Mark Liebthal: Restoration Site Adopter and Crew Leader

by Kimra McAfee, Friends of Sausal Creek (FOSC)

A few years ago, a bramble of blackberry and a tangle of ivy covered the creekside trail along Sausal Creek and El Centro Ave. The rock teaching circle was overgrown. The area was inaccessible.

Mark Liebthal (far left) poses with his crew of buildOn high school students at his adopted spot near the El Centro trout pool. Volunteer crew leaders like Mark Liebthal allow FOSC to lead restoration workdays for large student groups like buildOn through

Like many neighbors, Mark Liebthal enjoyed walking along Dimond Canyon trails. He wanted to fit community volunteer work into his busy life and was intrigued by a Friends of Sausal Creek (FOSC) flyer on removal of invasive, nonnative Himalayan blackberry and Cape ivy. After Mark had come out a few times to help, FOSC’s restoration manager asked if he might want to adopt a spot. This intrigued Mark, as he could come out to work at his spot when he had free time. This creek section above the trout pool was close to his house and it was a spot that could use some help.

Like all the watershed land on which Friends of Sausal Creek volunteers work, this spot is on City of Oakland public land. So it belongs to all of us. But adopting a spot changes your relationship with the land. “Having a site, you have a sense of propriety in it, by putting your efforts into something you can call your own,” Mark says. Mark puts in time at his spot whenever his schedule permits, and he is pleased with how different the site now looks. Revisiting restoration sites several times a year to remove invasives, combined with planting natives during the rainy season, is key to successfully transforming a piece of land.

Mark is now more than a site adopter, Mark is a crew leader. FOSC always needs volunteers who can lead other groups of volunteers, especially on big workdays like Earth Day in April and Creek to Bay Day in September. Mark’s willingness to lead groups to work at his adopted spot on these big workdays means that even more can be accomplished.

Now that it’s February, many people are reassessing their New Year’s resolutions. The great thing about volunteering is that you can start any time—it’s never too late to succeed in making that addition to your life. Late winter brings many opportunities to get your feet wet at a FOSC workday in Dimond Canyon, at another park, or at Joaquin Miller Park Native Plant Nursery. Of course, you can literally get your feet wet by volunteering with our new bioassessment team. FOSC’s event calendar at www.sausalcreek.org has something for everyone, and if you start volunteering now, you can be prepared to fill the much needed niche of crew leader this coming Earth Day workday (Saturday, April 21). Or you can adopt your own spot any time—our restoration manager is always happy to take a walk and show you the many spots that could use tending.

Happy New Year and Happy Volunteering!

Kimra McAfee is the Executive Director of the Friends of Sausal Creek and can be reached at coordinator@sausalcreek.org, 501-3672. FOSC’s website is www.sausalcreek.org.