Romick in Oakley

The sound of a distant train, the soft murmur of a sleeping child, the gentle clatter of a wind chime, early morning melodies of song birds, a baby giggling, doves cooing. Sounds are ubiquitous. They wake us in the morning, they alert us in times of trouble, can trigger memories and be a source of enjoyment. Yet in today’s world they can often be a major source of annoyance.

For example: that blasting sound coming from your child’s boom box, the 6am startup of the lawn mower, the constant roar of traffic on a busy street, late night barking dogs, the dripping of a faucet in the middle of the night – those are all noise. Derived from the Latin word “nausea”, meaning sickness, the word “noise” is defined as “unwanted sound”.

The problem with noise is that it is not only unwanted, but can adversely effect physical as well as mental health. Excessive noise can induce hearing loss, high blood pressure, sleep loss, cardiovascular problems and headaches. The psychological impact of noise can be annoyance, stress, nervousness, tenseness, despondency, aggression and a hindrance to communication. Occupational noise exposure claims more victims each year than any other occupational injury.

The strength or intensity of sound is measured in decibels (dB). The decibel scale is based in powers of 10. The sound intensity multiplies by 10 with every 10 decibel increase. For example, while 10 decibels is 10 times more intense than one decibel, 20 decibels is 100 times more intense (10 x 10, not 10 + 10) and 30 decibels is 1000 times more intense (10 x 10 x 10) than one decibel. We hit our threshold for pain between 120 and 140 dB. Sound begins to damage our hearing at a much lower level — somewhere between 80 dB and 85 dB if the exposure is long enough. The following tables list some fairly common noises and the decibel level:

• (dB) level 0 - barley audible
•                    30 - a whisper in church
•                    60 - normal conversation
•                    90 – a running lawn mower
•                 100 – a chain saw
•                  115 – a rock concert
•                  140 – a jet engine
•                  180 – lift off!

Noise can be a key factor in determining the quality of our environment. Noise effects us at home, at work and at play. The State of California recognized this relationship between noise and quality of life and in 1976 added the Noise Element to the list of required elements of the General Plan.

The purpose of the Noise Element is to retain and protect the quality of life by first identifying sources of noise. Then implement measures and possible solutions to prevent, reduce and control noise.

California State Government Code section 65302(f) states “ The general plan shall include a noise element which shall identify and appraise noise problems in the community.” Using guidelines provided by the Office of Noise Control in the State Department of Health Services the element must analyze noise levels from the following sources;

• highways and freeways
• primary arterials and major local streets
• passenger and freight trains
• airport operations
• local industrial plants
• other ground source identified by the city

As development continues it is imperative that the Noise Element is tightly entwined with the Land Use, Housing and Circulation Elements. If these elements are not carefully planned the results can be intrusive noise which could degrade the quality of life for residents and visitors.

A Thanksgiving adventure that I can’t duplicate

Join us, Saturday, December 5th, for the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at City Hall, 3231 Main Street.  The festivities will begin at 5:00pm with free refreshments, arts & crafts, performances by the Freedom High choir and the Oakley Elementary School District Chorus.  Santa will be on hand for photos (bring your camera).  Join with us in Christmas carols as we light our 30’ grand Christmas tree.  For info, call (925) 625-7041 or coelho@ci.oakley.ca.us.

Holiday Boutique
Come shop for the holidays!
Sunday, December 6th
9 am – 3 pm
Pocahontas/Redmen Hall, 1403 Main Street

BREAKFAST WITH SANTA
Saturday December 12
The City of Oakley presents the 1st annual “Breakfast with Santa” on Saturday,
December 12th at the Black Bear Diner. Santa will dine and visit with children and their
families. Two breakfast times are available: the first is at 9:00 am and the second is at
11:00 am. The fee is $8 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Pre‐registration is
required through the Recreation Division. Space is limited, for more information please
call (925) 625‐7041.

Join us for the 2nd Annual Holiday Gift Workshop. Children can make personalized gilfts to give to friends and family. Fee includes all materials and a snack. Space is limited, register early!

Session 1 (Ages 3-5)
Friday, December 11th
6-8 pm
$20 residents
$25 non-residents
Deadline December 4th

Session II (Ages 6-11)
Friday, December 18th
6-8 pm
$20 residents
$25 non-residents
Deadline December 11th

Register at City Hall, 3231 Main Street.
For more information call Recreation at 625-7041 or email Cindy at coelho@ci.oakley.ca.us.

Christmas Trees                     

POMPEI NURSERY                                      
4701 Main Street, Oakley
925-625-7330

Our Christmas trees will be available Friday following Thanksgiving Day. We will have a variety of sizes ranging from 5 ft. to 11 ft. in Noble Fir, Grand Fir, Douglas Fir and Silver Tip. They are from Oregon and arrive here very fresh. We keep them in water until purchased to insure freshness and safety. We will also have living potted trees in Pine, Cedar, and Spruce.

We are passing some savings on to you for the cut trees since our supplier has lowered his wholesale prices. Consequently, we are able to offer you a lower price per tree this year in addition to the savings coupon attached. For example, a 5ft. Noble will be priced at $55.00. With the 20% coupon, your price will be $44.00 plus tax.

Poinsettias in red, pink, and white will be available in 61/2 inch pots and 14inch bowls beginning Friday, November 27th.

Our business hours, starting November 27th. will be 9:00am until 7:00pm Wednesday through Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday.

Boy Scout Troop 152
Parking Lot Behind Scheer Home Systems
3460 Main St. Oakley

The term “Section 8” is often used as a scare tacit when certain types of development are discussed. It’s been an issue in Antioch and concern here in Oakley. There does seem to be a lot of confusion about exactly what it is and how it works. I’m not going to get into the pros and cons of the program. My purpose here is to merely provide a brief introduction to the program.

Section 8 is best defined as a program that is run by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide housing for low income families. This program is more commonly known as Section 8, the reference to the portion of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937 under which the original subsidy program was authorized. It provides the housing for low income families through the use of a voucher system. The voucher system is administered by local housing authorities. In our case, and the majority of cities in Contra Costa, this local housing authority (HA) is the county. The program’s primary purpose is to provide rental assistance to low-income families for affordable housing. Recipients of the assistance receive a voucher to rent homes in the private market. The voucher covers a portion of the rent and the tenant is expected to pay the balance. The tenant’s share of the rent is an affordable percentage of their income, which is generally between 30 to 40 percent of the monthly income for rent and utilities.

To be eligible for Section 8 housing assistance, a family must meet several requirements. They must be citizens or have eligible immigration status, and they must qualify as a “low or very low income” family, according to local income standards. Generally this means that their family income is below 50% of the median income for the area. These median income levels are determined annually by HUD. According to federal law, 75% of Section 8 vouchers are to be given to families whose income level is less than 30% of the local median income.

Here is how it works. Once a family qualifies for Section 8 they are issued a voucher. The family looks for a privately owned rental unit participating in the program. Rent payment is based on income. The voucher will pay anything above 30% of the adjusted monthly income up to an established limit. For example, if the person earns $2,000 per month and the home rents for $900 per month, they would pay $600 and the voucher would cover the difference of $300 as long as the Fair Market Rent in the area is equal to or greater than $900. Section 8 vouchers are “portable”. So, once a voucher is received, it can be taken anywhere in the United States that has a public housing authority which can administer the voucher. You can literally receive a voucher in Mississippi and move to Hawaii with it.

Fair Market Rent (FMR), is defined as: “The rent, including the cost of utilities (except telephone), as established by HUD for units of varying sizes (by number of bedrooms), that must be paid in the housing market area to rent privately owned, existing, decent, safe and sanitary rental housing of modest (non-luxury) nature with suitable amenities.” In metropolitan areas HUD sets a rent level that determines which units are available under the Section 8 certificate and voucher programs. Because the FMR is based on rents throughout the metropolitan area, the FMR tends to be somewhat high relative to rents in the central city and somewhat low relative to rents in the suburbs. Someone living in a small house in San Francisco could use the same voucher to rent a much larger home somewhere in East County. With vouchers, thousands of families each year do exactly what the program expects: They migrate out of poor neighborhoods and into better neighborhoods.

For properties to participate in the Section 8 program it is a fairly simple process. The first step is to inform the local HA that your property is available, and that you would like to rent to tenants with Section 8 vouchers. The HA places the property on a listing of qualified units and then distributes it to potential tenants. For properties to qualify, they must be safe and in decent shape, yet relatively affordable. To qualify as Section 8 housing, a rental property must be within 90% to 110% of the local Fair Market Rent. No one at the city is involved in this process or notified when a home owner rents their home via Section 8.

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Michael Sheen, Dakota Fanning and Nikki Reed
Action/Adventure, Thriller, Romance, Sequel, Adaptation
2 hr. 10 min.
Rated: PG-13 for some violence and action.

Following Bella Swan’s ill-fated 18th birthday party, Edward Cullen and his family abandon the town of Forks, Washington, in an effort to protect her from the dangers inherent in their world. As the heartbroken Bella sleepwalks through her senior year of high school, numb and alone, she discovers Edward’s image comes to her whenever she puts herself in jeopardy. Her desire to be with him at any cost leads her to take greater and greater risks.

With the help of her childhood friend Jacob Black, Bella refurbishes an old motorbike to carry her on her adventures. Bella’s frozen heart is gradually thawed by her budding relationship with Jacob, a member of the mysterious Quileute tribe, who has a supernatural secret of his own.

When a chance encounter brings Bella face to face with a former nemesis, only the intervention of a pack of supernaturally large wolves saves her from a grisly fate, and the encounter makes it frighteningly clear that Bella is still in grave danger. In a race against the clock, Bella learns the secret of the Quileutes and Edward’s true motivation for leaving her. She also faces the prospect of a potentially deadly reunion with her beloved that is a far cry from the one she’d hoped for. Yahoo Movie Review

Mary’s Review – Okay. I love the Twilight series books. My daughter read them all and then made me read them as well. I will have to say I loved the movies to, as cheesy as they are. If you are not a fan of the books or if you have not read them, you may not think much of the movies. However if you have any romantic bones in your body you will love it! These kids have more chemistry than Madam Curie had test tubes! Wow what chemistry they have!!! Also if you are a teenaged girl you have to run to see this one. Even an old broad like me cannot resist the eye candy in this one. Where on earth do they keep finding these beautiful young men? I see super stardom for at least a few of them…..I will have to give this movie 2 nachos and a super spicy jalapeno

The following links are just news items and opinions that pass my desk throughout the week. I don’t necessarily support or advocate any of the items, they are just interesting reads.

Toys Under $20 – Top 20 To Buy Now

The History of the Internet in a Nutshell - If you’re reading this article, it’s likely that you spend a fair amount of time online. However, considering how much of an influence the Internet has in our daily lives, how many of us actually know the story of how it got its start?

California’s Suicide – California’s slide into fiscal oblivion continues, with no end in sight. Despite lots of budget cuts this year, a $21 billion deficit looms.

The Singularity Is Coming—Now What? – For some time now, futurists have been talking about a concept called the Singularity, a technological jump so big that society will be transformed.

More than $98 billion in taxpayer dollars spent by government agencies was wasted, much of it on questionable claims for tax credits and Medicare benefits, representing an increase of $26 billion from the previous year.

What would marijuana legalization look like? – With multiple initiatives in circulation and an Assembly bill gathering headlines, discussions about legalizing marijuana have become part of California’s political discourse.

Years of budget deficits predicted for California – California faces annual budget deficits of $20 billion even while assuming state employees would receive no salary increases through 2014-15, according to a forecast issued today by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Census: Small Cities Losing Their Appeal – Small cities between 20,000 and 50,000 residents are losing their appeal to the demographic of those seeking wholesome neighborhoods, a stable economy and affordable living.

Despite staff and spending cuts, post office lost $3.8 billion last year – The loss was $1 billion more than the year before despite job cuts and other efforts designed to save billions of dollars, postal officials said Monday.

Apple patents anti-user attention-complianceware – Apple’s filed a patent on a design for a device that won’t let its owner use it unless that person demonstrates that she has complied with an advertiser’s demands by paying attention to an ad and taking some action indicating her dutiful attention.

The Friends of Oakley – A Community Foundation is placing barrels for the collection of food and toys throughout Oakley. Your help in filling these barrels is needed. We are looking for toys for children through the age of 18 and non-perishable food items to fill Christmas Baskets for those families that find themselves in need during the Christmas season.  

A list of preferred non-perishable food items for this drive:
Pasta products; canned goods such as meat, fruit, vegetables and soup; peanut butter; macaroni and cheese; instant mashed potatoes; gelatin or Jello; cake mixes; and cake frosting.

Barrels are currently located at all elementary schools in Oakley and the following businesses.

Scheer Home Systems Services
3460 Main St, Oakley

Oakley Chiropractic
3478 Main St, Oakley, CA 94561

Visual Productions Photography
317 Oak Street, Suite B, Brentwood

Oakley City Hall
3231 Main Street, Oakley

Donations to pay for the perishable food items are always welcome

Friends of Oakley, A Community Foundation
2063 Main Street #250
Oakley, Ca 94561

Friends of Oakley, a non- profit charitable Organization (501C3) under the EIN#80-0298285.

■Helping Hands Community Thanksgiving Dinner — 6:30-8:30 p.m. Nov. 25. An outreach dinner for those in need. Food donations for the dinner are still needed. All are welcome. Mountain View Christian Center, 5000 Amaryllis St., Oakley. Pastor Tyrone Holmes, 925-625-9570.

■Free Community Thanksgiving Dinner — Nov. 26. Antioch: 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Veterans Memorial Hall, 403 W. Sixth St. Bethel Island: 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Scout Hall, 3090 Ranch Lane Road. Brentwood: 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Veterans Memorial Hall, 757 First St. All are welcome. Sponsored by Golden Hills Community Church. Call 925-516-0653.

■The Gathering Church Thanksgiving Outreach Dinner — 2-5 p.m. Nov. 22. A free dinner for the less-fortunate families in the community. 2200 Country Hills Ave., Antioch. Call Doug Macdonald, 925-628-2833.

■Grace Bible Fellowship Church Thanksgiving Dinner — 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 26. Free and open to all. 913 Sunset Ave., Antioch. RSVP by Nov. 21. Call Bernadette Watts, 925-522-2017.

■Thanksgiving Brunch and Dance — Noon-2 p.m. Nov. 21. Brunch and live entertainment featuring the Antioch Senior Flappers, and Romano Marchetti and his band. Antioch Senior Center, 415 W. Second St. Members $15, nonmembers $20. Tickets: 925-778-1158.

Starring: Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas, Will Patton, Corey Johnson
Thriller
1 hr. 49 min.
Rated: PG-13 for violent/disturbing images, some terror, thematic elements and brief sexuality.

1n 1972, a scale of measurement was established for alien encounters. When a UFO is sighted, it is called an encounter of the first kind. When evidence is collected, it is known as an encounter of the second kind. When contact is made with extraterrestrials, it is the third kind. The next level, abduction, is the fourth kind. This encounter has been the most difficult to document-until now. Set in modern-day Nome, Alaska, where–mysteriously since the 1960s–a disproportionate number of the population has been reported missing every year. Despite multiple FBI investigations of the region, the truth has never been discovered. Here in this remote region, psychologist Dr. Abigail Tyler began videotaping sessions with traumatized patients and unwittingly discovered some of the most disturbing evidence of alien abduction ever documented.
Yahoo Movie Review

Mary’s Review – This was a supposedly true story. I have my doubts about that. Yes it is weird and yes they had some very strange and disturbing “footage” but I am not buying it. I thought it was a rather poor job, at best, of trying to pass this movie as a “documentary”. It’s kind of like Michael Moore (on) trying to pass his fictitious and blatant lies off as the truth. However, I liked this movie more than Moore’s. But hey, what do I know. It’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I will give this movie a weak 1 nacho and a stale jalapeno.

The Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) is considering a toll increase on the seven state-owned Bay Area toll bridges: the Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael, San Francisco-Oakland Bay and San Mateo-Hayward bridges. (The toll proposal does not affect the Golden Gate Bridge, which is owned and operated by an independent authority.)

This proposed toll hike comes in response to the need to raise an additional $160 million in annual revenues. The chief reason the additional revenue is needed is to finance the estimated $750 million cost of necessary seismic retrofit projects on the Antioch and Dumbarton bridges. Other factors include a slow but steady decline in toll-paying traffic on the state-owned bridges during each of the past five years, increasing operational expenses and rising debt, due in part to the upheaval in the municipal bond markets over the past two years.

Toll options under consideration were presented at the October BATA Oversight Committee meeting (http://www.mtc.ca.gov/news/info/toll_increase.htm) and at the first public hearing on November 4 in Oakland. BATA will hold three additional public hearings to take public comment on these options:

Tuesday, November 17, 2009, at 6:30 p.m.
San Mateo City Hall – City Council Chambers
330 West 20th Avenue, San Mateo, California

Thursday, December 3, 2009, at 6:30 p.m.
Concord Senior Center – Wisteria Room
(located in John F. Baldwin Park)
2727 Parkside Circle, Concord, California

Monday, December 7, 2009, at 6:30 p.m.
San Francisco State University Downtown Campus
835 Market Street, Room 609, San Francisco, California

Each hearing will feature a short open house (from 6:30 to 7 p.m.) and a staff presentation (beginning at 7 p.m.) prior to taking public testimony.

Written comments will be accepted until 4 p.m., December 21, 2009. Written comments should be submitted to the BATA Public Information Office at 101 Eighth Street, Oakland, California, 94607-4700; faxed to BATA at 510.817.5848; or sent via e-mail to tolls@mtc.ca.gov. In addition, Bay Area residents who are unable to attend one of the public hearings can make their views known via an online survey at: www.mtc.ca.gov/news/get_involved. The survey will be available through December 21, 2009.

BATA Commissioners will weigh all public comment in their decision on the toll increase, scheduled for January 2010. For more information on the hearings or the proposal, visit the MTC Web site at www.mtc.ca.gov or phone the BATA Public Information Office at 510.817.5757.

Accessible Meetings: Sign-language interpreters or readers will be provided if requested at least three business days in advance; every effort will be made to provide interpreters for non-English speakers if requested at least five business days in advance. To make your request, please call 510-817-5757.

MTC/BATA Public Information

The following links are just news items and opinions that pass my desk throughout the week. I don’t necessarily support or advocate any of the items, they are just interesting reads.

Report: 10 states face looming budget disasters – In Arizona, the budget has grown so gloomy that lawmakers are considering mortgaging Capitol buildings.

Women on pace to be majority of union workers – Women are on track to become a majority of unionized workers in the next 10 years, signaling their growing clout in the labor movement.

Report shows stability in local home price – Home value depreciation in the nine-county Bay Area has slowed down in yet another apparent sign of a stabilizing real estate market, according to report released Monday.

NASA on a crusade to debunk 2012 apocalypse myths – The world is not coming to an end on December 21, 2012, the US space agency insisted Monday in a rare campaign to dispel widespread rumors fuelled by the Internet and a new Hollywood movie.

For the nation as a whole, it was the third coolest October on record.

Corruption Costs $1.6 Trillion Per Year – How much do crooked politicians and others steal every year? Nobody really knows, of course, but as the BBC reports today, the UN estimates that $1.6 trillion each year is stolen each year and moved across national borders. Tragically, much of this money is stolen from poor countries. It is bread taken out of the mouths of the poor.

Taxing our credulity - The state of California began withholding more taxes from paychecks last week. And don’t believe it if you hear this isn’t a tax increase.

Why the U.S. Needs Nuclear Power – Other clean energy sources can’t meet the needs of a growing economy.

Global Warming as Seen From Bangladesh – When the monsoon rains come, Momota Begum and her husband and children must take turns sleeping in their tiny concrete house’s one bed to escape the waste and human excrement that can wash in from outside.

Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa, Inc. is a charitable nonprofit coalition of public and private agencies, citizen advisory groups and private sector representatives, founded in 1990, dedicated to providing Meals on Wheels services to homebound elders in our county. They are the only agency in Contra Costa County raising funds specifically to provide meals for homebound elders through the countywide Meals on Wheels network.

Through donation from individuals, charitable foundations, businesses and civic groups, they subsidize a potion of all 300,000 Meals on Wheels delivered each year to by 400+ volunteers. These meals are delivered to nearly 2,200 nutritionally at risk home bound elders. Their primary service population is senior citizens aged 85 and older.

There are no paid employees in this organization so volunteers play a huge role in its success. As State and county cut backs continue to put pressure on vital in-home services such as in-home meal preparation and shopping assistance – Meals on Wheels may be the only program left to help.

Meals on Wheels needs dedicated people who will provide good cheer and nutrition to homebound and disabled residents in our community. It’s easy. All the meals are prepared and ready to be delivered. Each meal consists of one hot meal, milk, fruit and a dessert delivered five days a week, Monday through Friday. They are low sodium, diabetic friendly meals that are nutritious. Typical delivery times are between 10:30 am and 12:30 pm everyday, so all you need is a couple of hours a day.

If you would like to help, please call Donna Martin at 925-625-4545.

Monday night the California Energy Committee (CEC) conducted its first meeting to discuss the Oakley Generating Station (OGS). The meeting is the first in a 16 month process that will ensure the project meets the Energy Commission’s sitting requirements, as well as those of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Energy Commission is responsible for reviewing thermal electric power plants 50 MW and greater in California. If approved by the Energy Commission, construction on the project would begin in the first quarter of 2011, with full-scale commercial operation targeted for the fourth quarter of 2013.

Everyone familiar with the process was surprised with the attendance, around 100 (more than usual). The vast majority on hand were from Oakley and were in support of the project citing local job creation, 700 union jobs during construction, local economic stimulus and making sure that future energy needs can be met.

This project is a 600 megawatt power plant, that will use state-of-the-art General Electric gas turbine technology, powered by natural gas and be air cooled.

Our first registration for the Christmas Basket Program is complete. We registered 47 families – far from the 75 we had anticipated. We are hopeful that word of mouth will produce additional families at the next 2 registrations, Thursday, November 12 from 2:00-4:00; and Saturday, November 14 from 10:00-1:00 at the City of Oakley White House Community Annex at 204 2nd Street. Registration provides family size so food amounts can be adjusted as needed, gender and age of children so gifts can be appropriately selected and wrapped, and residence so families can be served by their assigned agency.

Thanks to those who supported the Wine, Cheese, and Children’s Art event as the proceeds for that serve as the major funding source for this program. If you know of someone who needs a place to donate to the needy, Friends of Oakley Christmas Basket Program is gladly accepting those donations. A special thanks to the UPS Store, Lauritzen Yacht Harbor and Paul’s Automotive Repair Center for their generous donations of funds; to Brent Aasen of the Equus Group (Premier Storage) for donation of boxes; and to the OUESD Admin Council for toys, funds, and gift cards. We are well on our way!

Areas of volunteer opportunity:

• Registrations ( Thursday, November 12 from 2:00-4:00; and Saturday, November 14 from 10:00-1:00) at the City of Oakley White House Community Annex at 204 2nd Street.
• Wrapping (November 30, December 7, December 14 at Oakley Elementary Room 5, 3:30-5:30)
• Set-Up-Sort-Organize at O’Hara Park Gym (December 18 4-9,December 19 9-4, December 20 9-Noon)
• Distribute (December 20 Noon-3)
• Clean-Up (December 20 3-5)

Friends of Oakley, A Community Foundation
2063 Main Street #250
Oakley, Ca 94561

Friends of Oakley, a non- profit charitable Organization (501C3) under the EIN#80-0298285.

Pictures from the first registration

Registration - applicant greeted at the door and having ID and proof of residence reviewed by one of at least 8 Spanish speaking volunteers that assisted Monday evening.

Registration table with volunteers. Every English speaking helper had a Spanish speaking helper next to them.

data was immediately input into an electronic database.

Volunteers had a good time!

The process went smoothly. Wish we could have had more families show up!

Chinook Salmon in Shallow Water in Marsh Creek - Photo by Tom Lindemuth.

Every late fall through winter, Friends of Marsh Creek Watershed (FOMCW) conducts salmon monitoring to count and document the presence of the salmon spawning up Marsh Creek. The monitoring program involves leading public walks on weekends throughout December through January, and sometimes into February. All walks are led by FOMCW volunteers. This year we will be inviting guests to join us to focus on other parts of the watershed like wildlife, water issues and plants.

It is well known that there has been a decline in salmon populations so severe that salmon fishing seasons were cancelled in past years. It is our hopes that with the possibility of wetter winter we may see more salmon this year.

This is a fun and easy walk that people enjoy. These walks provide a great service to the community by helping raise awareness about habitat restoration, preservation of natural resources, water quality and creating pride and interest in a natural feature that runs through our community.

Are you interested and available to lead walks? Salmon Walk Training will be this coming Saturday, November 14th from 9AM to 11AM. If you can’t make the training but are interested in leading walks call Diane at 925.325.2908. If you or your group is interested in attending a walk you may reserve a date by emailing info@fomcw.org or calling Diane at 925.325.2908.

Public Walk Dates: 12/5, 12/19, 1/2, 1/16 and 1/30 – Want another date? Call or email us and ask!