By Paula White I was inspired to write this article after hearing several indigenous people from various tribes in the state share their cultural knowledge. Through reading the sources listed at the end of the article I learned a little more about the traditional ecological stewardship and land management practices of the Ohlone and their contemporary efforts to reclaim ancestral lands. I take full responsibility for any errors and omissions. Fall is harvest time. I currently am harvesting apples and making apple sauce, one of the easiest ways to use a lot of apples, especially the …
Ebb & Flow
The Newsletter of The Watershed Project
Nature’s Cathedral
by Dan Kirk It’s been 22 days on the water, and Kim is tired, but approaches the estuary with a new energetic spirit that feels different from other places they have stopped to moor; one of wonderment and curiosity. One hundred years ago, in the year 2020, the view of Oakland from the estuary would have been that of the city, of course, and the rolling hills to the east, a kind of blanket of cityscape and hills that meet the horizon. Today, Kim is guided, almost welcomed into the bay by the giant redwood trees that tower over the hills of the east, rising above the city even from miles …
Transformation, A Lesson Learned from Fire
By Olivia Rose With improved air quality throughout the Bay Area, I am feeling grateful for the chance to escape the confines of my home, step outside and take a deep breath in. I am fueled by this gift of breath, recalling that it was only a month ago when many of us here in California experienced what it feels like to have that gift taken away. Throughout the year of 2020 more than 8,500 wildfires have consumed over 4.1 million acres of this beautiful land and all the gifts it holds, leaving tens of thousands of people displaced from their homes. To say that this is the impact of wildfire …
Fire as a Management Tool
Taking a cue from the native people of California By Paula Urtecho Fire is on everyone’s mind these days. It’s difficult not to think about it when you look out the window and see smoke hanging in the air and a layer of ash coating everything outside your home. This year’s wildfire season has been unprecedented in its scope and it frightens us to consider that this may be our “new normal”. But California’s relationship with fire has not always been so adversarial or fraught with tension. Fire is an important part of California’s natural ecosystems and the native people living among these …
What is in your watershed -Golden Eagles
By Dan Kirk The feeling of an eagle is the feeling of power. Spiritually, this is true for me, though on June 20, 1782, an eagle also became the emblem of the United States of America. So, the eagle is also tied to authority, governmental power and “freedom”. What a dishonor to these raptors who have been glorified to symbolize capitalism, the very thing that threatens their livelihood. This is, of course, the bald eagle. The big bird with a pure white head. My guess is that most people would say that the bald eagle is the largest raptor in the U.S. This is only arguably true, as some other …
Laundry-to-Landscape: Graywater & Drought Preparedness
By Kat Sawyer As Californians, we are painfully aware of persistent drought concerns. But did you know that even though the earth’s surface is 70% water, 97% is ocean and most of the 3% remaining fresh water is inaccessible in ice or groundwater? Only 1% of water on earth is available for human use! All the more reason to conserve and reuse water wherever we can. In our homes, 2 of the 3 most water intensive activities are laundry and landscaping, so when we connect them we are conserving and reusing at the same time. Laundry-to-Landscape graywater systems are low tech and LEGAL, …
Meet the Site Captains of Contra Costa County
By Paula White, Contra Costa County Coastal Cleanup Coordinator Before the pandemic, when we had live events on Coastal Cleanup Day, September would have been the time when site captains across the state were madly preparing for live events. This year our preparations look a little different, as we are relying on the public to self-organize and self-supply their cleanups around their neighborhoods. To help inspire you to participate in this year’s Coastal Cleanup events, I asked Contra Costa County’s site captains to talk about what motivates them to clean up year after year. John …
Plastics, Climate change, social justice, it’s all connected.
Please join us for a virtual screening of The Story of Plastic By Olivia Rose As we plunge into this fairly odd September, and welcome in Coastal Cleanup Month, I’d like to take a moment to congratulate you, dear reader, for surviving six whole months of shelter in place. You have spent over half of a year dealing with a global pandemic and all that it comes with; please as always be gentle with yourself as we learn and unlearn day by day. For myself, and I’m sure I’m not alone, quarantine has been a dichotomous time of turbulence and tranquility like never before. I can’t help but feel …