By Paula White This article focuses on a few special people who live in the Wildcat Creek watershed, which drains North Richmond. For over a year, eight people have served as Block Ambassadors for their community as part of The Watershed Project's program in North Richmond. The North Richmond Community-Based Cleanup and Outreach Program‘s mission is to keep the streets clean and safe for the children who walk from Verde Elementary School to the Shields-Reid Center's after school program. We talked with a few of the Block Ambassadors about their work. Todd Lemonte Warner Sr. has lived in …
Ebb & Flow
The Newsletter of The Watershed Project
Education Corner: Spring 2018 is All About Plants
By Phaela Peck It’s Spring, hooray! The winter has much to offer in terms of appreciating the outdoors, but for many of us, Spring brings a sense of hope and new beginnings -- and a renewed interest in nature exploration. This Spring, I am particularly focused on plants. Perhaps it is because I recently moved and am learning about my new environment, or because I’m starting a large vegetable garden for the first time, but, whatever the reason, Spring 2018 is all about plants! Below are several ways to explore, discuss and learn about plants. Note that I’m an educator, not a botanist. All …
What’s in Your Watershed: Peeping Peeps!
By Adam Weaver, Wild Oysters Intern Peeps! Aside from the proverbial reference to one’s friends, what may come to mind for many is the delicious marshmallow candy that fills Easter baskets every year. However, there are other peeps out there that are even more adorable, albeit less tasty. These adorable peeps are formally known as the five smallest North American Sandpipers. From smallest to largest, the peep family includes Least, Semipalmated, Western, White-rumped, and Baird’s Sandpipers. Identifying between these Sandpipers can prove exceptionally difficult and is reserved for the …
North Richmond Shoreline: Equitable, Walkable and Resilient Communities from a Watershed Perspective
By Juliana Gonzalez Historically, the North Richmond Shoreline was a mix of baylands and mudflats where three creeks met, defined as the coastal region from Point San Pablo to Point Pinole. The Rheem, San Pablo, and Wildcat Creeks drained the region’s watershed from the hills of El Sobrante, Richmond and San Pablo to the mouth of the Bay at what is known today as the North Richmond Landfill, the East Bay Regional Park Staging Area and the Dotson Family Marsh. Before the creeks were tamed behind levees, the creeks shared the flood plain and entered the Bay as one creek. This shared …
Celebrate Earth Day with The Watershed Project
On Saturday, April 21st, you have not one but two opportunities to celebrate and give back to our beautiful watershed! Join us at Albany Bulb for a shoreline cleanup, or head over to Wildcat Creek for a creek cleanup and the North Richmond Green Festival. Both events start at 9am, and will be a festival way to give back to the Bay! Albany Bulb Saturday April 21th, 9am - 1pm 1 Buchanan Street Albany, CA 94706 The Watershed Project is hosting its annual Shoreline Clean-up and Citizens for East Shore Parks is hosting a special event: Visualizing Sea Level Rise – bring your family and …
Favorite Bay Area Native Plants: TWP Staff Picks!
At our restoration sites, we strive to plant native plants that have evolved in our East Bay watersheds, are adapted to our climate, and encourage biodiversity. Here are a few (of many) staff favorite native plants that you can look out for while walking through your watershed, or even plant in your own garden. For more native plants of our local watersheds, check out our guide to the Native Plants of the Wildcat & San Pablo Creek Watersheds or our handy plant list of water friendly plants. Yarrow Achillea millefolium Plant Community Grassland ID Description: Perennial, flower …
What’s in Your Watershed: Harbor Seal
By Chloe Wanaselja, TWP Intern As rainfall brings new life on land, dotting hills with wildflowers and causing trees to blossom in pinks and whites, similar transformations are happening along the rocky islands, sandy beaches, mudflats, and bays of the California coast. March marks the beginning of the pupping season for the Pacific harbor seal, or Phoca vitulina. From March to June, mothers come onto land or “haul out” along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Baja California, ready to give birth to their pups. These seals can typically be seen in small groups, but can sometimes gather in …
Our Watershed Valentine: Love Your Watershed
By Phaela Peck This year, send a valentine to your watershed! Well, not a real valentine, but a message of appreciation to where you live! In the Bay Area, we all live in one large watershed, the San Francisco Bay watershed, but we also live in many smaller watersheds that drain into local creeks. The water in these creeks eventually makes its way to the Bay. Keeping these watersheds healthy is critical to the health of the whole Bay! To celebrate our watersheds, big and small, here are 10 ideas for things you can do to show your love for your watershed. Find out what watershed you …