Community Stewardship Program
Community-targeted Service and Restoration Campaigns
As a leader of the watershed movement around the San Francisco Bay, The Watershed Project
has developed, funded, and now runs a number of campaigns to educate and inspire communities
to connect to their local watersheds. Our campaigns are multi-faceted and include
components that reach all layers of a community -- from schools to parks to your own backyard.
Our current campaigns are:
Oyster Monitoring and Restoration Campaign
Citizens, students and scientists working together for a healthy San Francisco Bay
Inspired by the success of similar efforts in Chesapeake Bay and other locations around the
United States, The Watershed Project has created the Oyster Monitoring and Restoration Program
to connect youth and adults to the unique ecosystems along the shoreline of the San Francisco Bay.
The Oyster Program has two major components: education and monitoring for youth, and community-wide
volunteer opportunities for adults. We designed the program to be an organic melding of in-class
lessons and outdoor experiential learning. The Oyster Program is part of a larger restoration and
data collection program run by a group of scientists who are members of the San Francisco Bay
Native Oyster Working Group. Data that students and teachers collect will actually be used by
scientists and will contribute to an understanding of how best to restore native oysters to the
San Francisco Bay, as well as the long-term effects that restoration will have on other species.
Through this "actual data" approach, our Oyster Program will be an integral part of the
relatively new and truly meaningful effort to develop oyster reef stewardship among Bay Area
communities.
Richmond Watershed Awareness and Action Campaign
Mending the disconnect between urban communities and their watersheds
The first step to heal our urban watersheds is to remember them. Any farmer can tell you how crucial
watershed health is, but in our urban environments, where creeks are diverted into paved channels and
underground tunnels, it is easy to lose touch with our waterways. The Watershed Project is working to
restore watershed awareness in one of the most exploited geographic areas in the United States, our own
backyard, Richmond, California. Decades of environmental abuse has fouled Richmond's world-class natural
resources. Creeks have become dumping grounds, soils are contaminated, endangered species are disappearing,
local habitats and watersheds are suffering, and children are rarely exposed to nature. Concerned community
groups and citizens need to pool every resource available to tackle these issues. The Watershed Project
seeks to help them through an approach that melds awareness-raising, stewardship, and action. We will
engage a regional network of watershed organizations, help fund and develop emerging stewardship groups,
bring new events and volunteer opportunities to a broad audience, and provide hands-on learning projects.
Our goal is to foster a community of watershed stewards that spans generations and ensures a bright
environmental future for the City of Richmond and its watersheds.
Clean Shoreline Initiative
A watershed approach to the challenge of marine debris
Marine debris is a massive, global problem. The North Pacific Gyre is a garbage patch twice the size
of Texas and growing at an alarming rate. It is the result of our "disposable lifestyle" and testifies
to the unsustainable pattern of consumption characteristic of modern culture. Our single-use mentality
and our "out of sight, out of mind" attitude towards human waste, especially garbage, is threatening the
healthy survival of our oceans.
Marine debris can come from human activities anywhere in a watershed -- from an overturned trash can many miles from the ocean to a candy wrapper left directly on the beach. Regionally, marine debris degrades critical habitat for our marine resources. It accumulates on the San Francisco Bay Shoreline, on the floor of the Bay itself, and moves out through the Golden Gate into the Pacific Ocean where it immediately impacts the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
The Clean Shoreline Initiative aims to break the cultural norm that litter is inevitable. The initiative is an on-going, community-based program that integrates K-12 education, public outreach, and volunteerism to promote community stewardship of riparian and marine habitats. The Clean Shoreline Initiative provides meaningful watershed experiences to kids, educators, adults, families, and businesses through a diverse palette of activities including shoreline and creek cleanups, safety and volunteer training, classroom activities, and festivals that celebrate our watersheds. We hope to push Bay Area citizens to stop littering and start stewarding.
We are also promoting strategies that go beyond anti-littering. We have partnered with the California Product Stewardship Council to encourage Extended Producer Responsibility -- a strategy to stop trash from entering our watersheds in the first place. It asks those who design, produce, or sell a product to minimize its environmental impact throughout the product's life cycle.
Currently, there are hundreds of community-based organizations or groups in the
San Francisco Bay Area that are actively working to protect precious water resources.
These organizations take many forms and vary in size and scope. They call themselves
Keepers, Alliances, Societies and Stewards and are all working towards achieving a common
watershed goal. Sustainability is a growing issue for these groups, and The Watershed Project
offers a variety of services to help them achieve their watershed education and stewardship goals.
Our services include customized consultation grants, community stewardship grants, and fiscal
sponsorship.
For more information about any of our services, contact
Juliana Gonzaez at (510)
665-3597 or email juliana@thewatershedproject.org Watershed Coordination
Our services focus on starting grassroots community watershed groups, building the capacity
of existing groups, and launching watershed awareness campaigns. These and other related capacity
building services are also provided through our grant-making and customized consultation programs.
If you are interested in our watershed coordination services, please contact us so we can determine
how to best meet the needs of your group and watershed.
Watershed Coordination Assistance to Date:
Customized Consultation Grants
Community Stewardship Grants Alameda County Community Stewardship grant Fiscal Sponsorship
Each year, The Watershed Project mobilizes hundreds of volunteers to participate in
three major community service days. While the details and themes of these events change
from year to year, the guiding principle remains the same: to connect community members to
their watersheds and to eachother through collaborative service work. Learn to create a healthy garden ecosystem, and protect yourself, family, pets, as well as the environment.
Hands-on activities will introduce you to smart garden planning to minimize problems and identification of some
common pests and beneficial insects. You'll explore least-toxic options for dealing with pests and Integrated
Pest Management (IPM) techniques. Take home handouts with additional information and resources.
Space is limited to 35 registrants. Register with the Community Center. Join an exciting project to revitalize the landscaping at the El Cerrito Community Center, and learn how to make
your own yard more drought tolerant in the process. We'll discuss site design, plant selection, soils and watering,
then you'll learn great tips and techniques as we sheet mulch and plant beautiful California native and other non-thirsty plants.
Take home handouts for reference and additional information, and new inspiration for applying these ideas to your landscape.
This project will be a dynamic blend of learning and doing. Space is limited to 30 volunteers.
Call the El Cerrito Public Works Maintenance Division at (510) 215-4369 for more information and to register. In this lively workshop, you will explore a variety of less-toxic alternatives to common indoor pesticides
and cleaning supplies. Learn to assess household products and make informed choices that can protect human and
watershed health through fun, hands-on activities. Take home resources for additional information and your own
Green Cleaning Kit! Space is limited to 35 registrants. Register with the Community Center.
The Watershed Project loves rain! We believe that rain is a precious resource and should be celebrated
as such. Rain plays a crucial role in our water cycle. It falls from the sky, soaks into the ground, and re-fills underground wells throughout the Bay
Area. These stores of groundwater meet approximately one third of water demand across California in any
given year.
Despite the obvious importance of rainwater to California's viability, we spend a lot of time and
energy trying to get rid of it. Increasing numbers of storm drains, paved sidewalks and roads speed
up the flow of rainwater once it hits the ground, causing erosion, flooding, and reduced water levels
in our underground wells. In response to this growing problem, many organizations and individuals are
taking up an ancient water management practice: rainwater harvesting. Check back for future workshops and programs offered by The Watershed Project.
The Watershed Project strongly supports rainwater harvesting programs. For more information
about how you can save the rain, check out these links:
From Startup to Sustainable: Organizational Development for Grassroots Groups
Since 1993, The Watershed Project has provided Watershed Coordination services starting with the
establishment of Friends of San Leandro Creek, a grassroots watershed group working with local
government and other watershed stakeholders to carry out education, outreach, and restoration projects.
Many similar groups have followed, and our success in starting and sustaining watershed groups has
prompted a steady flow of requests for coordination assistance. The Watershed Project has expanded
the scope of capacity building services we provide in order to best serve the watershed community.
1993 - Friends of San Leandro Creek
1995 - Friends of Sausal Creek
1999 - San Pablo Watershed Neighbors Education and Restoration Society (SPAWNERS)
2000 - Friends of Baxter Creek
2002 - Friends of Pinole Creek
2005 - Arroyo Viejo Watershed Awareness Program
2007 - Miller Creek Stewardship Group
The Watershed Project awards consulting grants to grassroots groups that are pursuing missions
consistent with our own values and goals. Our professional staff offers one-on-one assistance
to volunteers, staff, board members agencies, and community leaders on a variety of projects.
Common consultation topics include:
- Starting a watershed group
- Fundraising planning
- Strategic planning
- Action plan development
- Board development
- Volunteer recruitment
- Volunteer leadership training
- Technical training on watershed assessment and monitoring efforts
The Watershed Project administers several grant programs throughout the year.
Contra Costa County Community Watershed Stewardship Grant Program
The Watershed Project partners with the Contra Costa County Watershed Program to provide
funding for watershed protection groups seeking to implement projects that will benefit
community actions to enhance and protect local watersheds in unincorporated Contra Costa County.
Individual grants are in the range of $5,000-$20,000 per year. Projects must be implemented in
Contra Costa County, and must demonstrate a benefit to the County.
The Watershed Project partners with The Alameda Countywide Clean Water Program to
encourage and facilitate grassroots community actions that prevent stormwater pollution and
enhance the health of local watersheds, creeks, and the San Francisco Bay. Individual grants
are in the range of $1,000-$4,000. Projects must contain a stormwater pollution prevention
message and produce a community/public outreach element.
The Watershed Project offers fiscal sponsorship for grassroots groups that are pursuing
missions consistent with our own values and goals. Rather than incorporating and applying to
the IRS for 501(c)3 status, grassroots groups can request fiscal sponsorship from an
established nonprofit organization. As fiscal sponsor, The Watershed Project provides
basic legal and accounting services, including monthly and annual fiscal reports, audited
financial statements, and fiduciary oversight through our own board of directors. We also
file all legally required reports such as the IRS Form 990 and the insurance necessary for
basic stewardship activities. Fiscal sponsorship is a system that encourages grassroots
groups to focus on developing and expanding their programs and events, rather than being
bogged down by legal and accounting concerns.
Currently, we serve as the fiscal sponsor for:
- Heart of the Mountain, a program headed by the Yerba Buena Chapter of the California Native
Plant Society whose mission is to protect San Bruno Mountain, especially its threatened Colma
Creek, and inspire community appreciation and stewardship through education, advocacy, and
resource management.
- SPAWNERS, a volunteer-driven creek group whose mission is to protect the San Pablo
Creek Watershed and inspire community appreciation and stewardship through advocacy,
education, and habitat restoration.
- Friends of Pinole Creek Watershed, a group of volunteers dedicated to the conservation,
enhancement and education about the Pinole Creek watershed.
- Miller Creek Watershed Stewards, a group of concerned citizens united to restore and
protect the Miller Creek Watershed.Community-wide Volunteer Events
The dates for our 2010 events are:
- Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service: January 18, 2010
- Earth Day: April 24, 2010
- Coastal Clean Up Day: September 25, 2010Public Workshops
Healthy Gardens without Toxic Chemicals
Garden Makeover: A Greener Green!
Healthy Homes
Save the Rain
Greywater Guerillas
Wildheart Gardens, EcoHeart Landscape Design and Water Assets Rainwater Harvesting Workshops
San Francisco Public Utility Commission Rainwater Harvesting Program
Occidental Arts and Ecology Center Stormwater Harvesting Workshop
Rain Garden Design Templates
from the Low Impact Development Center
HarvestH2O.com: The Online Rainwater Harvesting Community
Great Rainwater Harvesting Video from the Centre for Science and the Environment
