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Goats helped reduce the fire hazard by clearing brush at the nursery last month.
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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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Act Locally for Creek to Bay Day
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Do you have that nagging feeling that you want to "do something" and be part of a bigger movement? You can on Coastal Cleanup Day (in Oakland Creek to Bay Day), a volunteer effort to remove litter from waterways and shorelines across California, the nation, and in about 100 participating countries on September 15. What's so important about the timing of this event in our Mediterranean climate is that you can pick up the litter before
it gets flushed downstream into our bay and ocean with the first rains. Check out our
event calendar
for details on the 11 work sites in our watershed, or visit the
city web page
for a full list of Oakland sites. If you are interested in being a crew leader or have a group interested in volunteering at a FOSC location, please contact Restoration and Nursery Manager Jay Cassianni at
nursery@sausalcreek.org
or (510) 325-9006. All volunteers under 18 must bring
City of Oakland and FOSC waivers
signed by their parent or guardian.
Creek to Bay Day Workday
Saturday, September 15, 2018
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Speaking of Fire Hazard...
No better time to learn more about fire and California. Join Dylan Pastor from the Stephens Lab at UC Berkeley as he discusses fire ecology and prevention.
California on Fire:
Fire Ecology and Prevention
Dimond Library
3565 Fruitvale Ave., Oakland
Wednesday, Sept. 19, 7-9 p.m.
FLYER
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Explore the Watershed
Bug of the Month - Aphids and Ladybugs
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| Milkweed Plant |
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Narrow-leaf milkweed (
Asclepias fascicularis) growing in the Pollinator Garden provides food for our monarch butterflies. The milkweed effort in the garden, started by avid native plant nursery volunteer Betsy Moses, is now in its third year. We have a couple of areas where there are flowering milkweed plants, blooming at a time of year when Northern California is dry, and few flowers are open for business.
If we look closely at the stems of the milkweed, we see another insect closely associated with it. The milkweed aphid (
Aphis nerii), also known as the oleander aphid, will suck the juices of the milkweed and eventually kill the plant.
Aphids are big agricultural pests. Many websites on aphids are concerned with eliminating them, using whatever pesticide the site is pushing. As you can see from the photo of a milkweed stem, they do not mess around when they infest. These pests can reproduce parthenogenically--no males involved. So their numbers can ramp up
fast. You come out one morning to look at your pretty milkweed plants, with dreams of monarch butterflies flitting about, and the darn aphids have sucked the sweet juices out of your poor plants. If it seems to happen overnight, it sort of does.
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Aphids on Milkweed Stem |
What's a native gardener to do? Spray a pesticide? No. How about neutral oil? Time-consuming, expensive, messy, and you have to repeat the treatment every 7-10 days. What about a natural remedy?
Enter the ladybug!
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Construction to Finish Early in Dimond Canyon. And How 'Bout that Alder!
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D-line foreman Matt helping to transport the alder |
Construction on the Dimond Canyon
Erosion Control Project commenced
in early July to address stormwater runoff issues from Park Boulevard and Oakmore R
oad.
The work will slow winter rain runoff, stabilize slopes, reduce erosion, and enhance habitat for the Sausal Creek's native rainbow trout. While construction was
expected to take three to four months, D-Line Constructors are already in the final throes of the project.
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The planted alder at Project Site 1
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Meanwhile, the FOSC Native Plant Nursery had been growing an alder tree to plant at one of the three project sites when complete. Since the project was delayed over the last few years, the alder grew a bit larger than expected ... to 30 feet! D-Line transported the tree to Project Site 1, where it is settling in well to its new home.
FOSC volunteers will replant the sites with more natives this fall and winter after the first rains. Stay tuned for volunteer opportunities on our
Event Calendar
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FOSC Friend of the Month: Dee Rosario
Dee Rosario has been a Friend of Sausal Creek and other East Bay watersheds for a very long time. He worked for the East Bay Regional Parks District for 37 years, serving as park ranger, park superintendent, and fire lieutenant. When he retired in 2013, he joined the FOSC board of directors and started the Trail Maintenance Crew, which meets the last Sunday of every month and focuses on trails in Dimond Canyon and into Joaquin Miller Park.
In 2016 he ran successfully for a seat on the East Bay Regional Park District board and had to give up his position with FOSC but has continued to stay involved through his leadership of the Trail Maintenance Crew. Dee has also served on the Diablo Fire Safe Council and Oakland Fire Safe Council and chaired the Alameda County Parks, Recreation & Historical Commission.
Thank you Dee for your unflagging dedication to FOSC, the watershed, and the region.
Come join Dee and the rest of the crew to restore trails in Dimond Park on Sunday, September 30 at 10 a.m. at the Monterey Blvd. trailhead, and check out our
Event Calendar for more upcoming events.
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Mason and helpers with Restoration and Nursery Manager Jay and completed shed |
Hats off to Mason Roesch for completing construction of our new, clean-pot storage shed at the end of July. He was able to raise all of the funds for his Eagle Scout project and recruit a team of helpers to build this magnificent shed. The storage rack that the nursery had been using was unstable and open to the elements, so it did not keep the pots clean for seeding and transplanting. We are excited to have this much improved storage facility that will mean less rewashing and more efficient planting.
Thank you, Mason for your hard work!
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| Casey and his team refinishing benches |
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Eagle Scout Casey Thorne and his team rebuilt a broken retaining wall in the nursery shade house and worked to scrape, refinish, and repair 25 plant benches at the beginning of August. Casey also raised all the funds for the project.This refinishing was necessary not only to increase the longevity of the wooden benches but also to improve our best management practices, as finishing makes the surfaces less porous and helps prevent phytophthera infection. The resurfaced benches have given the nursery a beautiful new look.
Thank you, Casey, for your contribution to our nursery and restoration efforts!
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Register for the Alameda County Watershed Confluence
The Alameda County Watershed Confluence is a county-wide conference designed to provide a forum for local groups, community members and representatives from the public and private sectors interested in creek and watershed health to meet, network, share innovative ideas and inspire new partnerships in watershed management in Alameda County. FOSC Board Member Jeff Stephens in partnership with Kristine Hathaway will speak on the FOSC/City of Oakland partnership, and FOSC Board Member Mark Rauzon will present findings from bird monitoring in the Sausal Creek Watershed.
Thursday, October 17 (registration deadline is October 1)
Oakland Scottish Rite Center
9 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
Networking event to follow from 4:30-6:30pm
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As we head into field trip and planting season, and as we work to implement our Walkable Watershed vision, our small staff needs help. Please circulate our
FALL 2018 STEWARDSHIP AND EDUCATION INTERN job announcement to your network of contacts.
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Event Calendar
CREEK TO BAY DAY
Sat., Sept. 15, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Barry Place
Beaconsfield Canyon
Dimond Ave. at Bienati Way
Dimond Park and Canyon
FOSC Native Plant Nursery
Fruitvale Bridge Park
Jingletown
Josie de la Cruz Park
Marj Saunders Park
Montclair Railroad Trail
Wood Park (10 a.m. start time)
RESTORATION WORKDAYS
Bridgeview Trail
(2nd Sundays)
Sun., Oct. 14, 9-11 a.m.
Bridgeview Trailhead Pollinator Garden
(1st and 3rd Sundays)
Sun., Sept. 16 & Oct. 7, 9-11 a.m.
Dimond Park Native Plant Demonstration Garden
(1st Saturdays)
Sat., Oct. 6, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Marj Saunders Park
(1st Mondays)
Mon., Oct. 1, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
TRAIL CREW
(Last Sundays)
Sun., Sept. 30, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
NURSERY WORKDAYS
FOSC Native Plant Nursery
Joaquin Miller Park
(2nd and 4th Saturdays)
Sat., Sept. 22, 1:30-4:30 p.m.
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Chabot Space and Science Center
Sat., Oct. 13, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
MEMBER MEETING
Dimond Library
Wed., Sept. 19, 7-8:30 p.m.
Dylan Pastor, California on Fire: Fire Ecology and Prevention
Save the Date
NATIVE PLANT SALE
FOSC Native Plant Nursery
Sat., Oct. 21, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Save the Date
ALAMEDA COUNTY WATERSHED CONFLUENCE
The Oakland Scottish Rite Center
Weds., Oct. 17, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
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| Thank you to Stephanie Law for donating her douglas iris illustration for our plant sale flyer! |
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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:
Nicki Alexander
Education and Outreach Coordinator
510-853-3533
Anna Marie Schmidt
Executive Director
510-501-3672
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Photo Credits: May Chen, Jay Cassianni, Kathleen Harris, Jeff Stephens, Nicki Alexander
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