Friends of Sausal Creek's June 2020 Newsletter

J U N E 2 0 2 0

Restoration and Nursery Manager Jay Cassianni and FOSC Board Member Beth Keer monitoring endemic pallid manzanitas in Joaquin Miller Park. Photo by Jeff Stephens.

FOSC is a volunteer-based, community organization. Especially during these uncertain times, we need donors like you to support FOSC education, monitoring, and restoration programs in the Sausal Creek Watershed.

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June Community Event

Community Film Screening:

Return of the River

FOSC would like to invite you to our June community event, a screening of the documentary Return of the River.

Return of the River tells the story of the Elwha River and the largest dam removal project in the history of the United States. The extraordinary effort to restore an ecosystem and set a river free deals with complex social, economic, and environmental issues. The restoration of the Elwha is the story about the people who live along and with the river. The river brings together environmental justice, salmon, the Elwha tribes, healthy ecosystems, and community groups working together to restore a river is an unlikely success story. It offers many lessons for our times.

Join us on Sunday, June 28 at 7:30 p.m. for the screening and discussion after.

To attend this event, send your RSVP to Jackie at [email protected]

For more information about the film, and to watch the trailer, visit http://www.elwhafilm.com/

Explore the Watershed

Birds of Shelter In Place

The shelter-in-place order during spring bird migration is another bite from the pandemic. But not to the birds! When restrictions eased I went to Dimond Park and discovered the first nesting of western bluebird in the Sausal Creek Watershed. It may have been the lack of foot traffic in the park that helped entice the birds to nest near the tennis courts in a nest hole in a London plane tree.

I found them on May 15, when the parents were dive-bombing the squirrels like they were nest predators, despite their fat and happy nature from being fed peanuts from squirrel-lovers. Although bluebirds are not uncommon, and may be increasing, we have not seen them on our surveys. But in the now-quietude of the park, a nest of three young mark the beginning of colonization. A few bluebird nest boxes should help the next generation find safe haven from squirrels as we all resume our park patrol. Click for the photos of the male hit by the sun in the shade of a giant redwood, the male at the nest, and the female attacking a squirrel.

- Mark Rauzon

Click here for more photos by Mark Rauzon

Kudos Korner

SOD Blitz in the Watershed

This month’s kudos go to the half dozen individuals and family groups who participated in the Sudden Oak Death (SOD) Blitz in the Sausal Creek Watershed.

By walking through the watershed and collecting samples of California bay laurel and tanoak leaves for analysis at U.C. Berkeley's Forest Pathology and Mycology Laboratory, volunteers helped contribute to the growth of a crucial data set. Knowing where Sudden Oak Death is within the watershed allows us to be a part of the work to protect healthy oaks in the watershed and the state.

Thank you to all who participated in this citizen science effort. We are looking forward to the results from your hard work.

For more information on the SOD Blitz, and to view the results when they become available, visit www.sodblitz.org

FOSC Friends of the Month

Chris Lutz

While volunteer events have been on hold at the FOSC Native Plant Nursery, the greenhouse at the nursery has been undergoing serious renovation thanks to volunteer Chris Lutz and FOSC staff member Jay Cassianni. FOSC’s greenhouse is instrumental in the annual cycle of plant propagation.

Chris has been a volunteer with FOSC for five years, spending time in the FOSC nursery assisting with plant propagation and numerous building projects including shelving in the "office." Chris brought his tools and know-how to the much-needed task of cleaning and refurbishing the structure.

The western panels on the greenhouse have been decaying over the years. During a multiple day project, Chris and Jay power-washed the entire greenhouse, removed old panels, and installed new ones, making the greenhouse appear as if it were once again brand new!

Many thanks to Chris for your many contributions over the year and for the work you and Jay did to refurbish the greenhouse.

If you would like to nominate a Friend of the Month, contact [email protected].

Event Calendar

View our events calendar on the FOSC Website

Community Film Night: Return of the River

From your computer!

June 28 at 7:30 p.m.

RSVP to [email protected]

Online Events of Interest from Other Groups:

Lake Merritt: Beneath the Surface

Presented by the California Center for Natural History

June 3 at 8:00 p.m.

Online Event

Maintaining California Lichen Diversity in an Era of Global Change

Presented by the Yerba Buena Chapter of the California Native Plants Society

June 4 at 7:30 p.m.

Online Event

Indigenous History in the Bay Area: A Three Part Series

Presented by the Peninsula Open Space Trust

June 12, 19 and 26 from noon to 1:00 p.m.

Online Event

2020 Water Data Science Symposium

Presented by the California Water Boards

June 29 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Online Event

All FOSC public events and workdays continue to be postponed, in accordance with the county shelter-in-place order.

Please continue to practice safety by maintaining social distance, taking care of yourself, and staying healthy.

We will continue to update our event calendar as we monitor guidance for COVID-19.

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.