Friends of Sausal Creek
Dimond Oak Walk

by Joan Lohman

What will be the lasting legacy of the Dimond Oak that was cut down by the City of Oakland last November?

Friends of Sausal Creek and Councilmember Jean Quan will sponsor an oak walk in Dimond Park on December 9, at 1 p.m., to teach community members some of the lessons learned about Oakland's coast live oaks since the historic tree was removed and laid in state in the park.

Friends of Sausal Creek Board member Mark Rauzon, also a geography teacher at Laney College, invites community members to meet him at the Boy Scout hut, where he will lead a storytelling circle about the Dimond Oak at the anniversary of its demise. From the site where the Dimond Oak stood for over 200 years, walkers will then head to the site of the former Council Oak. Councilmember Quan will also participate in the walk.

The walk will encompass several major restoration areas where Friends of Sausal Creek volunteers have removed invasive exotics and planted natives. Walkers can see the progress of native plants planted in spring 2006 by the Earth Team of local students.

Participants of all ages are welcome to share stories about this tree and discuss how Oakland got its name. The walkers will head upstream and talk about sudden oak death and the threat it poses to the future of Oakland's oaks. Mark will lead a discussion on how neighbors of Dimond Park can help oaks in their yards. Mark is also a keen observer of bird life, so bring binoculars, sturdy shoes, and drinking water. Heavy rain cancels. For more information, call Friends of Sausal Creek, 501-3672, or e-mail coordinator\@sausalcreek.org.

As a form of community education for Oaklanders, Friends of Sausal Creek recently mailed a brochure from the California Oaks Foundation to Dimond Park neighbors. The brochure, Care of California Native Oaks, gives guidelines about the special needs of California's oaks. To obtain a brochure, call the California Oak Foundation, 763-0282, e-mail oakstaff\@californiaoaks.org, or visit the Web site at www.californiaoaks.org.

One legacy of the Dimond Oak is a recently completed survey of all the oaks in Dimond Park sponsored by Friends of Sausal Creek. The survey, conducted by Friends member Karen Paulsell over the last three months, is a study of the special needs and health of Dimond Park's coast live oaks. It was funded through Jean Quan's office as a result of conversations about the removal of the Dimond Oak last year.

The survey, which will soon be available on the Friends of Sausal Creek Web site, outlines four major threats to Dimond Park's Oaks. These include ivy infestation, which robs trees of nutrients, shading and overcrowding, injury and disease, and choking by supports.

"I was surprised at the number of coast live oaks in the park," commented Paulsell. Her survey will be used as a basis for a plan of action to protect the existing oak population in the park.