January 2020 Bulletin

Alpine Watershed Group works to preserve and enhance the natural system functions in Alpine County's watersheds for future generations through collaboration, education, and proactively implementing stewardship projects.

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Good Eats, Good Company

Please join us to potluck at our first bimonthly meeting of the decade. AWG staff and board members will provide main dishes and welcome you to bring your favorite side dish, dessert, or non-alcoholic beverage to share.

AWG Potluck
Tuesday, January 14, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Woodfords Indian Education Center in Hung-A-Lel-Ti
96 Washo Blvd #B, Markleeville

Please bring your own dishware to help reduce waste.

For more information, contact Mo at awg.mo.loden@gmail.com or (530) 694-2327.

FLYER

New Year New Us
We Are Excited to Welcome Our New Staff Member…

Helen Fillmore joins us as our new Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator. She is a member of the Washoe Tribe and grew up nearby on the Dresslerville reservation located next to the Carson River in Nevada. After graduating from Douglas High School, she went to the University of Washington in Seattle where she received a B.S. in Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management. There she worked with researchers in the UW Wildland Fire Sciences Lab, and spent her summers as a wildland firefighter. Helen went back to school in 2015 and earned a M.S. in Hydrology at the University of Nevada, Reno. As part of the Native Waters on Arid Lands project, she worked under Dr. Loretta Singletary for several years conducting community climate resilience research and outreach. Helen spends much of her free time with her nieces and nephews, and visiting with family and friends at community events. Above all, she has a great passion for the health and wellbeing of her traditional homelands, and the people who depend on them.

For inquiries about outreach, education, and volunteer activities, please contact Helen at awg.helen@gmail.com or (530) 694-2327.

Wander Your Watershed

All About Snowpack: Is This Normal?

Snow Water Equivalent Measurements in Alpine County, CA
Retrieved January 2, 2020, from https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/

Climate in the Sierras is notoriously variable from year to year, and so is our snow. We’ve heard that no two snowflakes are alike, and we know that snow comes in many different shapes, sizes, and forms. This makes it a bit challenging to decide what a “normal” snowpack is, and how to measure it. If we’re going skiing this weekend, for example, we might be more interested in snow depth. If we’re more interested in how full our streams may be when the snow melts this spring, then we’ll want to know what our snow water equivalent (SWE) measurements are. Luckily, in Alpine County, there are fourteen different snow telemetry (SNOTEL) sites that measure snow in several different ways. Because these stations are automated, we can access this data online in real time. That’s right! Even though Ebbetts Pass is closed for the winter, these SNOTEL sites help tell us how much snow is covering our mountains.

Click here for full article…

2020 Water Quality Monitoring Dates
It’s never too early to plan ahead

March 12 – 14
June 11 – 13
August 6 – 8
September 10 – 12

Contact Helen for more information, and/or to sign up to help monitor!
awg.helen@gmail.com

Community Announcements
Help Us Count
The United States Census of 2020 is beginning soon, and the Census Bureau is still recruiting to fill temporary, part-time Census Taker positions. An accurate census is crucial to ensuring that Alpine County gets its share of resources. It would be ideal to have local community members fill these positions. If you know someone who might be interested in applying, please encourage them to apply online or call (855) JOB-2020. They are also welcome to contact Alpine County US Census Recruiting Assistant January Riddle at (619) 993-2606 or januaryridl@yahoo.com.

Until next time!

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PO Box 296 │ 50 Diamond Valley Road
Markleeville, CA | 96120 United States

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