Update 3-1-2007
F5C's board meets at 7 pm Monday, March 5, at Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin. All are welcome -- especially please come if you're interested in getting more involved!
For our next work party, 10 am March 24, we'll be back at Cerrito Creek at the foot of Albany Hill, where we have made fantastic progress last Saturday. Huge thanks to the more than 40 members of UC Berkeley Asian American Assn. and to the F5C folks who helped supervise. A wonderful day! Thanks, too, to the City of Albany, which has promised to truck out our big piles of blackberries and trash.
Art to Action on Berkeley Creeks, our show of photos from three sessions of making art from natural and found materials, with environmental artist Zach Pine, will remain on view for at least another couple of weeks at River of Words' Young at Art Gallery in the historic Sawtooth Building, 2547 8th Street, 13B. Usually open weekday afternoons, but call 510 548 7636 to check.
ACTIVITIES OF OTHERS
VOLUNTEERING
Friends of Alameda Creek is asking that folks watch for steelhead and salmon at the BART weir (report sightings to them at alamedacreek@hotmail.com). They also are looking for volunteers to work with San Francisco Public Utilities Commission on surveys of landlocked trout and possibly radio tracking of adult steelhead. Send your phone and email contact information, and any training or relevant affiliation, to Aaron Brinkerhoff at abrinkerhoff@sfwater.org.
Save the Bay needs volunteers March 7 and 9 to help monitor native oyster populations, with restoration as the goal. Information at www.savesfbay.org or contact Jocelyn Gretz, 510.452.9261 x109 or jgretz@savesfbay.org.
SPAWN, which works to protect endangered coho in Marin, needs volunteers March 26-7 to help take down and store a San Francisco Flower and Garden Show exhibit that includes a flowing creek with ceramic coho salmon, living willow walls along the creekbanks, rainwater catchment, a living roof , permeable paving, and native plant landscaping (sounds like it's worth visiting the show for this!). Contact them at paola@spawnusa.org or 415-488-0370x102.
FOR CREEKSIDE PROPERTY OWNERS:
FOR TEENS:
FOR TEACHERS:
Also, check out spring offerings of The Watershed Project at www.thewatershedproject.org. These include "Groceries from the Garden," including healthy, kid-friendly recipes and activities that illustrate the benefits of sustainable agriculture, Tuesday, Mar. 27, 4-6:30 pm in Hercules and Sat., Mar. 31, 10 am - 12:30 pm in Richmond.
AND FOR EVERYBODY:
The Audubon Society has a brochure listing almost 150 bird species found along the "Richmond Riviera" -- the popular Bay Trail between Point Isabel and Marina Bay (pretty good for points farther south, too). Go to http://www.pointrichmond.com/baytrail/calendar.htm. This also will tell you about interesting events along the Bay Trail in Richmond.
The City of El Cerrito will hold a workshop on its "draft final" pedestrian-bicycle-disabled persons plan, 6:30 - 8 pm Tuesday, Mar. 13, at El Cerrito Community Center, 7007 Moeser.
Planet Drum will offer a two-day "introduction to Alameda County bioregional ecology" workshop centered at Dimond Park in the Sausal Creek watershed, 10 am Saturday and Sunday, May 12-13 and May 19-20, $35-75) $75. Information at www.planetdrum.org. Register at (415) 285-6556 or mail@planetdrum.org.
Hope to see you soon!
Save the Bay needs volunteers March 7 and 9 to help monitor native oyster populations, with restoration as the goal. Information at www.savesfbay.org or contact Jocelyn Gretz, 510.452.9261 x109 or jgretz@savesfbay.org.
The Watershed Nursery (where we get many of our native plants for restoration) is offering new services designed to promote restoration of privately owned creeksides. They offer free initial consultations for creekside landowners, as well as weed removal and control, plant-species selection, planting design and installation, erosion control using plants and natural materials, and monitoring and maintenance. Contact 510 548 4717 or thewatershednursery@earthlink.net.
Earth Team, the Bay Area network for teens interested in environmental work, is accepting entries through April 30 for its annual contest of environmental art. Winners will become part of Voices and Visuals, a traveling art, photography, and poetry show. Information at http://www.earthteam.net/contests_awards/annual/visuals.html. While you're there, check out their many activities, including a cable TV show, campaign against global warming, and work days (next one March 31 at Berkeley's Aquatic Park).
A few more free field trips including some travel money are available for grades 2-6 to the Fremont Tule Ponds, next to Fremont BART. Information at
http://www.msnucleus.org/classes/fieldtyson.htm.
The Fremont Math Science Nucleus also is offering a free workshop in pond ecology, including microscope use, Sat., Apr. 21, 9:30 - 3:30. Information at http://www.msnucleus.org/classes/teacher.html.
Save the Bay and Alameda Creek Alliance will lead a tour of dam-removal sites that will restore salmon and steelhead habitat on the East Bay's largest creek, 9 am - noon Sat., Mar. 10. Register at www.savesfbay.org.
Susan Schwartz