Patagonia (the store, not the place in South America) is giving us money! Through its annual "Voice Your Choice" campaign, Patagonia will determine how to distribute $5,000 in grants to three local enviro groups, including SPCWC. Visitors to the Palo Alto store will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite group. The top vote-getter will be awarded $2500, with the second- and third- place organizations receiving $1500 and $1000 respectively. Your vote can make a BIG difference.

This grant will become part of the "seed money" needed to propagate watershed-specific plants for future restoration projects. We recently collected seeds and cuttings from native plants in Stevens Creek County Park, but raising these plants will take money. Please, please drop into the Palo Alto Patagonia store now through October 24 and vote for us. Tell your friends and neighbors too.  No purchase is needed. Store info.

Neither poison oak, nor stinging nettles, nor angry wasps could stay our intrepid volunteers from their annual appointed rounds of Stevens Creek benthic macroinvertebrate "bug" sampling sites. Over three days we collected bug samples from eleven different sites which volunteers will identify over the coming months during our weekly sessions, or "bug clubs", with USGS stream ecologist, Steve Fend. Because of the bugs' varying tolerances for pollution, identifying which bugs we have at a particular site can tell us a lot about habitat quality. Our new site in the restored Blackberry Farm channel produced bigger and prettier bugs that we have ever seen at a site below the dam. For more information as to how to become a bug clubber and help in this important study contact programs@spcwc.org.

SPCWC once again will take part in this fun and educational event which connects families to wildlife and nature. "Through hands-on activities, interactive tables, presentations, live animal displays, an early morning bird trip, nature walks, and the California Native Wildlife poster contest, participants learn about issues related to wildlife and conservation."  Saturday, October 24^th from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm at McClellan Ranch Park in Cupertino. Details.

This year’s conference features internationally known author, Ann L. Riley, with her presentation of “Is Urban Stream Restoration Possible?” A lineup of other speakers from public, private and non-profit groups will also share their views and experiences on this important and timely topic. Plus, SPCWC will be among the twenty or so environmental groups present with displays and information on their activities. This is a great place to network with other folks working to preserve and restore watershed and creek health. The conference will be in the Cupertino Room of the Quinlan Center on Novermber 14 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.  For more information and to register for the conference.  

CNPS Native Plant Sale: Saturday, October 17, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm; Hidden Villa

Water Quality Monitoring: Sunday, October 18 at 9:00 am; McClellan Ranch

Aquatic Bug Club: Wednesdays or Thursdays at 5:30 pm; McClellan Ranch Junior Museum

Audubon Wildlife Education Day: Saturday, October 24, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm; McClellan Ranch Park 

Watershed and Creeks Conference: Saturday, Novermber 14, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm; Cupertino Room, Quinlan Community Center