N O V E M B E R   2 0 1 6
"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples."
--Attributed to Mother Teresa 

FOSC is a volunteer-based, community organization. Your donations go directly to support our projects and programs in the Sausal Creek Watershed. 
Our Life Sustaining Bay


Stunning photographs, expert commentary--don't miss Bob Lewis's presentation on the importance of San Francisco Bay to shorebirds, waterfowl, and a variety of other avian species. An avid birder and photographer, Bob has been teaching birding classes for 22 years, and he has seen 4,700 of the world's 10,000 bird species.

Birds of the Bay
Dimond Branch Library
3565 Fruitvale Ave., Oakland
Wednesday, November 16, 7 p.m.

FLYER 
The Buzz About Our Plant Sale
 
What a lovely day! Thank you to the record-breaking 309 visitors who purchased $7,700 in plants and added another record-breaking $1,000 in donations (toward our For the Future Fund endowment). The pollinator theme was a big hit as folks walked away with loads of pollinator-friendly plants and bee boxes they'd constructed for their yards.

This glorious day was supported by artist Stephanie Law, who let us use her pink-flowering currant illustration; May Woo, who stepped up to lay out our flyer; Ratcliffe Architects, who donated printing of our large signs; and those local businesses that fueled our volunteers--La Farine Bakery-Dimond, Peet's Coffee & Tea-Montclair, Trader Joe's-Rockridge, and Noah's Bagels-Montclair. We are extremely grateful to EBMUD, which sponsored the sale, for funding the many hours of staff
time that such an event requires. Thanks to EBMUD's support, we were also able to make new, more durable, aluminum plant signs for the nursery demonstration garden so that plant sale customers and park visitors can learn about native, drought resistant beauties year-round. We laud the friendly folks from Alameda County Master Gardeners, Pollinate Farm & Garden, and UC Berkeley Urban Bee Lab who, along with EBMUD's Water Conservation Division, spread good cheer and valuable information all day long. And it would not have been a FOSC plant sale without the tuneful sounds of the Harlan James Bluegrass Band and the face-painting skills of Corona and Sequoia McAfee. We cannot name each volunteer who had a hand in growing all the plants we sold, but suffice to say, your hard work paid off. A very special thank you to the knowledgeable volunteers who worked the "sales floor" and the bee-box building station.
Friend of the Month:
Karen Paulsell  
 
In the afterglow of the plant sale and nursery open house, it's time to again extol the virtues of Karen Paulsell. Each year Karen drafts the verbiage and locates the pictures for our very fine signs that guide customers through our plants. This time a big plant sign project was added to Karen's plate--creating digital files so that we could print aluminum signs for all the species along the nursery fence prior to the big sale day. It was Karen who drafted the original signs in 2009 when FOSC had an  EBMUD WaterSmart Garden Grant to create the nursery's demonstration garden, and she's been re-printing and laminating replacement signs ever since. It was no small feat to create additional signs for new plantings. As noted here and elsewhere in the past, Karen wears so many other hats, we don't have room to name them all. But as FOSC's 20th anniversary year draws to a close, it is most fitting to highlight this incredible friend of many years.
Explore the Watershed
 
Challenge: Shoot the Lady Beetle 
 
Common name:
Convergent lady beetle

Scientific name:
Hippodamia convergens

It's one of those natural phenomena that scientists cannot completely explain: Each year from around November to February you can see clusters of hibernating ladybugs in Joaquin Miller Park, as well as in nearby Redwood Regional Park. The theory is that the scarcity of food, shorter days, and lower temperatures trigger their migratory behavior. Aggregating together likely protects them from predation, and with the extra warmth and company they are more likely to mate. Although these ladybugs have never been to these locations before, pheromones left by previous ladybugs draw them to these cool and moist hideouts where they can survive until it warms up.

Here's our challenge: Go for a hike this late fall or winter, find a cluster of lady beetles, take a picture, and email it to coordinator@sausalcreek.org. We'll post them to FOSC's Facebook page.
Congratulations to Dee Rosario!  
 
A hearty congratulations to FOSC Board Member Dee Rosario who won the Ward 2 seat for the East Bay Regional Park District Board. Dee worked for the East Bay Regional Park District for 37 years and spent the last 17 years as park supervisor for Redwood Regional Park. Last year Dee instigated FOSC's monthly trail stewardship crew--a boon to keeping Dimond Canyon and Joaquin Miller Park trails in tip-top shape.  We know he will serve our community and environment with wisdom, aptitude, and grace.
A Banner Month for Eagle Scout Projects

For several years, FOSC Nursery Manager Michelle Krieg has supported a continuous flow of Eagle Scout projects, but this past month marked a zenith with the completion of no less than three. We are tremendously grateful for the efforts of these young men: Isaac Tran, who coordinated 12 volunteers in building stairs for a hillside trail to the demonstration garden inside our nursery fence; Sam Watters, who led a team of 13 in constructing four benches to hold ferns and other tall plants in the nursery shade house; and Spencer Steidtmann, who constructed and installed five trail map boxes--a stellar new design that should keep the maps dry and features a front window for displaying a flyer. In addition to design and construction, the scouts had to raise the money to buy the materials for their projects. Kudos!

 
Event Calendar

RESTORATION WORKDAYS
   
Beaconsfield Canyon 
(last Saturdays)
Sat., Nov. 26, 9 a.m.-noon
 
Bridgeview Trail (2nd Sundays)
Sun., Nov. 13, 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Bridgeview Trailhead Pollinator Garden
(1st and 3rd Sundays)
Sun., Nov. 20, 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Chabot Space and Science Center
Pallid Manzanita Habitat Enhancement

(2nd Saturdays)
Sat., Nov. 12, 9 a.m.-noon
Rain may cancel. Check calendar for updates.

Dimond Park
(3rd Saturdays)
Sat., Nov. 19, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Marj Saunders Park
(1st Mondays)
Mon., Dec. 5, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Montclair Railroad Trail
(3rd Saturdays)
Sat., Nov. 19, 9-11 a.m.

WD Wood Park
(3rd Saturdays)
Sat., Nov. 19, 10 a.m.-noon 
TRAIL CREW
Dimond Canyon 
(last Sundays, locations vary) 
Sun., Nov. 27, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

IN-THE-CREEK CLEANUP 
Sun., Dec. 4, 10 a.m.-noon

NURSERY WORKDAYS
FOSC Native Plant Nursery
Joaquin Miller Park
Sat., Nov. 12 & 26 , 1:30-4:30 p.m.

MEMBER MEETING
Dimond Library
Wed., Nov. 16, 7 p.m.
Bob Lewis, Birds of the Bay
FLYER



 
 
Get Involved
Our mission is to restore, maintain, and protect the local ecosystem, educate future generations of environmental stewards, involve the community in local environmental stewardship, and collaborate with agencies and other nonprofits to have a positive impact on the environment.  

FOSC needs your support -- 
 
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Contact:
Michelle Krieg
Restoration & Nursery Manager
510-325-9006 

Aubree McAtee
Outreach & Education Coordinator
510-853-3533
Kimra McAfee
Executive Director
510-501-3672 
Photo Credits: Andrew Aldrich, Chris Boswell, Max Bouvatte, Tom Coroneos, James DiPalma, Michelle Krieg, Rob Leidy, Bob Lewis, Spencer Steidtmann 
Friends of Sausal Creek   www.sausalcreek.org
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