November 2020 Bulletin
Alpine Watershed Group is Celebrating 20 Years!
Thanks to you, our volunteers, supporters, and friends, we are celebrating our twentieth anniversary this month! Way back in November 2000, a small group of volunteers were inspired to do more in our community. This small group of stakeholders formed Alpine Watershed Group to better protect and improve the five headwater watersheds that lie within Alpine County. Our group has since grown to have the leadership of a board of directors and paid staff, and AWG involvement extends far beyond county lines. We have completed so, so many boots-on-the-ground restoration projects, collected over 17 years of water quality data, and provided extensive education and outreach to children and adults, residents and visitors. Our board and staff are proud to work with our special and dedicated community of volunteers in an area so unique with its vast public lands.

Please consider a donation during our month of celebration! $20 for 20! Or $200 or $2,000—we will put your donation to good use. Whether you are a long-time donor or a first-time supporter, we appreciate you marking this anniversary with a gift of any size. Thank you for helping Alpine Watershed Group reach two decades.

DONATE
Want more details about the recent Hope Valley bank stabilization project?
Tune in to our upcoming meeting—info below.
Or check out the project webpage.
If you have any questions, please contact Mo at awg.mo.loden@gmail.com.
Upcoming Meeting
We will be using Zoom, so you can participate from either your computer or your phone.
Restoration Projects in the
West Fork Carson River Watershed

Tuesday, November 10, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Please share the FLYER!

This meeting is part of the West Fork Carson River Vision Project process led by the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. We will have a panel of speakers discussing completed and planned restoration projects in the West Fork Carson River watershed. US Forest Service (USFS) staff will also present on USFS roads and projects to address road issues, continuing the discussion started at our September forum.


You can find more information on this innovative framework for improving water quality here.

For more information, contact Ky at (530) 694-2327 or awg.ky.osguthorpe@gmail.com.

Wander Your Watershed

“Are You Picking up Trash?”
By Kimra McAfee


The two ladies were sitting, socially distanced, in camping chairs on the other side of the floodwall in Heritage Park. I was glad one of them questioned me, because I was trying not to draw too creepily close to them, but I needed to make sure I was being thorough.


“Well, we are doing a cigarette butt audit for the county’s Tobacco Program … but we are also picking up any other trash we see.”

“Because we come here every week, and we keep seeing this Gatorade bottle. But we haven’t picked it up,” one of the women said with chagrin, “so would you mind taking it, please?” She reached out with a 32-ounce bottle still half-full of Gatorade.

I’d been there: taking my usual walks and thinking, “Next time, I will bring a plastic bag to pick up trash.” And gloves. And hand sanitizer.

The point of this month’s Wander Your Watershed is to encourage you to pick up trash whenever you wander. In this mad year where we creek freaks couldn’t come together for Creek Day to pick up garbage and help with other watershed stewardship tasks, this is something you can do day in and day out. Alpine County has been heavily hit with visitors … and their debris, despite or perhaps because of the pandemic. Please be safe, but please don’t hesitate to pick up what others have left behind.

A shout out to some folks who have been leading the way: Andy and Rita Lovell, who have been scouring dispersed campgrounds; Michael and Barbara Barton, who tended AWG’s Adopt-A-Highway stretch in June; and Rich Harvey and Dan Kaffer, who are gearing up to lead another pass of this Highway 89 stretch from Markleeville Campground to the cutoff to Monitor Pass.

And what did Ky and I get from our pass at Heritage Park, Markleeville Library Park, and downtown Markleeville? Ninety-three cigarette butts, six more pieces of tobacco litter, a bag of trash each, and several heartfelt thank yous from folks who saw us at work.

Thank you, watershed community, for helping AWG keep garbage out of our rivers!


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Until next time!

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