Photo Friday - Morning Light

Happy Photo Friday

It's been a while since we posted any photos from Pat, one of our Watershed Keepers who helps look after our Alameda Watershed lands.

Recently Pat found himself at San Antonio Reservoir at sunrise and shared the moment with all of us. 

Have a great weekend, and see you around the Valley!

Alameda Whipsnake Sightings Near You

Here in the Sunol Valley we have a special species of snake that lives among us. It’s no other than the Alameda whipsnake or sometimes called the Alameda Striped Racer, (Masticophis lateralis euryxanthus), a subspecies of the California whipsnake (Masticophis lateralis). It has made the coastal scrub, chaparral, and grassland habitats in the hills east of the San Francisco Bay its habitat.

Known for its ability to move fast, the Alameda whipsnake has the following distinct features: broad head, large eyes and a long slender body with a distinct yellow-orange “racing stripe” down each side. Adults can grow to six feet long. They are diurnal which means that they are active mainly during the day. Surprisingly good climbers, these snakes seem to prefer to hunt for lizards, snakes, and frogs. They are not venomous and pose no threat to humans.

All of the workers on SFPUC-related construction projects in the Valley have been trained to be on the look out for these special snakes. If they see one, they stop what they're doing, and contact a trained biologist to rescue them to a safer location.



Here is an up and close picture of one rescued by our field biologist, Aaron.

November is the time of year when they look for a dry, safe burrow to hibernate during the winter. The springtime is when courtship and mating takes place, usually from late-March through mid-June.



Alameda whipsnakes are considered to be both a federally and state threatened species.









See you around the Valley!

Spraying it Green

Most of us don’t give hydroseeding much thought. As it turns out, we at the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project do.

Hydroseeding is, in essence, spreading seeds over an area after the ground has been disturbed by things like the construction of a large dam.  It is an important part of restoration and erosion control.  What is cool is the way we plant these seeds.  What we call hydroseeding was invented in the 1950's and involves mixing mulch, seed, and water together to form a slurry and then literally spraying it on the ground. This mixture increases the likelihood of germination of the plants and it holds firm to sloped areas.

One of the best times to hydroseed is the fall, which is why our teams are spending a lot of time hydroseeding now.  Our hydroseed is a mix of native annual and perennial grasses and forbs that grow quickly and easily from seed. The restoration goals for the project include establishing native plant communities. The vegetation provides habitat for threatened species and helps improve water quality.

Here is a beautiful picture of the recent hydroseeding of Borrow Area B (BAB). The green color is not green grass but a natural dye used so the contractor can track locations where they applied the hydroseed. The color will eventually disappear until the vegetation begins to grow. 






And, here is a picture of the newly hyroseeded dam. You can see the hydroseeder (truck) spraying the hydroseed onto the dam's face.  The thick lines are straw wattles used to prevent erosion on the slope.

Here is a closer picture of one of our workers spraying the hydroseed onto a steep slope.

Now we just need a nice winter's rain to help the hydroseed grow. 

See you around the Valley!

Calaveras Road Closure Extended until December 31, 2018

The Closure of Calaveras Road to through traffic between Milpitas and Sunol has been extended from Friday, November 2, 2018 to Monday, December 31, 2018.

The road will reopen to all traffic, weekdays, weekends, and holidays starting Tuesday, January 1, 2019.

Why:

SFPUC has completed the repairs to last winter’s landslide and we are now working to obtain the necessary approvals to open Calaveras road to the public.

Background:
We have been working since 2011 to replace the 93 year-old Calaveras Dam to increase the reliability of the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System, which serves 2.7 million people in four Bay Area counties.

The closure of Calaveras Road began in July 2016 to protect public safety on the extremely narrow portions of Calaveras Road while large trucks utilized the road for construction.  

Road Closure Details:
Where: Calaveras Road just south of Geary Road (entrance to Sunol Regional Wilderness) to Oakridge Road near the Alameda /Santa Clara County line.

When: 

July, 2016 through December 31, 2018. The Road will be open on weekdays, weekends, and holidays starting Tuesday, January 1, 2019.

For more information, visit sfwater.org/calaverasroad

Thank you for your continued patience. We apologize for the inconvenience.