Vallejo Watershed Alliance

Thanks to longtime Alliance planning member Elizabeth Wilkie, for sharing a recent KQED Forum podcast about getting outdoors safely during shelter-in-place. It’s great to hear that so many folks around the Bay Area are finding creative ways to experience the outdoors under current limitations, and expressing why it is so important for people to connect to something that’s bigger than themselves. Go to KQED.org and search “great outdoors” if you want to listen. It’s filled with helpful tips on how to safely visit parks and open spaces, including:

• Know what the rules are for the place you are visiting; each place is different. For example, parking lots at state parks are closed, but the trails are still open. Park leaders are asking for the public’s help to respect the restrictions so that parks can stay open.
• Don’t go if you’re feeling sick!
• Bring hand sanitizer and be aware of what surfaces – such as gates – might be touched by others.
• Make sure to keep at least 6’ apart from others except family or house members.
• Pick up trash along the way.
• Can’t get to a park? Remember nature is where you are! Bird watching, safe-distance visits, and exploring insects and plants can also be done in one’s neighborhood.

Can’t get outside at all? You can bring nature indoors in creative ways such as setting up a tent or blanket fort in your living room. While inside, you can bring a tablet or laptop and play nature scenes from YouTube. Or, safely roast a marshmallow over a candle and enjoy a s’more!

However you choose to connect with nature, we look forward to seeing you at a Vallejo Watershed Alliance activity soon.

Watching the seasons change is comforting, isn’t it? The dry grass turns green, the birds, bees, and butterflies are busy, and the clouds are amazing. In this time of global uncertainty and anxiety, it helps to go outside and breathe, exchange waves with the neighbors, and see what’s blooming.

At the Vallejo Watershed Alliance, we are very grateful for the work being done individually, and for the planning for the months ahead when we can dive back into the work together. At this point, we can’t pick up litter as a group, but we can do it individually in our neighborhoods. We can’t plant together at Lake Dalwigk — located next to the Curtola Park & Ride — but we can walk the paths there to see how the trees and wildflowers that were planted earlier this year are faring (beautifully, by the way!).

We had some wonderful plans for Earth Day: a festival downtown and a creek cleanup to celebrate Earth Day’s 50^th Anniversary. Unfortunately, those events were cancelled. However … you can still celebrate Earth Day virtually! Solano County and the Solano Resource Conservation District, in partnership with local wastewater programs, have teamed up to share tips and ideas for honoring this important milestone. Find out more at www.CleanupSolano.org.

Our wish for you is good health and good cheer, and making time in your day to appreciate spring!

Due to the COVID-19 virus, Vallejo Watershed Alliance activities have been cancelled for March and April. We encourage everyone to spend some time outdoors during this stressful time, and if you have any questions, please reach out to us at Info@VallejoWatershedAlliance.org.

Saturday, March 28 9 a.m. to Noon

Dan Foley Community Park : Boat Launch

Families are coming to Lake Chabot soon for the Inner-City Fishing Program, and we need to do a little shoreline improvement so they can reach the water. Wear sturdy clothes and shoes (waders if you have them), hat, sunscreen, and gloves. Bring a refillable water bottle if you have one. We’ll provide water and refreshments, as well as any tools that are needed. Enter the park at the east end of North Camino Alto, off Tuolumne past the Sutter Solano Medical Center. Please RSVP by emailing info@VallejoWatershedAlliance.org or calling (707) 652-7812.

EXTRA CREDIT! Alliance volunteers are also planning to help at the Vallejo Beautification Commission’s annual Beautify Vallejo Cleanup on Saturday, March 21 from 9:00 to noon. Meet at the west end of Sereno Drive (Off Sonoma Blvd, between Carl’s Jr. and Smart & Final). Volunteers are encouraged to bring gloves, buckets, and pickers. Lunch will be provided. RSVP to this event at tinyurl.com/uf4msay.

Saturday, February 15                9 a.m. to Noon

We’re in the second year of habitat restoration at Lake Dalwigk, and we need your help! For this portion of the work, we will be planting trees around the perimeter of the lake. Wear comfortable clothing and closed-toe shoes, hat, sunscreen and gloves. We will provide all the necessary tools, as well as refreshments. Park on Fifth Street, near Lake Dalwigk Park. Walk down steps into park. Please RSVP to Info@VallejoWatershedAlliance.org or call (707) 652-7812.

Saturday, January 18            9 a.m. to noon

We’re heading into the second year of habitat restoration work at Lake Dalwigk, and we need your help! For this portion of the work, we’ll be planting grass and sedge plugs along one side of the park.

Wear comfortable clothing and closed-toe shoes, hat, sunscreen and gloves. We will provide all the necessary tools, as well as refreshments. Park on Fifth Street, at Bennett Ave. Walk up the park path towards Curtola Avenue, and you’ll see our group.

Please RSVP to Info@VallejoWatershedAlliance.org or call (707) 652-7812.

Thank you for volunteering this year! We hope you have a happy and healthy holiday season, and look forward to our next activity on Saturday, January 18, 2020. Details will be posted here in early January. If you’d like to be on our mailing list, use the link on the home pages of this site, or email us at Info@VallejoWatershedAlliance.org.

Saturday, November 16     9:00 a.m. to noon

It’s time to refresh the bark path in the native grass meadow, so that park visitors can enjoy it and reduce damage to native plants. We’ll meet in Hanns Park (entrance lot is on Skyline off Redwood Parkway). Wear comfortable clothes, sturdy shoes, hat, sunscreen, and gloves. We’ll bring water, refreshments, and tools. RSVP to Info@VallejoWatershedAlliance.org.

Habitat Restoration in Hanns Park Burn Area

Saturday, October 26, 9 a.m. to noon

A recent fire in one of our habitat restoration sites on the Blue Rock Springs Creek Corridor creates an opportunity to reseed the area with native grass and pollinator plants. Park in the Hanns Park lot on Skyline off Redwood, and walk up the bike path to mile marker 0.34. Wear comfortable clothes, sturdy shoes, hat, sunscreen, and gloves. We’ll bring water, refreshments, and tools.

Please join us on Saturday, September 21 from 9 a.m. to noon. You can find us at the Alliance cleanup site on the corner of Fairgrounds Drive and Coach Lane, or if you want to clean at a different site in town, email Info@ValcoreRecycling.org and they’ll help you find your spot. Wear closed-toe shoes, sturdy clothes, hat, sunscreen and gloves. Bring a bucket or water bottle if you have them. All participants will need to sign a waiver; volunteers under age 18 will need one signed by their parent/guardian. We’ll have waivers on site, or you can get yours in advance on Valcore’s website at www.ValcoreRecycling.org. See you there!