November 2025 Watershed News | | |
Our winter solstice planting dates are coming up! Winter is the perfect time to plant—most plants are dormant, so there’s less risk of transplant shock and water loss. Plus, with the rains on our side, new plants get established with less extra watering.
Photo by Kate Berlin
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Friends of Sausal Creek is a volunteer-based, community organization. We appreciate your support of our education, monitoring, and restoration programs in the
Sausal Creek Watershed.
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Upcoming Events
Winter Solstice Planting Days
Multiple Dates and Watershed Sites
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As the year draws to a close, we are preparing to outplant over 4000 native seedlings into the Sausal Creek Watershed, all grown from local seeds and cuttings harvested by nursery staff and volunteers. We start planting in early December — aligning with the Winter Solstice — so the plants have the full rainy season to get established. We invite you to lend a hand at any of these sites:
Sunday, November 30 & December 7:
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Bridgeview Trailhead, - 9 - 11 a.m.
Saturday, December 6:
- Dimond Park/Dimond Canyon - 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
- Fern Ravine - 1 - 4 p.m.
Saturday, December 13:
- Wood Park - 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
- Barry Place - 1 - 4 p.m.
Wednesday, December 17:
- FOSC Native Plant Nursery - 1 - 4 p.m.
Saturday, December 20:
- Austin Square - 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Saturday, January 31st
- Beaconsfield Canyon - 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
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Friend of the Month
Jorge Gomez-Gonzalez
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Left: Jorge and Megan Hess Lilla, FOSC's former Restoration and Nursery Manager, 2012
Right: Dimond Canyon, 2025
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Meet Jorge Gomez-Gonzales, a longtime steward of Dimond Canyon whose connection to Sausal Creek began in childhood and later grew into an internship with FOSC and buildOn crew leader role as a high school student. Having returned to the canyon a decade later, Jorge shared with us about these experiences, his relationship to conservation, and how he is connecting to this space these days.
FOSC: What drew you back to Dimond Park and Dimond Canyon, and how did it feel to re-engage with this space?
Jorge: I moved back to Oakland two years ago after being away for almost ten years. I went on a solo hike to Dimond Park—I grabbed my Hasselblad and did the hike. I saw the old site I’d worked on with the help of friends and buildOn. Through the lens of my camera, I saw a familiar world, but I was 10 years older. And the creek made me feel like a kid again. How magical! I needed to feel the love of Sausal Creek again after a rough 10 years away.
FOSC: What inspired you to start the BIPOC Conservation Club, and what is your vision for the club?
Jorge: I started the BIPOC Conservation Club to invite the community to experience what I felt reconnecting to the creek, to feel the magic and the love. I have brought cousins that also grew up running through the creek and new friends.
The club is also here to expand on those much-needed conversations about racism and misogyny within the world of conservation and ecology. My hope with the club is to break down those barriers. I want to cultivate a space where it’s okay to have these conversations while we are excited to also share our knowledge about all the critters, the soil, the water, the fauna, and to learn about each other.
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Vegetation Monitoring Results
Substantial Progress at Lower Watershed Restoration Sites
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Over the past year, FOSC staff have been monitoring vegetation at three lower watershed restoration sites: Austin Square, Barry Place, and Wood Park. At Barry Place and Austin Square, monitoring was conducted in the entire restoration site, while at Wood Park we focused on the areas south of the asphalt “U,” where our restoration efforts are concentrated. Our monitoring data show the impact of this work: invasive species coverage is now nearly half of what it was only a year ago, and native vegetation coverage has tripled.
This progress reflects the hard work of more than 400 volunteers, who removed 141 cubic yards of invasive, fire-prone plants and helped replant the area with 693 native seedlings from our nursery. We’ve also seen volunteer momentum grow significantly this year, with more community members joining restoration efforts at these sites.
We will build on this success by planting more than 1,000 additional native plants across these sites this winter and look forward to watching these areas continue to grow and thrive.
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Barry Place Signage
Seeking Proposals from Fruitvale Artists
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FOSC is seeking proposals from Fruitvale-based artists and graphic designers to create new educational signage for our restoration site at East 27th Avenue and Barry Place. The interpretive panels will highlight community priorities around water quality, pollution prevention, riparian ecosystems, and the creek’s deep connections to Ohlone cultural heritage.
We invite artists to submit their proposals by December 19th, 2025. If you or someone you know is interested, we encourage you to apply!
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A Week of Connection
Sharing our Work and Building Community
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FOSC staff attended this year’s State of the San Francisco Bay Estuary Conference, held by the San Francisco Estuary Partnership. We left feeling inspired by the innovative projects and dedicated groups working to support watershed health across the Bay Area.
Our Education Manager, Elena Stenger, presented on our Spring Stream Team Program, an internship hosted in collaboration with Youth Employment Partnership and supported by California Natural Resources Agency. In her talk, "Cultivating Environmental Leaders: Engaging Youth in Urban Watershed Restoration”, she highlighted how the program connects Oakland high schoolers with the beauty of the Sausal Creek watershed, builds workforce and tool-usage skills, and inspires deeper understanding of their local ecosystem and a commitment to caring for it.
Our team also had a wonderful time tabling at the Unity Council’s Día de los Muertos celebration, enjoying the music, art, and the chance to celebrate alongside our Fruitvale community.
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From Sale to Soil
How to Care for Your New Plants!
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A big thank you to everyone who made this year’s plant sale a huge success, despite the rain and chilly weather! Thanks to our dedicated staff, board, and volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes and assisted visitors; the tablers and musicians who shared their knowledge and talents; and, of course, the shoppers! We sold [X] plants and welcomed 441 attendees, up from 329 last year. We’re thrilled to see so many plant lovers helping expand and strengthen native habitat throughout our watershed.
So you came home with an armful of native plants ready for a new home! Now what?
Until we get regular rain, we recommend keeping your plants wherever they will get the most consistent water. Plant them now and water 1-2x/week until the rains come, or keep them in a sheltered area and water every 1-2 days, or whenever the pots dry out. Calscape has great information on planting and watering native plants, as well as sun and water requirements for each species.
For more guidance, check out our new garden guides: Native Planting & Maintenance Guide and Most and Least Wanted Plants List.
Thank you also to our sponsors The Grand Lake Veterinary Hospital, Lila Hope, East Bay Municipal Utilities District (EBMUD), Resource Environmental Solutions, and Savemore Market for supporting this event and the work of FOSC with generous donations.
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We need volunteers in the watershed now more than ever!
Join us for one of our many workdays.
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Friends of Sausal Creek is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. 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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Photo credits:
Kate Berlin, Jorge Gomez- Gonzalez, Ella Matsuda, Elena Stenger
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