JULY 2017 - JUNE 2018 Committed to inspiring Bay Area communities to understand, appreciate and protect local watersheds.

Dear Friends, ies are greener and that integrated water management is considered as we plan for new roads, waterfront Thank you for helping to make 2017-2018 an exciting zoning, install new green infrastructure and expand year for The Watershed Project! This past year, we are the urban canopy. proud to have reached more Bay Area students than ever before. The curiosity and engagement of the over While this year had challenges, many small moments, 1,600 students, including over 1,000 who came on field from a child’s curiosity examining a bug, to the impact trips to explore natural spaces, makes me confident in of dedicated volunteers to the resiliency of the natural the future of the Bay ecosystems. world, bring me optimism about the future. As this year comes to a close, I eagerly look forward to the In just one year, our programming has mobilized over next. 3,000 volunteers to join together with their neighbor- hoods, families, co-workers to make our Bay Area wa- Become a Watershed Project Rain Maker or join us for tersheds cleaner, healthier, and stronger. Through large any of our multiple stewardship activities. events such as Coastal Cleanup Day and Earth Day to smaller crews hauling on boots to monitor urban creek In Partnership, water quality and oyster populations, our dedicated volunteers show me the power we have when we come together with a common purpose. Our mission of inspiring a watershed movement to understand, appre- ciate, and protect our local watersheds is being carried out every day by our volunteers.

If you have not come down to the Richmond Green- Juliana Gonzalez way in a while, please do! We recently completed our Executive Director 13th “bead on the necklace” on the Greenway, with low impact design (LID) projects including rain urban green space together. This spring was particularly vi- brant after the rains, and our Second Saturday volun- teers experienced the explosion of growth - both of the invasive and natives! - during the spring and into the warm summer months.

In our constant effort to make our communities more resilient to climate change, this year we undertook sev- eral community planning efforts to make sure our cit-

1 The Watershed Project The Watershed Project Annual Report 2017-18

Board of Directors Contents Jane Gire, Chair Eric Hyman, Treasurer Sigrid Mueller, Secretary Watershed Education Annelise Moore Developing the next generation of watershed stewards with nature Scott Cocino 3 based STEM education programs. Patty Liao Nancy Hamil Greening Urban Watersheds Restoring natural function to the urban landscape by building green Staff 5 infrastructure with volunteers of all ages. Juliana Gonzalez Martha Berthelsen Wild Shorelines Helen Fitanides Engaging the community and building shoreline resiliency with the Paula White 7 restoration of oyster habitat in the . Phaela Peck Kat Sawyer Jesse Brown Healthy Watersheds Lauren Woodfill Preventing pollution from entering the watershed through marine Sharon Gibbons 9 debris education, trash cleanups, and inspiring behavioral change. Nikki Muench Anne Bremer Green Careers Alto Ayhan Providing local youth with experience and professional development in Joseph Clerici 11 the environmental field. Green Collar Corps Sara Gurdian Community Planning Calvin Abbott Fostering a watershed movement with expert knowledge and Manuel Alonso 13 collaboration. Gabriela Suarez

Interns Adam Weaver Calder Abbott Elliot Maroto Matt Greer Grier Gammon Kevin Vasquez

2017 Annual Report 2 3 The Watershed Project “Our 3rd and 4th graders were given a breathtaking opportunity that so many of them have not afforded themselves. Even though Redwood Regional Park is in the backyard of our Oakland students, for many it was their first time to explore its beauty and enjoy some fresh air! One particular activity our students enjoyed was taking tree branches and leaves on the ground and creating personalized homes for animals. Thank you, Kids in Creeks, for making our learning experiential and hands-on!” - Mark Montero, 3rd grade teacher, Aspire ERES Academy

Watershed Education The education team’s goal is to develop the next generation of watershed stewards. We strive to connect local kids and communities to watersheds, nature and stewardship opportunities. Our programs are aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards and take into account current best practices in science and environmental education and we are committed to providing quality STEM experiences for all students. In 2017-2018, we focused our education theory of change, creating new programs and exploring ways to bring more students on field trips. Through actual hands-on engagement in local parks and on-going projects, we believe that students can be inspired to become leaders in watershed stewardship.

1,625 1,055 19 students served students on field trips schools served

8 60% Bay Area field free and reduced trip sites lunch students

2017 Annual Report 4 “Bye Bye Basura was highly engaging and pertinent to our students. Connecting their daily lives and activities with their environmental impacts led to further discussions of human impacts on the world. The hands on introductory lesson provided a great base and following it up with a field trip within their community really brought their learning full circle. Many students cite the field trip as their favorite experience of the school year. The staff at The Watershed Project made the entire process simple and streamlined for the teachers which was SO appreciated. We can’t wait to present these amazing resources to our students year after year.” - Kelsi Kane, 5th grade teacher, Benito Juarez Elementary School

Healthy Watersheds Our Healthy Watersheds program focuses on preventing pollution from entering the watershed through marine debris education, trash cleanups, and inspiring behavioral change. We help kids and adults understand that their ordinary, everyday decisions can improve the health of our watersheds, the San Francisco Bay and the entire Pacific Ocean. Through volunteer and student driven programs, we educate and empower residents to be more mindful of their impacts on water quality by involving them directly in cleanups. This year, we continued the work of community empowerment through the successful Adopt-a- Block neighborhood beautification campaign in North Richmond. We also began a new collaboration between a network of organizations region-wide to expand creek monitoring and develop citizen science programs.

2,432 5,730 lbs trash removed from lbs of trash removed from creeks/shorelines streets

493 27 service hours provided sites sampled for Creek to the community by Monitoring Program block ambassadors

15 The Watershed Project 20162017 Annual Report 61 71 The Watershed Project “The Wild Oysters program helps students see themselves as scientists, protecting a place of great value and beauty to their community. They come away from the experience with a new sense of stewardship that they can make a difference in the protection of an important ecosystem.” - Jason Scott, Middle School Science Teacher, Bentley School

Wild Shorelines

The Wild Shorelines Program engaged 80 volunteers to monitor the reef balls and surrounding shoreline at Point Pinole during the 2017-2018 year, including several biology classes from Contra Costa College. We found barnacles making a big comeback after the low-salinity wipe-out that the shoreline experienced over the 2016-2017 winter, but oysters have not been so quick to return. We have found a handful of new oysters, and oysters seem to be making a slow comeback in other parts of the bay, so we have our fingers crossed to discover more oysters this next year.

80+ 150 volunteers monitoring volunteer citizen oysters science hours

1,000 100 square feet of oyster community built oyster substrate reef balls

2017 Annual Report 8 “Thank you for an amazing school work day on Saturday. Your team was incredibly organized and knowledgeable, and did a fantastic job of productively and safely leading the work day! It was one of the most well organized (and most complicated scopes) for a work day I’ve experienced. We’re so impressed with your team!!!” -Trudy Garber, Trust for Public Land

Greening Urban Watersheds Our Greening Urban Watersheds program restores natural function to the urban landscape by building green infrastructure with volunteers of all ages. We help communities plan and implement strategies such as bioswales, rain gardens and low-impact design projects that protect local watersheds from the pollution generated by modern life. These collaborative efforts help ensure the free flow of local creeks, reduce urban runoff, promote the spread of native plants and improve the natural beauty and biodiversity of our urban watersheds.

841 5 program volunteers participating schools

service118 learning 1,496 students volunteer hours

9 The Watershed Project 2017 Annual Report 10 111 The Watershed Project ”Being a Wild Oysters Intern was an invaluable experience for me that facilitated growth in my personal and professional development. This opportunity has empowered me to make a bigger impact on protecting our ecosystems and helped me further my career aspirations.” - Adam Weaver, Wild Oysters Intern

“Educational and satisfying for those who want to make a change for the greener.” - Elliott Maroto, WCCUSD Summer Intern

Green Careers Our Green Careers program builds the next generation of watershed stewards by providing local youth with experience and professional development in the environmental field. Through our Green Collar Corps and Internship programs, we give students and young professionals hands-on work experience and training in the fields of non-profits management and operations, environmental education, marketing and communications, program management and restoration.

10 4 high school and college GCC youth employed interns for year

7231 1,420 volunteer hours GCC hours

2017 Annual Report 12 “For me it’s very important to have more trees. The more trees we have the cleaner the air will be. It would also be great for the community if people could go for a walk along the trails to relax and find tranquility.” -Regina Cuevas, North Richmond resident and member of the Home Team Community Advisory Board

“If you want to talk about climate justice you also need to talk about housing, and tenant rights, and you have talk about all these other issues at hand.” -Tania Pulido, Community Housing Development Corporation North Richmond Community Planning By empowering community partners to do watershed stewardship in their neighborhoods, we expand our geographical scope and reach a more diverse group of people. This year The Watershed Project facilitated a community-based visioning and planning process in North Richmond as part of the nationwide Resilient by Design challenge. A community advisory board, affectionately known as the North Richmond Home Team CAB was comprised of landscape architects, North Richmond residents, community-based non-profits, and government agencies.

21 5 members of the communi- community meetings ty advisory board with Resilient by Design

100 3 active participants regional planning exercises

13 The Watershed Project 20172016 Annual Annual Report Report 14 14 Financial Report July 2017 - June 2018

Rainmakers Aaron Willems Briggs Nisbet Eric Hyman Greg Wentworth Janet Johnson John Schaaf Linda Abe Lori O’Brien Louise Pellerin

Donors Aaron Campbell, Aaron Willems, Alexia Moore, Alto Deniz Ayhan, Amelia Berthelsen, Andy Vamis, Ann Dee Clemenza, Ann L. Riley, Ann Van Steenberg, Expenses: $671,310 Revenue: $690,091 Annelise Moore, Antonio Piccagli, Bailey Hall, Bertha Leslie Siegel, Linda Abe, Coliseum College Prep Acade- National Fish & Wildlife, Office of Supervisor John McKinley, Brian Bowes, Linda White, Lisa Lackey, my, Contra Costa College, National Oceanic & Atmo- Gioia, Pogo Park, San Briggs Nisbet, Brittni Milam, Liz Bittner, Liza Dadiomov, Cox Academy, Downer spheric Administration, Re- Francisco Estuary Institute, Bruce and Sandra Beyaert, Lloyd White, Lori O’Brien, Elementary, East Bay Inno- silient by Design, Richmond San Francisco Estuary Calder Gillam, Carol Ar- Louise Pellerin, Manil vation Academy, Fairmont Community Foundation, Rose Partnership, San Pablo-Wild- nold, Chris Lim, Christine Bajracharya, Manuel Alonso, Elementary, George Washing- Foundation for Communities cat Watershed Council, Schneider, Christopher Marc Sugiyama, Margaret ton High School, Kensington and the Environment, The SPAWNERS, Urban Tilth. Erickson, Courtney Clark- Stone, Marianne Hook, Dr. Elementary, Making Waves San Francisco Foundation, son, Daniel Abbott, David Mark Heltemes, Marsha Academy, Mission High San Pablo Community Bubbles & Bivalves Yeung, Dean Muench, Deidre Lowry, Martha Berthelsen, School, Oakland Technical Foundation, Trust for Public 2017 – 20th Anniversary Triplett, Diane Ichiyasu, Ed Mary Barnsdale, Maureen High School, Oakland Uni- Land. Celebration Supporters Morales, Elaine Jackson, Lahiff, Melissa Capria, fied School District, Ocean Elizabeth Bremer, Elizabeth Michal Crawford-Zimring, View Elementary, Ohlone Business R&B Cellars, Bradford Brusati, Elizabeth Sojourner, Michelle Ochoa, Muriel Elementary School, Olinda Balance Hydrologics, Califor- Renaissance Portraits, Elizabeth Weiss, Emma Harvey, Nancy Hamill, Elementary School, Parker nia Canoe & Kayak, EPIC, Gaumenkitzel, CalShakes, Brown, Eric Hyman, Erik Ned Lyke, Patricia Wegner, Elementary School, Piedmont Farallon, Fish.,Hog Island Comal, Solano Cellars, Stromberg, Femke Freiberg, Patty Liao, Paula Kristovich, High School, Richmond High Oyster Company, Kaiser Per- Pt. Sur Lighthouse, San Fernando Cazares, Frances Paula White, Rachele Savola, School, Roosevelt Middle manente, Mechanics Bank, Francisco Hat Company, Dupont, Gayle Windham, Ralph Warner, Rebeca Gar- School, San Francisco Unified Recurrent Energy, Wareham Annie’s Annuals & Peren- Greg Wentworth, Guy Bald- cia-Gonzalez, Rebecca Ellery, School District, University Development, Waterbar, nials, Heath Ceramics, UC win, Holger Berthelsen, Holly Rebecca Jacobsen, Robert of California Berkeley, West Woodhouse Fish Co. Botanical Garden, St. George Reed, Irene Kim, James Strandberg, Ryan Bell, Contra Costa Unified School Spirits, Numi Organic Tea, Eddy Orton, Jan Mignone, Sabine von Glinski, Sailesh District, Vista High School. Community Partners Bird Versus Bird, Berkeley Jane Gire, Janet Johnson, Gurnani, Sarah Calderon, Building Blocks for Kids Col- Rep, Upswing Aerial Dance Jason Canter, Jeanine Strick- Sarun Tosirisuk, Scott Koci- Foundations & laborative, California Urban Company, East Bay Nursery, land, Jeannette MacMillan, no, Sharon Gibbons, Sheryl Government Streams Partnership, Citizens Valic: Leotha Thurman, Jeffery Hall, Jennifer Krill, Drinkwater, Stan Schwarze, Campbell Foundation, City for a Greener El Sobrante, Gerber Kawasaki, Catahoula Jim Harris, Joe Willingham, Susan Schwartz, Trudy of Albany, City of Rich- Contra Costa Watershed Coffee Company, Touchstone John Kwan, John Schaaf, John Garber, Teresa Ferrari. mond, City of San Pablo, Forum, Earth Team, East Climbing, East Brother Beer Steere, Joseph Clerici, Josh Clif Bar Family Foundation, Bay Regional Park District, Co. BAMPFA, John Muir Bradt, Juliana Gonzalez, Schools California Coastal Com- Education Outside, El Laws, Picante. Karen Cleek, Kat Sawyer, Albany Unified School mission, California Coastal Cerrito Garden Club, Friends Kate Rauch, Kathy Geritz, District, Aspire ERES Conservancy, Contra Costa of , Friends of Kirk Lumpkin, Konrad Academy, Athenian School, County, East Bay Commu- , Friends Ng, Lance Cidre, Laura Bayview Elementary, nity Foundation, East Bay of the , Amen-Kroeger, Lauren Bentley School, Benito Juarez Municipal Utilities District, Groundwork Richmond, Woodfill, Lee Micheaux, Elementary, Caliber Middle J. Vance Huckins Fund Neighborhood House of Leotha Thurman, School, of Tides Foundation, North Richmond,

15 The Watershed Project