About the Friends About Sausal Creek Program Areas Volunteer Donate Contact Photos Links Website Index Home		Program Areas :: Community Development Overview Conservation & Restoration Research & Monitoring Community Development Municipal Programs Related Links Bylaws/Action Plan Volunteer! In the last 12 months, we have lost two dedicated Friends-Ed Wilkinson and Mike Grayson. Their illnesses and deaths taught me that the Friends of Sausal Creek is indeed a community development organization. We provide informal social services that range from providing a safe gathering space to giving meaning and structure to people's lives. We are an environmental organization, but we are community-based. We draw from a sometimes steady, sometimes shifting base of volunteers who show up because the group in some way meets a need. In addition, through promoting environmental stewardship we are touching on a host of more conventional community development issues, such as opening and maintaining park space, beautifying neighborhoods, supporting local businesses, and so on. These relate to the work we do in public open space in the upper watershed, and they of course relate to any work we do in the lower watershed. The Friends have a balance remaining in the grant funds provided by the San Francisco Foundation to conduct the Lower Watershed Assessment and Outreach Program. Thus the group has an obligation to continue to do some work in the lower watershed. At this point what that work should be remains undetermined. I have budgeted for the funds to support the Group Coordinator position. New this year in the outreach department is a grant the Friends have received from the Alameda Countywide Clean Water Program to document the Friends' restoration projects. Elliott Smith wrote and submitted this grant on behalf of the Friends, and he is the project director. Another idea for work in this area comes from Charlotte-she wants to conduct a survey of people's concerns for the watershed. This supports outreach, but should be undertaken under Research and Monitoring with input on design, content, and partners from the Mapping Committee and Education. This might be something that is fundable, especially if we recruit a local master's student to do it. We could help them get funding to do it. The ongoing components of the Friends' Community Development programs include our education and outreach efforts, and our volunteer programs overall. Each of these is described briefly below.
			Friends of Sausal Creek :: (510) 501-FOSC (3672) Email: coordinator@sausalcreek.org