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buildOn volunteers looking mighty pleased with the 22 heaping bags of cape ivy they removed
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FOSC is a volunteer-based, community organization. Your donations go directly to support our projects and programs in the Sausal Creek Watershed. Check out the multiple ways to support FOSC, including contributions to our For the Future endowment fund!
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I have considered myself to be a mom first and FOSC's executive director second. The flexibility of my position that allowed me to be a work-at-home mom is part of what made this my dream job. Juggling those roles, however, has still been hard at times. My 18-year-old daughter Corona recently said, "Be careful that you don't let a new job consume your life." Later, my younger daughter Sequoia implored, "Mom, I'm only going to be home for two more years. And I'm worried about you as an empty nester. In Nevada, I want you to make friends, the kind you have coffee with." Since she's mostly seen me hunkering down at the computer, she doesn't realize how socially fulfilling the work has been. Being able to work with a devoted board of directors, dedicated staff, incredible volunteers, and supportive government and agency contacts has been a blessing I won't soon forget.
Yes, it's true, I am moving to the Carson Valley, Nevada this summer. Scott and I are seeking wider spaces and darker skies. (Scott is an amateur astronomer.)
As word has trickled out, I have started to get the sweetest messages from FOSCers. Verklempt. See, Sequoia, your mom really does have friends. Hundreds of them.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for employing me to lead our watershed work the past nine years. You have my word that I will do all I can to make the staff transitions smooth and ensure that FOSC keeps expanding into the watershed-wide reach we've been envisioning. If you know anyone who might be eager to wear an array of awesome hats as executive director, please send them our way.
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Executive Director Job Announcement
If you know someone with program management experience, administrative and grant writing skills, and a passion for the local environment, please pass on this job announcement. Thank you!
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Fascinated and endeared by hummingbirds? Learn about the traits they have adapted and enjoy hummer photos at this presentation by Naturalist Leanne Grossman.
Hummers Delight: A Brief Look at the Lifestyle of the World's Smallest Birds
Dimond Library
3565 Fruitvale Ave., Oakland
Wednesday, March 21, 7-9 p.m.
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Explore the Watershed
Hit the Trails, It's Time for Trillium!
Scientific name:
Trillium chloropetalum and Trillium ovatum
Common name:
Giant wakerobin and Western trillium
It's time to head for the hills, folks, put on your boots and go looking for the earliest signs of spring. As usual, the California poppies seem to be leading the pack, but we've also got pink flowering currants in bloom, and the buttercups are starting up too.
And it's trillium time. It's the plant of threes: three leaves, three petals, three sepals, three styles, three chambers in the fruit; I guess the six stamens kinda spoil the count. The Sausal Creek Watershed is lucky to have two kinds of trillium, the giant wakerobin, Trillium chloropetalum, just starting to bloom in late February, and the western trillium, Trillium ovatum, just coming up. Both of these trilliums are understory plants. In our watershed, they've been found under redwoods, oaks, and (gasp) a stand of nonnative elms.
ARTICLE
Note to trillium searchers: Please stay off the fragile hillside sites, keep a sharp eye out to avoid stepping on the immature leaves, and enjoy the beauty. But don't pick or dig!
Visit
California Native Plant Exchange to find nurseries that sell specific species of natives.
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Please join us in welcoming Erin Patch to the FOSC board of directors. We started working with Erin at the beginning of the community conversations that led to the Walkable Watershed Concept Plan. As chief operating officer for The Unity Council, Erin's presence on our board will help us continue building relationships and starting new projects in Fruitvale.
Also at our February board meeting, the board approved our first board member emeritus--Harry Schrauth. Harry was instrumental in the start of FOSC as the assistant director of Oakland Public Works. After retirement, he graciously joined our board, serving as a liaison with city staff. (You can't walk through city offices with Harry without him being recognized--he is a much-loved legend). As an emeritus, you will still find Harry at board meetings, working sign-in at big workdays, and doing behind the scenes Herculian tasks like printing and assembling appeal letter packets. Thank you, Harry, for defining another FOSC pathway.
Virtually meet Erin and the rest of our board members on our board of directors web page.
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FOSC, the Web of Life, and Sara Caldwell
A grassroots organization like FOSC is frequently compared to a spider web--every part of the web is connected to every other part, making the web both complex and powerful. Take Sara Field Caldwell, for instance. Ms. Caldwell learned about FOSC through a posting at the Dimond Library in 2010. She donated a small amount to support FOSC and kept abreast of its activities through the newsletter, often from a paper copy that Kimra mailed. As a kid, Sara enjoyed her time hiking in the hills near Los Gatos with grandparents. She spent her working years in New York and moved back to the Bay Area after retirement. She was an ardent conservationist and always enjoyed spending time in nature. Upon Sara's death in December 2017, her family reached out to let us know that they were directing any memorial donations on her behalf to FOSC, as she frequently talked about our good work. Thank you Sara Caldwell for remembering us and helping us build an even stronger organization.
For questions about legacy gift opportunities with FOSC, please contact us at [email protected] or (510) 501-3672.
--Jeff Stephens
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Seeking YouTube Aficionados
FOSC is looking for a few amateur videographers to help capture the enthusiasm of our volunteers. Videos are anticipated to be 15-30 seconds and shot with mobile phones or similar equipment. Story boarding and post production experience welcome. We'll be using the videos in promotional materials and on our website. Send inquiries to Board Member Jeff Stephens.
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In February Oakland Trails partnered with the FOSC Trail Crew to install a beautiful new causeway along a particularly muddy part of the Dimond Canyon Trail. The drainage issues began after a large bay tree slid down the canyonside during last year's storms. This forced trail volunteers to move the trail around the tree into some impermeable soils that get mucky with the least bit of rain. Thank you, Oakland Trails, for providing the materials and getting the approvals that made this project possible. Check out their blog post for more details about the construction.
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Amazon Shoppers: Triple Your Impact
For those already shopping at Amazon, Amazon is tripling the donation rate on your first smile.amazon.com purchase--through March 31. Go to
smile.amazon.com/ch/91-2147216 to make a donation to Friends of Sausal Creek through your Amazon purchase.
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Event Calendar
RESTORATION WORKDAYS
Beaconsfield Canyon
(last Saturdays)
Sat., March 31, 9 a.m.-noon
Bridgeview Trail
(2nd Sundays)
Sun., April 8, 9-11 a.m.
Bridgeview Trailhead Pollinator Garden
(1st & 3rd Sundays)
Sun., March 18 & April 1, 9-11 a.m.
Dimond Park and Canyon
(3rd Saturdays)
Sat., March 17, 9 a.m.-noon
Dimond Park Native Plant Demonstration Garden
(1st Saturdays)
Sat., April 7, 10 a.m.-noon
Marj Saunders Park
(1st Mondays)
Mon., April 2, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Montclair Railroad Trail
(3rd Saturdays)
Sat., March 17, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Note: Long workday for special broom pull
FLYER
Wood Park
(3rd Saturdays)
Sat., March 17, 10 a.m.-noon
TRAIL CREW
Joaquin Miller Court
(last Sundays)
Sun., March 25, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
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NURSERY WORKDAYS
FOSC Native Plant Nursery
Joaquin Miller Park
(2nd and 4th Saturdays)
Sat., March 24 & April 14, 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Dimond Library
Wed., March 21, 7-9 p.m.
Leanne Grossman,
Hummers Delight: A Brief Look at the Lifestyle of the World's Smallest Birds
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Wed. April 11, 7-9 p.m.
Ribes menziesii flowers beginning to bloom
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Get Involved
Our mission is to restore, maintain, and protect the Sausal Creek Watershed. We educate future generations, involve the community in local environmental stewardship, and collaborate with agencies and other nonprofits to have a positive impact on the local ecosystem.
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FOSC needs your support --
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Contact:
Kimra McAfee
Executive Director
510-501-3672
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Photo Credits: Andrew Aldrich, Stan Dodson, Leanne Grossman, Karen Paulsell, Erin Todd
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