By Naama Raz-Yaseef We are thrilled to share with you a resource we at The Watershed Project have been working on over the past year. Introducing Urban Nature Loop - a self-guided walking tour of North Richmond! This project, accessible through our website and an app, stretches between Verde School along Wildcat Creek trail to Fred Jackson Way, Chelsey Ave. through Shields Reid Park, and back to Verde School on Giaramita St., with extensions to the Fish Passage and Urban Tilth’s Farm. The Urban Nature Loop aims to connect people with their environment, and more specifically, their …
Ebb & Flow
The Newsletter of The Watershed Project
Goodbye Trash, Hello Habitat!
By Paula White Long time residents of the Bay Area may remember when birds were a rarity. Not anymore–today some 200 bird species live in and around the Bay Shoreline. Frequent visitors include Brown Pelicans, Great Blue Herons, Great and Snowy egrets, Buffleheads, Ruddy Ducks, and American Wigeons, Western Gulls… you get the picture. Yet plastic pollution persists throughout our watersheds and continues to pose a threat to birds and other wildlife species that live in water. Coastal Cleanup Day data has played an important part in identifying problem plastics that have resulted in many …
Meet Our Merritt College Intern: Jaybee!
This month and over the next few months we will be highlighting some conversations and interviews with new staff and interns. Stay tuned for further updates as we continue to introduce new and old faces alike.Please meet our new intern, Jayabharathi Padmanabhan (Jaybee). She joins us this fall semester through the “Occupational Work Experience in Environmental Management” course at Merritt College. Please say hi to her if you see her at some of our events this year! What watershed do you live in and what do you like about it? I live at the confluence of the schoolhouse creek and …
What’s in Your Watershed? | The Flashy Anna’s Hummingbird
By Andrew LaBar Editor’s note: This article was originally published in October 2009, it has been updated and revised September of 2023. This year we are spotlighting articles featuring animals and plants from our North Richmond Urban Nature Loop. Click here to read more about all the animals featured in the stickers. Summer is ending and Fall is soon to begin. Along with the many changes autumn brings, like pumpkin spice, spooky season, and crunchy leaves, Fall is an exciting time to gaze out your window. The sun is shining brightly and with it comes some of the Bay Area’s best weather. …
Wildcat Creek Storybook – Kiyana and the Wildcat Creek
This is the second article in a series highlighting the inspiring artwork and community project initiated and led by The Watershed Project in North Richmond. We are thrilled to share the completion of an illustrated children’s storybook telling the story of the local creek, Kiyana and the Wildcat Creek. The storybook explains the importance of creek stewardship and restoration, and emphasizes indigenous tribal connections to the creek that last to the present, all in a way that is engaging for kids. This book provides information on the lifecycle of steelhead trout and speaks about the …
Coastal Cleanup Day Wake Up Call: Storytellers, Activists, and Innovators Share Strategies for Kicking the Plastic Habit
By Paula White and Maggie Chen August is here, school has started for many, and the busy fall season is just around the corner. Next month in September, The Watershed Project is hosting two events on Saturday, September 23rd as part of the 39th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day. In Richmond we will be co-hosting our annual Shimada Friendship Park event with County Supervisor John Gioia and we will also be hosting an event at the Albany Beach and Bulb. We encourage you to find a cleanup near you by consulting the map on our Coastal Cleanup Day page that shows cleanups happening …
WIYW: Peculiar Friends: Ringneck Snakes
By: Maggie Chen When taking a stroll through your neighborhood, you might wander through trees and greenery and see the wealth of living creatures around you. From the lichen hanging on the coast live oak trees around to the red-tailed hawks above, the abundance of nature is sure to bring you a sense of peace and fulfillment – that is not extremely surprising since studies have shown time spent in nature can decrease your stress-related hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, lowers blood pressure, and improves your overall mood! While we can appreciate the living organisms …
Coastal Cleanup Day 2023 – Call Out For Sponsors
Partner with The Watershed Project for Coastal Cleanup Day 2023! California Coastal Cleanup Day is around the corner, on September 23, and The Watershed Project is asking local businesses to partner with us as a sponsor to make this event a huge success. Please join us! Coastal Cleanup Day 2023 is a fun and engaging opportunity to join millions of people all over the world in showing our love for our watery planet. It is very satisfying to see a trash-clogged beach or creek restored to a safe and inviting place for people and wildlife to enjoy. As County …
