SYLLABUS Envmt 40 From Tree to Sea: A Bay Area Cross Section Spring 2010

SYLLABUS
From Tree to Sea: A Bay Area Cross Section
ENVMT 40 CODE 24508

Hike, bike and boat Field study of ecosystems of the bay, explorations of sustainable cultural, ecotourism, and economic uses of the Bay environment. Choose any or all field trips.

1.0-3.0 units Freeman SRH, Field
Wednesdays 6:30-9:20pm, 3 Saturdays 10am-4pm 3 Sundays 10am-4pm Contact robinf5713@aol.com (510) 434 3840 office (510) 915-1452 cell, Oakland Emergency OPD: (510) 777-3211, Alameda County Sheriff Emergency: (510) 351-2020

NOTE: The field locations may change. It is strongly recommended that you attend the previous Wednesday to your selected weekend(s). Instructions will be given the evening meeting before the field day otherwise contact the instructor several days in advance for details. All the meetings and field days together are a 3 unit course. 18 hrs = 1 unit.

Wednesday 3/24 Introductions, Responsible Ecotourism, Intro Watershed and Community – What it takes to know a place and each other, re – spaces between us
6:30 – 9:30 Environmental Center (SRH): Introductions, Field walk and field information, Recording field observations, Purpose and methods of the course.

HEADWATERS

Saturday 3/27
10am: Ridge Trail and Upper Sausal Creek Watershed
Downhill through the Redwoods, some fairly steep areas. Bring on all trips: lunch, water, snacks, sunblock and sun hat and wear walking shoes and layered clothes.

Sunday 4/11
San Lorenzo Creek Upper Watershed Dinosaur Ridge
Up and downhill, some steep areas

Wednesday 4/14 SRH Tour Sunset 7:43

PEDIMENT (FOOT OF HILLS)

Sunday 4/25 San Lorenzo Piedmont or San Lorenzo Ashland / Cherryland

Wednesday 4/28 SRH Sunset 7:56, Full Moon Assemble data and review

Wednesday 5/5 SRH Sunset 8:02, half moon Lion/Arroyo Viejo watershed hike

ALLUVIAL PLAIN - SHORELINE

Wednesday 5/12 Sunset 8:08 Bay Trail San Lorenzo creek, Hayward shoreline
TBA

Saturday 5/15 San Leandro Creek
Wednesday 5/19 SRH Sunset 8:14 Final Trip Prep, Assemble data

Saturday 5/22 Raft or Angel Island

Sunday 5/23 Raft, Angel Island or Bay Trail

GRADING: This course may be taken for a letter grade or credit/non-credit. It may be taken for 1.0 to 3.0 units (18 class hours= 1 unit; If taken for a letter grade, this course satisfies the 2 unit field course requirement for the EMART majors. For Credit only; 80% class attendance is required. For a letter grade attendance, participation, and assignments are required.
ASSIGNMENTS: Most of the work is done in the field where we will record data. The text is the East Bay Watershed Center CD which contains the Intertidal Directory and the Feasibility Guide. Review these, especially the “Sample Flowchart” in the beginning of the Intertidal Directory and the “Summary”, “Study Uses” and “Goals (focusing on Stakeholders)” in the Feasibility Guide. Our responsible ecotourism assignment will be to 1) research and coordinate with local stakeholders towards supporting their goals where possible, and 2) enter the data we gather, including photos, in the East Bay Watershed Directory format. Since this may be time consuming, additional credit and hours are available through ENVMT 10, Special Projects.
FIELD DAY INFORMATION: Each trip will have its own information sheets which will be handed out either the Wednesday before or the morning of the trip or by email. NOT ALL FIELD DAYS MEET AT THE SAME PLACE. Make sure you contact the instructor beforehand if you do not have the meeting information. In all cases bring a day pack with your lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, hiking shoes or boots with lugs (ie not smooth soles except for on board the boats) camera (optional), any medication you may need, snacks, long pants and sleeves as needed and appropriate clothing for the weather conditions. The hikes are moderate to light and usually not more than 4 miles. For bicycle trips, bring a helmet, windbreaker (and wind pants, if you like) and gloves are recommended; the pace will be slow to moderate. We will carpool between the start and ending sites. Some days we will be driving between several sites. R. Freeman’s emergency cell phone (510)915-1452.



Tree to Sea Directions

Upper Sausal Creek
From Park Boulevard, just below Highway 13, turn southeastward onto Monterey (it's a frontage road, here.) Stay to the right. After 1500', just past the Montclair Golf Course, look for a trash can and trailhead sign. The trail here leads down into the redwoods -- the small stone bridge may not be passable immediately after big rain. Our Redwood Understory restoration site is a narrow band along the switchbacks that lead up to the Bridgeview Trail (1,000 feet beyond this trailhead is a pedestrian tunnel that leads under Highway 13, and into Joaquin Miller Park.)

Shuttle from Monterey Trailhead on Sausal Creek to Moon Gate:
Take Monterey ~3/4back to Joaquin Miller Rd., turn left uphill across the freeway and follow Joaquin Miller Road 1+mile up to Skyline Blvd. Turn left 2+ miles to Moon Gate dirt parking area hidden sign on right near 9383 Skyline Blvd mailboxes. Ridge trail starting point.

Upper San Lorenzo Creek
Meet at Merritt campus, parking lot E at 10am. From Merritt, turn right onto Campus Drive back to Redwood Rd. Turn right onto Redwood Rd, up the hill. You will cross Skyline Blvd, dropping into the Upper San Leandro Reservoir watershed passing the reservoir. Proceed on Redwood Rd for 10.1 miles, where the road makes a hairpin right turn and you will make a left into the Chabot Staging Area parking lot.

From Chabot Staging Area to stopping point
Make a left onto Redwood Road. After roughly 2.5 miles, you will come to Heyer Ave – make a Left onto Heyer. Take Heyer over the Cull Canyon Lagoon to Cull Canyon Rd and kake a Left onto Cull Canyon Rd. Make a Left just after the parking lot onto Columbia Dr. Follow Columbia through a sub-division for roughly 1.8 miles until it turns sharply to the right and becomes Bellhurst. Once you identify the EBMUD access drive on the left, park.

End of hike shuttle back to Chabot Staging Area
Take Bellhurst to Columbia Dr, and go back down the hill to Cull Canyon and make a Right onto Cull Canyon. Turn Right onto Heyer, and follow back to Redwood Rd. Turn Right onto Redwood Rd, and follow it roughly 2.5 miles until you see the Chabot Staging Area on your right hand side.