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E-Waste Recycling
Recycle
your old, unwanted TV, computer, monitor and other electronic equipment
at a FREE e-waste recycling event at Diablo
Valley College, in Pleasant Hill, on Friday,
July 6th from 12PM to 5PM, and Saturday and Sunday, July 7th and
July 8th from 9AM to 3PM.
The event is sponsored by Electronic Waste Management
(EWM), a state-approved e-waste collector located in San Leandro.
Drop off is FREE. Visit www.noewaste.com or
call toll free (866) 335-3373.
As an approved e-waste collector and participant in a state-funded program to
collect and recycle e-waste, EWM has been holding e-waste recycling events throughout
the Bay Area since 2005. All e-waste collected is processed according to strict
California regulations as set forth in the e-waste recycling program created
and managed by the California Integrated Waste Management Board. For more information
on the state-funded program, visit www.erecycle.org.
New Website of Interest:
contracostagreen.com
Friends of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden
Other websites to consider:
Contra Costa Watershed Forum
Sustainable Moraga and Sustainable
Lafayette
Women's Environmental
Network.
Save the Date:
3rd Quadrennial Creek and Watershed Symposium November 15,
2007 in Walnut Creek.
LifeGarden wishes to thank the City of Walnut
Creek for
funding a portion of the
creation of the Walnut Creek Watershed Map. Our map
started with the watershed map contained in the Contra
Costa County Watershed Atlas. We have added layers
to show how the creeks relate to trails, schools,
major roads, business districts, parks and other important
community facilities. The map is useful for schoolchildren,
neighborhood groups, creek groups, business associations,
community service organizations and city planners. We think
it will help citizens become better acquainted with the
natural endowment of their communities and be inspired to protect
these resources.
Open Space Visioning Task Force
The City of Walnut Creek has just created an open space
visioning task force. With the help of the new map, open minds
and positive citizen action, creeks and treasured open spaces
will once again be linked - not only physically, but in the
minds of all concerned. This editor dreams of a day when
our City's downtown area will be connected to its wonderful
open spaces by creekways through neighborhoods.
In the old days every Bay Area neighborhood had a creek. They
still do.
Oakland Museum's Creek & Watershed
Maps
EAST BAY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION GRANT
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We are happy to announce the receipt of
a $2,000 grant in support of our restoration events.
WHEN THE CHIPS ARE DOWN
The Benefits of Mulching
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Mulching
- conserves moisture
- recycles nutrients
- provides nesting materials
- enhances soil texture, pH and fertility
resulting in greater planting success
- supports healthy populations of soil organisms
- discourages weeds without the use of toxic
chemicals.
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INSPIRING BOOKS EXPLORE ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION
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Brief Reviews
Not new but, perhaps, timeless in its impact is Stephen
Harrod Buhner's Lost
Language of Plants. Touted as the Silent
Spring of pharmaceuticals, Buhner's book is at once a lyrical piece on ecology
and the role of plants in our lives and a well-researched exploration of the
'scientific' use of plants. It is a must read for those of us who believe that
the study of ecology should be a required subject for all ages and direct guided
experiences with the natural world an important component of that study! (Chelsea
Green, 2002)
Designing California Native Gardens: The Plant Community
Approach to Artful, Ecological Gardens by Dr.
Glenn Keator and Alrie Middlebrook is truly new both in terms of its publishing
date and its scope. Keator, a LifeGarden advisor, is a plant specialist and author
of numerous books on California's native flora. Middlebrook is the founder of
a design company that specializes in native gardens. Together they examine California's
plant communities and apply the knowledge of these natural functioning ecosystems
to the creation of ecologically sound, aesthetically appealing and practical
gardens that incorporate native plants. The beautifully illustrated book is well-organized
and inclusive. There are sample plans, plant lists, and suggestions for success
with particular species. Designing California Native Gardens is published
by University
of California Press. LifeGarden
is planning a book-signing and accompanying tour this fall as part of its "Learning
to Live in California"
series.
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NEW PROGRAM FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS
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Watershed Education with Social Implications
LifeGarden introduced its new watershed education program
to 150 Las Lomas High School biology students this spring. The program was funded
by the City of Walnut Creek under its NPDES Permit.
Students were provided with LifeGarden's new Map
of the Walnut Creek Watershed and its City Creeks Journal. Both of these
can be
ordered from LifeGarden with profits going to support our "Watershed
Education and Sustainable Trails" programs.
Part one of the high school program consisted of an in-classroom powerpoint presentation
about watersheds in general, the Walnut Creek Watershed in particular, and the
meaning of a "watershed approach" to land use planning. In addition,
there was a discussion of storm drain systems and sustainable solutions to handling
stormwater runoff.
The powerpoint presentation can be viewed at www.owenswatershedplanning.com.
Part 2 of the program was a field investigation of the particularly spectacular
section of San Ramon Creek adjacent to Las Lomas. The emphasis here was
on the native and nonnative plant species found in this urban riparian community.
An important theme of the program was to help students understand the
connection between their own (and our) lifestyles and watershed health.
The program is still in its infancy. We envision a much more comprehensive one
for high school students and the general public by the end of the year. Watch
for the announcements of these watershed workshops and creek walks.
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Draft Walnut Creek Watershed Map
LifeGarden's
draft
map of the Walnut Creek Watershed is being presented
for discussion purposes at the
Walnut Creek Watershed Exploratory Committee (WCWEC)
meeting prior to its finalization. The Committee meeting
will take place on July 10th from 3-4:30 at the County's
Public Works Offices at 255 Glacier Drive. Meetings
are open to the public. To be notified of these email
Abby Fateman at CCWF afate@cd.cccounty.us.
LifeGarden has been a catalyst for the creation of the Walnut
Creek Watershed Exploratory Committee and participates actively.
Currently facilitated by the Contra Costa County Watershed Forum, its
goal is the formation of a coalition of businesses, government agencies,
creek groups, environmental nonprofit organizations, and others interested in
the Walnut Creek Watershed that will initiate the development of a plan for the
protection, enhancement and restoration of the watershed's streams and vegetated
edges. The County's Resource Conservation District will be seeking funding for
a Coalition Coordinator. Once a watershed
plan is in place, the Coalition will apply for major funding to implement the
plan. There will be opportunities for citizen input and involvement
throughout this process. It is our ultimate hope that
fish, now endangered, but once native to our streams, will be able to return
and be nourished all of the way into the the upper reaches of our watershed.
This is monumental undertaking but a critical one. We are seeking volunteers
for a Watershed Committee to help us move this vision forward. Contact judy@lifegarden.org.
For a great discussion of how private-public partnerships work on behalf of watershed
protection see the current issue of Bay Nature's extensive coverage of the evolution
of the San Pablo Baylands.
The Walnut Creek Watershed is the County's largest having more than 90,000 acres.
It is heavily populated, highly urbanized and extremely complex. You can help
us protect it by taking part in our popular restoration events in this watershed.
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Iron Horse Corridor Project Reduces Global Warming
During
the past few years we have been doing our part in
fostering the growth of new native trees in the County
and reducing air, noise and stream pollution in the
Walnut Creek Watershed.
We are working with Contra Costa County on ways to
make the program function more smoothly and successfully
for all concerned and considering other venues for
our work.
Let us help you plan restoration events along the Iron Horse
Corridor and at other community sites. For information on fees and services provided, to arrange
a visit to the pilot site or for questions contact (judy@lifegarden.org). Our
restoration events include an introduction to native and nonnative plants at
the restoration site and a brief discussion of the sustainable aspects of the
program.
A recent visit to the pilot Iron Horse Corridor site confirmed
the importance of our alternative maintenance paradigm (now incorporated in Contra
Costa County's Adopt a Corridor Section Program). The use of mulch for
weed control has meant that dozens of healthy native seedling trees have emerged
and are now thriving in the corridor between Del Amigo and Love Lanes. Had conventional
methods of trail maintenance been used to control weeds and minimize fire danger
during the summer, the tree seedlings would likely have been mowed down and weeds
killed with herbicides. In addition to the new trees, soils along the soon-to-be-repaved
trail section have been enhanced with mulch, a thousand cubic yards of organic
waste was diverted, and gallons of fossil fuel were saved. Hundreds of volunteer
hours were dedicated to the program. Air pollution resulting from small engine
exhaust was eliminated. One final beneficial outcome of the new approach to maintenance along public trails was improved wildlife habitat.
LifeGarden is dedicated to substituting knowledge of natural processes and sustainable
solutions for quick fixes in the management of our lands.
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