About the Friends About Sausal Creek Program Areas Volunteer Donate Contact Photos Links Website Index Home		Program Areas :: Research & Monitoring Overview Conservation & Restoration Research & Monitoring Community Development Municipal Programs Related Links Bylaws/Action Plan Volunteer! A wealth of data has been collected in the Sausal Creek watershed, and a lot of it lies in one treasure chest-the Friends of Sausal Creek's files and reference library, which are now both kept at the offices of Four Dimensions Landscaping on Poplar Street in West Oakland. The Friends have been collecting data and reference material for six years. The Sausal files contain historical information dating back to the 1800s; in the reference library we have hydrological analyses, the results of community surveys, master's degree studies, and Martha Lowe's master's thesis. Since 1998, the Friends have been testing water quality, sampling aquatic insects, and monitoring birds; in the summer 2001, we began monitoring oyster populations. In the last six months, the Friends have formed a mapping group, which has attracted new members and has great potential to support the Friends field programs and organizational goals. So far they have begun to gather existing data, set up some base maps, and identify mapping needs. The Monitoring and Research programs in general are a strong draw for volunteers. They appeal to volunteers' desire to learn more about where they live, to be better naturalists, or to be citizen scientists. If managed effectively, the data gathered and maps made could support the Friends field programs and outreach efforts. The key is making sure that all data collected finds its way into the Sausal files, and then publicizing the data (both in and outside the organization) to make sure that it is made use of. In this case I don't have to recommend a committee, because one has already been formed-the Mapping Committee. What I would recommend is that someone from each of the monitoring teams sit on the Mapping Committee (with the exception of the bug team, this has already been accomplished). Furthermore, the Mapping Committee should set its goals based on the field, education, and outreach projects that are planned for this year. Program integration is what we're looking for again: one program aware of and supporting the others. Likewise, the monitoring teams should consider their current activities in light of the organization's other efforts, and seek ways to augment those activities. Examples of integration in this program area would be developing a water temperature testing program to support the Friends' campaign with Fish and Game to gain better protection for Sausal's trout; having the mapping group map seed collection sites, project sites, or trails; or coordinate Elliott Smith's photo documentation of the group with the photo monitoring work done by Martha Lowe and Lisa Lacabanne prior to the restoration project in Dimond Canyon. Another area of untapped potential (and integration) for these programs is in using our monitoring and mapping energies to support organizational goals, such as surveying watershed residents, mapping demographics, or developing ways to monitor the effectiveness of our restoration projects.
			Friends of Sausal Creek :: (510) 501-FOSC (3672) Email: coordinator@sausalcreek.org