F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0
Dennis Evanosky leading a historical walk along the estuary for the California King Tides on January 11.
FOSC is a volunteer-based, community organization. We need donors like you to support FOSC education and restoration programs in the Sausal Creek Watershed. 
Check out  the various ways you can support FOSC, including contributions to our  For the Future  endowment fund.
Volunteer Opportunity
Quarterly In-The-Creek Clean Up
Join FOSC board members Rob Leidy and Ricky Jacobs for our quarterly in-the-creek cleanup. Meet at the Scout Hut at 9:30 a.m.

We will grab supplies and then walk to the El Centro Trailhead and head upstream. Boots will be provided but please wear comfortable shoes that you don't mind getting soaked and muddied along with long pants.

Minors need waivers signed by their parent or guardian.

For groups of 6 or more RSVP to education@sausalcreek.org .
In-the-Creek Clean Up
Saturday, February 8
9:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
Dimond Park , Scout hut

Citizen Science
Water Quality Monitoring
Our water quality monitoring team collects samples from eight locations  for five consecutive weeks during the wet season and the dry season. Samples are analyzed at the US Environmental Protection Agency's lab in Richmond.

The wet season sampling will begin on Tuesday, February 18. Following this Tuesday sampling, water sampling will then take place every Monday, morning from February 24 through March 16th. No experience is necessary, just a willingness to learn and participate.

We start at 8:30 a.m., and are usually finished before 11:00 a.m. This is a rain-or-shine activity and some of the creek entries are steep, so please have good boots and clothes that you can get dirty.

Water Quality Monitoring
Tuesday, February 18
8:30 a.m. -11:00 a.m.
3401 Fruitvale Ave, Oakland
(Meet at Peet's Coffee in Dimond)

For more information, contact Becca Sanchez at education@sausalcreek.org
Citizen Science
Intro to iNaturalist Workshop
Join Friends of Sausal Creek for a hands-on training in how to use iNaturalist to observe and identify the natural world. iNaturalist is a FREE app/website to record observations!

No experience necessary, and all experience levels are welcome.

This workshop is designed to prepare you to participate in many of the Bay Area bioblitz events happening this spring.

This training will focus on Benthic Macroinvertebrates from Sausal Creek. Together we will practice recording our observations in iNaturalist and identifying organisms found throughout the watershed.

Please bring a tablet, smartphone, or digital camera, if you can.
Intro to iNaturalist
Sunday, March 22
10 a.m.-12 p.m. (lunchtime social hour following workshop)
Dimond Park
You must RSVP HERE or via email to attend,
To RSVP or for questions, contact education@sausalcreek.org

Explore the Watershed
Turkey Tail on the Trail
The rainy season is well upon us, and with it comes the return of the many fungal species throughout the watershed.

Fungi and humans have a long and storied relationship. Humans use fungi (both cultivated and wild) for food, medicine, pest control, and natural dyes. Fungi can also be harmful, causing diseases to humans, crops, and forests and damage to structures.
 
Fungi are an incredibly diverse kingdom of life that is all around us and that we share more in common with than we do plants. They come in many forms but all have eukaryotic cells and are heterotrophs, which means that they acquire their energy from the digestion of molecules--unlike plants, which use photosynthesis. Like us, fungi use cellular respiration to extract energy from their nutrients, and because of that they require oxygen to live and release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. 
Photo credit: Bernard Spragg
Kudos Korner
Jingletown Storm Drain Murals
Big kudos go to all those who volunteered along the watershed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. FOSC volunteers worked on five Adopt-A-Spot sites throughout the watershed, removing invasive plants and picking up litter.

We were especially amazed by Jingletown artist, Jill McLennan and her work creating a new storm drain mural next to the Jingletown Native Plant Garden. Jill created this colorful mural along Peterson with the help of volunteers.

This mural serves as a great reminder of the importance of storm drains in the watershed and the need to draw public attention to these important creek access point. Great work Jill!
FOSC Friend of the Month
Dennis Evanosky
Dennis Evanosky lives in the Laurel District and publishes the Alameda Sun newspaper with Eric J. Kos, with whom he has also written and published five books about Oakland and Alameda history. One of their books covers the San Antonio Redwoods, Oakland’s Dimond District and the history surrounding the Peralta family’s settlement between Sausal and Peralta creeks.

He has been a docent at Mountain View Cemetery and at the Pardee Home Museum for 23 years.  

In addition to other walking tours he leads in Oakland and Alameda, Dennis leads two tours each year for the Friends of Sausal Creek. One explores the history of Jingletown, Sausal Creek’s ties to the King Tides, and the history of the area where the creek flows into the Oakland Estuary.

Dennis is serving as a member of the San Francisco History Days Host Committee for the third year. He is also busy with a documentary and book about the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the transcontinental railroad in Alameda and Oakland in 1869.

Thank you, Dennis, for sharing your knowledge with Friends of Sausal Creek!
If you would like to nominate a Friend of the Month, contact Becca Sanchez at education@sausalcreek.org.
Event Calendar
RESTORATION WORKDAYS
Beaconsfield Canyon  
(Last Saturdays)
Sat., Feb. 29, 9 a.m.-noon

Bridgeview Trail Restoration
(2nd Sundays)
Sun., Feb. 9, 9-11 a.m.

Bridgeview Trailhead Pollinator Garden
(1st and 3rd Sundays)
Sun., Feb. 2 & 16, 9-11 a.m.
 
Dimond Park Native Plant Demonstration Garden
(1st Saturdays)
Sat., Mar. 7, 10 a.m.-noon
 
Marj Saunders Park
(1st Mondays)
Mon., Mar. 2, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Montclair Railroad Trail 
(3rd Saturdays)
Sat., Feb. 15, 9 a.m.- noon

Wood Park 
(3rd Saturdays)
Sat., Feb. 15, 10 a.m.-noon

Watershed Work Day
Barry Place - Varies Monthly
(2nd Saturdays)
Sat., Feb. 8, 9 a.m.-noon

SAVE THE DATE

IN-THE-CREEK CLEAN UP
Scout Hut Dimond Park
Sat., Feb. 8, 9:30 a.m.-noon

COMMUNITY TALK: PARK RX
Dimond Library Branch
Wed., Mar. 25, 7-8:30 p.m.

INTRO TO iNATURALIST
Dimond Park
Sun., March 22, 7:30-9 p.m.

DIA COMMUNITY MTG: WILDFIRE PREVENTION & PROTECTION
Dimond Library Branch
Tues., Feb. 4, 7-8:30 p.m.
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. 
FOSC needs your support --  
 
Amazon Smile purchases donate 0.5% to FOSC --
 
Connect with us:
Contact:
Becca Sanchez
Education and Outreach Coordinator
510-853-3533

Jay Cassianni
Restoration and Nursery Manager
510-325-9006
 
Anna Marie Schmidt
Executive Director
510-501-3672 
Photo Credits : Jeff Stephens, Ricky Jacobs, Jackie Van Der Hout,Bernard Spragg, Becca Sanchez, Dennis Evanosky