information and register by Jan. 25 at www.waterlawsymposium.com.
Andy Gunther, executive director for the Center for Ecosystem Management and Restoration (CEMAR) speaks on "Steelhead in Alameda County?" -- what it will take to restore steelhead to streams in the Bay Area 7:30 pm Monday, Feb. 5. The talk, part of the Close to Home series of talks, will be at Montclair Presbyterian Church, 5701Thornhill Rd., Oakland (from Thornhill exit on Highway 13, go east ½ mile) Information at www.. Information at 510-655-6658 or spring5@mindspring.com.
The East Bay's two big free environmental garden tours are open for registration.