September
1, 2003
SINBAD CREEK HAS BEEN a vital element in
the Sunol environment for as long as there has been a Sunol.
In the center of town Sinbad flows into the Alameda Creek, which,
if you happen to be a steelhead trout or a salmon, is on your
map to life in the San Francisco Bay. I bring this up to emphasize
the importance of the mission of the Alameda Creek Alliance
to all Sunolians and, for that matter, all the folks in the
Bay Area.
I know I've talked about ACA before, but in case you don't
know about its valuable work, ACA is a community watershed group
dedicated to protecting and restoring the natural ecosystems
of the Alameda Creek watershed. Its primary mission is protecting
and improving habitat for endangered, threatened, and sensitive
native species.
ACA's immediate focus is restoring runs of steelhead trout
and salmon attempting to ascend Alameda Creek to spawn and to
ensure self-sustaining populations of these fish. This involves
working to remove or modify barriers to fish migration and to
supply adequate water flows for spawning, rearing and out-migration
of juvenile smolts to the Bay.
Participation in the organization is on an individual basis,
not as a representative of any agency, business, or political
group. Next month at the ACA membership meeting on October 28
at 7 p.m. in the Sunol Glen Community Room, there will be an
election to choose the organization's Board of Directors. Jeff
Miller, ACA Director, has put together an interim board, which
is currently working on incorporating the ACA as a non-profit
organization and creating the bylaws of the organization.
The interim board consists of Jeff, Derrell Bridgman, Rich
Cimino, Brendan Cummings, Larry Dennis, Peggy Olofson and Scott
Taylor. The long-term purpose of the Board is to provide vision
and strategic direction for ACA, hire and direct the activities
of any staff, organize volunteer committees, and help fundraise
and do outreach for the organization.
All ACA members will be able to vote for Board members at the
October 28 meeting or by mail or e-mail prior to the meeting.
If you're not sure if you are an ACA member or not, or wish
to join, please contact Jeff at 510-845-2233, by mail at P.
O. Box 192 Canyon, CA 94516, or through ACA's web site at http://www.alamedacreek.org.
You can become a member up to the day before the meeting and
still vote. Ballots with candidate statements will be sent to
all current members about a month before the election.
According to Jeff, at least six of the seven interim board
members will be running for election. You can run for the Board
if you have been an ACA member for at least one year, agree
with the mission statement, objectives and purposes of the ACA
(listed on the web site), and do not have a possible conflict
of interest such as employment by any of the water or land management
agencies in the watershed.
If you are interested in running for the board, please contact
Jeff for information on the qualifications and what you need
to address in a brief candidacy statement. The deadline to get
your name in the running is September 22. It would be great
to have a Sunolian on the ACA board.
AN ANNIVERSARY SUGGESTION: Next week we all face the
2nd anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Though
I would not normally do this, I'm going to share something a
wise and trusted friend sent me by e-mail. On September 11 this
year, people all over the world are invited to participate in
what is being called the Poetic Attack. We are being asked to
leave home that day carrying a book to be left at a cafe, park,
or any other public place where someone is likely to find it.
Inside the book, write a dedication stating clearly that the
book is a gift to be kept by the finder.
This sort of connection from one stranger to another is the
opposite of terrorism and sends a positive message about sharing
knowledge, literature, and poetry. I'm going to do it and I
hope someone leaves a book somewhere for me to find.
CALENDAR REMINDER: Don't forget the Cub Scout organizational
meeting Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Sunol Glen cafeteria. Leaders
are needed to keep our troop going, so please think about helping
out. Contact Judy Bettencourt at 925-862-0111 for information,
or e-mail her at judybettencourt@comcast.net