November 2024 Newsletter

Alpine Watershed Group protects, conserves, and restores the watersheds of Alpine County by promoting sustainable community and science-based collaborative solutions.

The annual GivingTuesday celebration of generosity is December 3. If you love Alpine County’s watersheds, please help AWG continue our good work into 2025 by making a donation. Donations help cover tree planting volunteer events, seedling survivability surveys, water quality monitoring including harmful algal bloom monitoring, and Creek Day.

The above photo shows Curtz Lake, where AWG helped lead volunteers to plant trees for Arbor Day 2024, and led a field trip in May for Diamond Valley School students to plant trees and learn about bugs and birds through observation. Our Fellows are continuing to monitor the seedlings planted here and at Turtle Rock Park on past volunteer tree planting days.

Thank you for helping us do all we can to research, restore, educate, and inspire watershed stewardship.

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What Are AWG Staff Thankful for?

Scarlet monkeyflower growing along Musser and Jarvis Creek

Bella Kurtz: I am grateful for my fellowship position through California Climate Action Corps (CCAC) with AWG because it has allowed me to immensely expand my understanding and knowledge of Alpine County ecosystems. I enjoy monitoring the Musser and Jarvis Restoration project the most because seeing the positive impacts from the restoration efforts immediately following the 2021 Tamarack Fire inspires me to continue working towards reforesting the local landscape.

Kaitlyn taking a photograph for beaver monitoring

Kaitlyn Garber: I am grateful for a year of working outside in the beautiful landscapes of Alpine County! I am also grateful to the local community for making me feel welcome and encouraging me. I'm looking forward to another year of getting to make such a great impact on my environment.

Kimra listening to American Rivers Faith Valley Restoration Project update

Kimra McAfee: I am grateful to get to work with AWG’s exceptional staff and dedicated board, for the opportunity to spend time with AWG’s kind volunteers, and for the generous support of AWG’s donors and funders. Every one of these folks has offered patience to me, whether they realized it or not, and without that I could not greet each day with gratitude as I struggle to keep all the AWG balls in the air. Thank you all for allowing me to serve this place and do what I can for our watershed community.

Rachel and her son Ollie with a Jeffrey pine seedling

Rachel Maurer: I am grateful for the opportunities this year to bring AWG’s work into the classroom at Diamond Valley Elementary School and Bear Valley School. I always find that I learn as much from the students as I have to share with them through environmental education activities. I am also grateful for the opportunity to involve my family in the work that Alpine Watershed Group does.

Vegetation recovering post-Tamarack Fire

Neil Mortimer: I am grateful for the ability to learn from my past mistakes and to grow as an individual member of a community with a purpose much larger and vastly more purposeful than if I were to travel through this life alone. I am truly thankful for my gainful employment and each paycheck that I earn as I undertake on a new era in my career, leaving the past behind in search of a new path that focuses on the wellbeing of the people I engage with, purposefully considering the land and its non-human inhabitants that provide us all with so much to be grateful for, as well as the waters that flow forth from the landscape that some of my ancestors occupied for countless generations. The work of restoration is ongoing and is necessary from my perspective. Alpine County’s landscape has and does offer so much to those who live within its political boundaries as well as those who travel through and purposefully visit this area. I hope to give more than I have taken in all aspects of my existence, and I do know how fortunate that I am to live as I do. Obscurity can only alter your perspective if you do not know what you are looking for.

Where Would We Be without Our Fellows?

California Climate Action Corps graciously granted AWG two fellows again for the 2024-2025 term. We are so fortunate that Kaitlyn Garber and Bella Kurtz both applied to serve another year with AWG (ending on August 15, 2025). After working as an AWG employee during the gap month, Bella started her new term by leading Creek Day on September 21. Kaitlyn spent her first month of the new term as the lead for the October tree planting event. Please join us in welcoming back Bella and Kaitlyn as Climate Resiliency Fellows serving Alpine County!

Togetherness in Tree Planting

On Saturday, October 26, the Forest Health Community Working Group (FHCWG) hosted another tree planting event. What a wonderful morning of impact and community! The planting took place on US Forest Service land within the burn scar of the 2021 Tamarack Fire, near Markleevillage off of Pleasant Valley Road. The opportunity to volunteer gave those affected by the fire a chance to be an active part of the reforestation. This marks the third event of its kind hosted by the FHCWG. Much like the others, the atmosphere was cheery and hopeful. Thanks to the hard work of the 37 volunteers who participated, 320 Jeffrey pine seedlings were planted over about two acres of the burn scar. Events like this inspire us with their spirit of collaboration, and we are thankful to the Sugar Pine Foundation for donating the seedlings, to the US Forest Service for their partnership, and to all of the members of the FHCWG for their support. The FHCWG anticipates hosting an Arbor Day event in April, so we look forward to seeing everyone again then.

An aerial view of volunteers planting trees across the landscape

Volunteers and partners gather for a group photo.

AWG Featured in AP Article

This month AWG was humbled to be featured in an article by the Associated Press, written by Thalia Beaty. The article references AWG’s dedicated River Monitor volunteers, and specifically their daring snow adventures in the name of gathering water quality data. (Thank you, Paula Pennington and Jim Dunn, for your extreme dedication to your site!) In this month of reflection, this article is a great way to share the story of AWG with friends and family.

Upcoming AWG Events

Wednesday, December 18, 5:00 p.m. – AWG Board Meeting

As you gather with your loved ones and reflect on gratitude, please consider a year-end gift to AWG. We are a very small nonprofit organization, and donations are a critical part of our budget. Your gift helps us to do all that we do to lead our community in watershed stewardship.

DONATE

AWG has earned a 2023 Gold Seal of Transparency with Candid! Check out our Nonprofit Profile here.

Ways to Connect or Help

We always love to hear from our watershed community! Below are email links to reach AWG's staff, or reach us at AWG's office at (530) 694-2327. Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Kimra McAfee, Executive Director

Rachel Maurer (Kieffer), Headwaters Coordinator

Neil Mortimer, Forest Health Coordinator

Bella Kurtz, Climate Resiliency Fellow

Kaitlyn Garber, Climate Resiliency Fellow

Contact Us!

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Until next time!

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

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