Construction commenced in early July to address stormwater runoff issues from Park Boulevard and Oakmore Road. Runoff has been cutting into the slopes below neighboring homes, creating gullies and filling the creek with sediment. The work  focuses on three storm drain outlets that flow into Sausal Creek in Dimond Canyon above El Centro Avenue. The work will slow winter rain runoff, stabilize slopes, reduce erosion, and enhance habitat for the creek's native rainbow trout. While construction was expected to take 3-4 months, P roject Sites 1 and 3 are complete, and D-Line Constructors expect to finish Project Site 2 by mid-August 2018! This project was designed and funded in partnership with the City of Oakland and Prop 84.

Replanting by FOSC will follow construction in fall 2018 and winter 2018-2019. Stay tuned for volunteer opportunities on our Event Calendar.

Our water quality testing team is also in need of committed volunteers. Please read more about volunteering here, and contact  Kathleen Harris for more information and to get involved! 

Pallid manzanita seedling

Arctostaphylus pallida, commonly known as the pallid manzanita, is a species of plant which only grows in the hills east of the San Francisco Bay, including within the Sausal Creek watershed. The number of living Pallids populations and individuals is small, and they were listed as endangered under the California Endangered Species Act in November 1979 and threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act in 1998. This decrease in population is due to their limited range and the disturbances within this range, largely the loss of fire within their habitat, which they rely on for seed germination and access to sunlight. 

The Sausal Creek Watershed is home to a few of the known populations and FOSC regularly organizes restoration days to keep competing weedy plants away from the pallids. We also monitor sites to record new seedlings as well as assess known seedlings growth progress. Last month, several previously unrecorded seedlings were discovered during a weeding and monitoring work day, giving us hope for a new generation in the watershed! 

Come learn about our local pallid manzanitas and help us protect them at our August 11 workday at the Chabot Space and Science Center, and stay tuned for more opportunities on our  Event Calendar.

	East Lake PM Crew Members Remove Wild Radish

FOSC had the pleasure of working with three of the 10 Team Oakland crews one day each week--that's 30 teens and young adults. Our role was to provide a special project--something other than picking up litter. The teams cleared french broom at Dimond Park, pulled weeds and spread mulch at Bienati Place, seeded and transplanted grasses at the nursery, helped prepare for fall plantings at the Jingletown Native Plant Garden, and more! 

Team Oakland is a summer job training and life skills program sponsored by Oakland Public Works and facilitated by Youth Employment Partnership. With FOSC assistance, the Team Oakland crews learned to identify plants, use a variety of tools, prune for aesthetics, transplant, sow seed, and test water quality. We had animated discussions on biodiversity, restoration, urban runoff, native plants, wildlife, and, of course, the unifying theme of watersheds. The three teams pulled hundreds of bags of invasive plants during their work at our restoration sites this summer.

The East Lake AM Team

Team Oakland crew members and leaders--THANK YOU for all of your hard work. We truly appreciate what you did for our watershed, and all of Oakland, this summer of 2018.

As we head into field trip and planting season, and as we work to expand 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!