Page 59 - Sonoma County Gazette November 2018

Art on the Street for Cleaner Creeks
Watershed Clean-ups
Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods - We encourage new volunteers to attend one of the three orientations for new or returning volunteers and education seminars. Info. Sarah Angulo 707-869-9177 ext 5.
Armstrong/Austin Creek Trail Crew Sonoma Coast Trail Crew
Earth Day Cleanup
Fife Creek Restoration
Opportunities include:
Willow Creek Restoration.
City of Santa Rosa - Creek Stewardship Program conducts this monthly
cleanups INFO: srcity.org/calendar, www.firstsaturdaycleanup.org
Nov. 3 and Dec. 1 ~ First Saturday Cleanup - Olive Park, 105 Orange St, Santa Rosa on Prince Memorial Greenway (ages 5 and up) Sat 10a - 12p . Help take care of Santa Rosa Creek which provides a home for river otter, kingfishers, steelhead trout. Tools and refreshments provided.
Nov 17 ~ Colgan Creek Volunteer Days (ages 8 and up) - Cleanup and nurture the restored Colgan Creek. home to native California establishing a foothold in their first years. Tools and refreshments provided. Meet at Colgan Creek trail by Burgess Drive at Bellevue Ave.
Clean River Alliance and Creek Stewardship Program - These
family-friendly workdays are a fun and productive way to help beautify a park or community center through tasks such as litter pickup, spreading mulch, cleaning play area equipment and picnic barbecues, weeding, and more. Hand tools
and gloves will be provided, or bring your own (no power tools). Children are welcome but must have adult supervision. Cleanups are held rain or shine!
Nov 17 & Dec 15 ~ Santa Rosa Creek 10a-12p, Olive Park, 105 Orange Street, Santa Rosa. Contact Robin for more information @ 707-293-8050
Adopt-A-Beach®- The Coastal Commission runs a year-round cleanup program. Help us keep the California coast debris-free all year long. Info: www. coastal.ca.gov
Park-A-MonthVolunteerProgram- 2nd Saturday of the month offers fun, family-friendly events where residents can make a difference in their parks. help beautify a park or community center through tasks such as litter pickup, spreading mulch, cleaning play area equipment and picnic barbecues, weeding, and more. Hand tools and gloves will be provided, or bring your own (no power tools). Children are welcome but must have adult supervision. Cleanups are held rain or shine! 9am - 12, rain or shine. INFO: 707-543-3279 volunteer@srcity.org
Nov. 10, Steele Lane Community Center, 415 Steele Ln, Santa Rosa
Dec. 8, Bennett Valley Senior Center, 704 Bennett Valley Rd, Santa Rosa
Laguna Stewardship Days - Volunteers assist in willow sprigging, exotic plant removal, native plant and tree planting, trails construction and maintenance. Training is provided. Snacks are on us, but do bring gloves, water, and a friend! No RSVP required. Laguna Environmental Center 900 Sanford Rd., Santa Rosa. INFO: 707-527-9277 x.101, or ww.lagunafoundation.org
Nov 10 & Dec 15 - 9a – 12p - Stewardship days are held once a month on a Saturday. Details and tasks vary depending on the season and site location. Children welcome but must be able to participate & supervised at all times.
School Yard Clean Up - Want your students to participate in Coastal Cleanup Day but can’t get them out on a field trip to a beach or local waterway? Want to show them that environmentally responsible behavior can begin at their school and in their own neighborhood? You can organize a Schoolyard Cleanup and accomplish all of these goals. Info: www.coastal.ca.gov
Volunteers Needed - 9a-1p Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, 2605 Adobe Canyon Rd, Kenwood, trailscouncil@sonic.net, john@sonomaecologycenter.org
Nov 8, Dec 13 ~ 2nd Thursday Trail Crew ~ No experience necessary – we have tools and trained crew leaders with tasks for all strengths and sizes of volunteers. In order to make sure we have enough tools and after-work beverages reply to trailscouncil@sonic.net if you plan to attend.
Nov 22 & Dec 27 ~ 4th Thursday Trail Crew ~ Work includes bridge and step construction, installing signs, clearing, lifting, carrying and hiking. Help Sugarloaf with trail restoration work. Bring gloves, hat, and water that you can take with you while working. Wear long pants, boots or sturdy shoes and sunscreen. Poison oak is present. Those under 18 years old must be accompanied by a responsible adult. We will provide tools, food and beverages.Sep 7 - Dec 7 ~ Native Plant Garden Volunteer Day - Laguna Foundation
By Stephanie Lennox, Envirichment A creative and collaborative
project blending public art, youth
job training, environmental stewardship and education was recently accomplished in the Historic Railroad Square area of Santa Rosa.
Looking along Wilson Street at the
corners of 4th and 5th Streets adjacent
to Chevy’s and Aroma Roasters you
will now find five storm drain curb
faces adorned with environmentally-
themed art. These are the first
artistically painted storm drains on
Santa Rosa’s 18,000 drains that connect to the 100-mile network of creeks flowing through town. The project hopes to realize real-time health benefits to local water quality and creek wildlife habitat by creating this storm drain art.
On Sunday October 7th, project collaborators Artstart, Envirichment and the City of Santa Rosa’s Creek Stewardship Program pulled together months of planning and 14 volunteers/staff to install the storm drain art.
In 5 hours, 5 storm drain curb faces were transformed with hand-painted images of four native fish species swimming on a multi-hued blue and green painted waterway flowing into each storm drain. Going along the water’s flow is written,
“Drains to Santa Rosa Creek” and “Ours To Protect”.
Prior to October’s successful installation day, the Creek Stewardship Program worked with Artstart’s Youth Internship Program, providing environmental education about Santa Rosa creeks and the storm drain system connection to creek health. Over this past summer, interns spent time exploring Santa Rosa Creek and also learned about everyday pollution challenges like trash, soap, paint, sediment and more that can flow into the creeks from storm drains.
Youth artists used knowledge of our creeks along with guidance from professional artists and their talented minds and hearts to hand paint the images of Sacramento Sucker, California Minnow, Threespine Stickleback and Steelhead Trout that now swim around five Historic Railroad Square storm drains.
Inspiring people to care for creeks by caring about what flows into storm drains is a proven method to decrease water pollution and improve creek water quality.
Trash and other pollutants flowing into our waterways is a real problem for our collective health. With this challenge in mind, the project hopes
to continue installing storm drain art in the City of Santa Rosa and also throughout Sonoma County. Artstart is excited to continue collaborating, creating storm drain art, encouraging care for our creeks and fostering environmental stewardship for volunteers and artists in their youth internship programs.
For more information about Art on the Street for Cleaner Creeks project contact Artstart www.artstart.com and go to
www.gofundme.com/art-on-streets-for-cleaner-creeks INFO: envirichment.com, Stephanie@envirichment.com, (707) 206-5147
“Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.” ~ Albert Einstein
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