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Sublime Volunteerism A colossal thank you to the 68 volunteers who celebrated Earth Day with AWG on April 20 at Grover Hot Springs State Park! Surrounded by the extraordinary spring beauty of the mountains and the meadow, volunteers pulled bull thistle and mullein, spruced up the demonstration garden, tidied the campgrounds, and picked up trash. It’s a joy to work with California State Parks staff on this annual event, and we know the volunteers especially appreciated the hot springs pool passes that State Parks provided. We are also grateful to Ken McKowen of the California State Parks Foundation Park Champions Program who kept the volunteers fueled with food. Mark your calendar for the next weed pull on July 8—volunteer persistence is yielding great results at Grover!
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Happy Trails, Healthy Watersheds Please join us for our bimonthly group meeting next Tuesday, May 14, 5:30-7 p.m. at the Hung A Lel Ti Woodfords Indian Education Center. Andy Lovell of Alpine Trails Association and AWG Board Member Zach Wood will be presenting and leading a discussion on “Trails and Watershed Health: How can we work together to enhance recreational opportunities and protect Alpine County’s watersheds?” Please share the flyer and the agenda.
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Become a River MonitorAlpine Watershed Group is looking for new river monitors! As a volunteer for AWG’s river monitoring program, you will have the opportunity to explore beautiful Alpine County while collecting important citizen science data. Please join us for our river monitor training and intercalibration day on Thursday, May 30 from 4-6 p.m. Our AWG team members will train you on the newly updated equipment and teach you about important water quality parameters. All current, future, or just interested monitors are encouraged to attend this training session. Please RSVP by emailing Restoration and Monitoring Coordinator Taylor Norton.
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WANDER YOUR WATERSHED
Feast or Fatal Common name:
Western chokecherry or bitter-berry
Scientific name:
Prunus virginiana var. demissa
We are not the only ones relishing the signs of spring. Spring means the emergence of food for birds and other animals—green shoots, flowers, and, eventually, fruits and seeds. Western chokecherry, also known as bitter-berry, is a suckering shrub or small tree native to California. Some identifying features of the chokecherry are the single woody stem and the oval leaves that are finely serrated. From birds to bears, many animals rely on the fruit of the chokecherry as a food source, although it is toxic to some animals, like horses, cattle, and deer. Butterflies and bees are attracted to the flowers. As you are out and about, if you see chokecherry, please take a picture and email it and its location to Shauna at awg.snap.ed@gmail.com so we can share your photos.
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Another Chance to Be an Alpine Volunteer From any direction, as soon as hitting the county border, visitors know they’ve entered a magical place. Death Ride offers local folks an opportunity to show visitors that the people are as beautiful as the environment. AWG will again be captaining the trash, recycling, and water station at Turtle Rock Park. Thankfully, we have dedicated, recurring volunteers, and we’ll be reaching out to y’all soon.
At our first Captain’s Meeting, we learned that our Chamber of Commerce really needs more volunteers for the event’s Skeleton Squad. Please visit the Death Ride volunteer page for details and to sign up. And if you know folks who might want to ride on July 13, direct them here. This is the day of the year to ride some local roads without car traffic ... and how far you ride is your choice. Don’t let the name be daunting!
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The Little Move
The Little Library has been moved back to Turtle Rock Park Campground until the winter season. This means the campground is open again! If you need a book to read, please stop by and pick one up. If you have finished a book and want to pass it on, our library will happily house it until the next reader comes along.
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Alpine Watershed Group Meeting
Tuesday, May 14, 5:30-7 p.m.
Woodfords Indian Education Center
Flyer
Agenda Hike Alpine County
Tuesday, May 28, 4-5:30 p.m.
Meet at AWG office, 50 Diamond Valley Road in Woodfords
AmeriCorps Member Shauna Langan is hosting a #Wanderyourwatershed hike. This will be an easy walk suitable for all ages. Kids—Please bring your parents for a spring afternoon outing! Contact Shauna for more information and to RSVP. River Monitoring & Intercalibration Day
Thursday, May 30, 4-6 p.m.
On the West Fork Carson River downstream of the Woodfords/Highway 89 bridge River Monitoring Days
Thursday-Saturday, June 6-8
To learn more, please email Restoration and Monitoring Coordinator Taylor Norton.
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Events of Others Washoe Tribe Earth Day
Saturday, May 11, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Hung A Lel Ti / Woodfords Community
96 Washoe Blvd., Markleeville
This fun-filled day focuses on environmental practices like water and energy conservation, recycling, and creating climate resilience, as well as promoting healthy eating and lifestyle choices. Please stop by AWG’s table to say hi! Friends of Hope Valley Workday
Saturday, June 8, 9 a.m.-Noon
Pickett’s Junction (corner of Highway 88/89)
There will be a variety of projects to choose from; see flyer for more information, or email info@hopevalleyca.com.
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A watershed thank you to Tahoe Yoga Shala and to all who contributed through the Sunday night donation-based yoga class in March and April. A total of $251 was raised for Alpine Watershed Group!
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