Month: September 2009

Sea Lion Rescued In Our Watershed

Did you catch the news?  Another wayward sea lion appeared next to the Nimitz Freeway this morning.  The sea lion was hurt, and swam away from the San Francisco Bay for a little rest and relaxation.

Fortunately this creature will likely be fine, and is now in the hands of the Marin-based Marine Mammal Center for ministrations.  He (or she) seems like a fighter, at least based on this rescue mission video:

Sea Lion Rescued, Sept 14, 2009

What an appropriate “billboard” for Creek-to-Bay Day.

As you know, there are creek watersheds running from the the Oakland Hills to the San Francisco Bay, and many Montclarions work tirelessly all year clearing brush and restoring these ecosystems.

On Creek-to-Bay Day, Oaklanders will arrive en masse at 23 city-wide locations.  This workday takes place on Saturday, September 19th, from 9am through noon.  Here are nearby spots for Montclarions,  in the hills:

  • Beaconsfield Canyon – 2639 Beaconfield Place
  • Butters Canyon – Butters Drive
  • Dimond Park – Scout Hut
  • Joaquin Miller Park Nursery – The Nursery
  • Marj Saunders Park – Chelton & Ascot Drive
  • Oakland Zoo – Main Entrance, Arroyo Viejo Creek Sign
  • Shepherd Canyon Park – Escher Meadow

This time of year, everything should be pretty dry in the watersheds and perfect for toiling away.  With humans’ sweat equity, the native plants and animals are reappearing where they belong – as evidenced by this slightly confused sea lion, who decided to swim along the Nimitz.

Evening Update: We just heard that the sea lion had been bitten by a shark, and wasn’t in very good health after all.  The Marine Mammal Center euthanized the lion a little while ago, RIP.

Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra: A Wow!

The Montclair Jazz and Wine Festival kicked off today with an amazingly talented group, the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra.  Their erudite brand of jazz truly rates as a wow!

Leader Marcus Shelby burrows into historical subjects and then emerges with jazz masterpieces.  He thinks about his music as educational, story-telling opportunities.  Today in Montclair, we were treated to several finely polished performances, highlighted by a piece honoring Rosa Parks and the civil-rights movement.

Forgive the snapshot quality below, as it’s very overcast today.  First, you see the lucky festival-goers who showed up early enough to hear Marcus and his performers.  The crowd was relatively sparse around noon, but the orchestra was still very focused and doing their thing.

Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra - 1

Next take a look at Marcus Shelby, who’s the band leader as well as guy on the bass.  His back was to the audience and we love how his silhouette frames the other players to the right.  Also you can (sort of) see the players with music on their stands, as the Rosa Parks piece is a relatively new work.

Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra - 2

Finally, check out the orchestra players.  You can see them playing their hearts out, and we wish we had been able to record them because the music was soulful and, well, meaningful.  There was a full contingent of brass, which certainly added to the aural punch.

Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra - 3

We were concerned about the fate of the Montclair Jazz and Wine Festival during the 2009 recession, but organizers have done a stellar job turning this celebration into an Oakland Funds For The Arts fundraiser this year.  The music is obviously top notch, and there are still a few more acts left this afternoon…plus the vino’s getting poured for wanna-be oenophiles.

More info:   Listen to or watch Marcus Shelby on My Space and You Tube.  Read more about Shelby on his web site and the Jazz Examiner.  Check out the reviews for his Harriet Tubman disc (2008) at East Bay Express, SF Weekly and All About Jazz.

Beta On Oakland School Volunteering

You know that sharing time and energy with local Oakland school kids is a mitzvah, a good deed.

Yet you probably have experienced a few internal hurdles like:  I don’t have enough time.  I don’t remember geometry.  I don’t know what to do. Some Montclarions decided to help everyone leap over these hurdles and organized a Volunteer Faire tomorrow – where it’s possible to get all the beta on Oakland school volunteering.

As a preview, we want to share the breadth of volunteer possibilities here and now.  There seems to be something for all would-be volunteers, even after work or on weekends.  Scan all the opportunities below, and get jumping!

Tutor An Oakland Student

Elementary School Opportunities

For younger students, there are many ways to help them improve their literacy.  While you can make an obvious impact on learning, we think the Saturday field trips also sound like fun.

  • Experience Corps Oakland – If you’re 55+ years, then mentor kids one-on-one or in small groups with reading and homework – 2 hours/week – Reach David Moren, dmoren@aspiranet.org
  • Lafayette School Mentoring Project – Get trained in language arts or math tutoring, then tutor or assist teachers in classrooms. – 1.5 hours/week, includes evening sessions – Reach Jessica Bilsky, lsmptutor@yahoo.com
  • Oakland Parents Literacy Project – Help promote parental involvement and literacy, through Family Reading Nights – 2-3 hours/Wed evening events – Reach Denise Geer, dlgeer@comcast.net
  • Reading Partners – Receive training, and then tutor one student who’s struggling with reading – 1 hour/week with semester commitment – Reach Salleha Chaudhry, volunteer@readingpartners.org
  • Super Stars Literacy – Help disadvantaged K-2 students with their reading; Also accompany them on weekend field trips – 3 days/week for three weeks, and/or 4-5 hours/Sat – Reach Erin Drake or Jessica Berry, erin@superstarsliteracy.org, jessica@superstarsliteracy.org

Elementary-Middle School Opportunities

Some organizations reach out to middle schoolers, and there’s a bit more variety for volunteers.  You can help an organization grow, be hands-on with kids, or assist in the school libraries.

  • Brothers On The Rise – Help set up and develop this organization; Also males requested for Speakers Series, to address Fruitvale boys aged 8-14 years old – Reach Jon Gilgoff, info@brothersontherise.org
  • Faith Network of the East Bay – Get training and help kids as a reading tutor or library assistant; Also consider becoming a math tutor or classroom assistant – 1-2 hours/week – Reach Randy Roth or Rebecca Buckley, Randy@faith-network.com or Rebecca@faith-network.com

Middle-High School Opportunities

For older students, the volunteer activities are focused on college prep and even entrepreneurship opportunities.  We are partial to them!

  • AVID – Get middle/high schoolers thinking and preparing for college, based on this socratic curriculum – 1-2  hours/week – Reach Robert Wack, elrwack@aol.com
  • BUILD – Together with another mentor, lead a small group of high schoolers in developing and starting their own business – 1.5 hours/week, at 5:30pm – Reach Hillary Fernandes, hillary@build.org
  • Be A Mentor – Attend a training class, and then mentor kids socially and academically – 1 hour/week – Reach Ryan Gray, rgray@beamentor.org

After all these options, are you still baffled?  Then reach the Oakland Schools’ Family & Community Office and ask for guidance.  Coordinator Risha Riley may be reached at:  Risha.Riley@ousd.k12.ca.us or 510-434-7765.

Or else stop by the Volunteer Faire tomorrow, anytime between 11am – 2pm.  All these school-related organizations will be represented there – and you can really find out what fits you best by chatting with volunteer leaders.

More info:  Volunteer Faire for Oakland operates like a volunteer “trade show,” and takes place at Oakland Main Library’s West Auditorium,  125 14th Street, Oakland, CA.  In addition, Oakland School Superintendent  Tony Smith will speak briefly at 11am, while Council Rep Jean Quan will present a City Council proclamation to the Volunteer Faire Coalition at noon.

dlgeer@oplp.org

See The Bad Air, Summer Edition

While driving across the new Oakland Bay Bridge this morning, you could see the bad air settling across Oakland as well as San Francisco.  Welcome to an official Spare The Air Day, summer edition.

In the Five Day Forecast, notice the “55” projected air quality for the Coast and Central Bay area, which includes Oakland and the Oakland Hills.  We are experiencing moderate quality today, which means “unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.”

Spare The Air Forecast - September, 2009

So we are relative safe for now, at least from an overall public health perspective.  Pity the Santa Clara Valley southerners, whose orange “101” translates into a full-on alert to sensitive groups.

Yet the numbers themselves don’t begin to describe how the smog looks as it settles on the land.  It looks quite terrible, when gazing across the vistas from the Bay Bridge.  We can count our blessings that the sky and vistas are still visible, right?

For the record, there have been ten officially-declared Spare The Air Days so far this year and 13 days through all of last year.  Over time, the Bay Area has registered increases in its ozone box scores – so there’s no reason to feel complacent about our fossil fuel contributions.

We have no aspirations to join Los Angelenos!

September 26th Update: We are up to 13 officially-declared Spare The Air Days so far this year!  The area quality is going back to green, which means no health effects, starting tomorrow.

Add Essential Oils To Local Businesses

If you have used Montclair Soaps before, then you made a special effort to buy ’em at occasional farmers markets or else online.  We’re lucky to have such a nice locally-produced product, based on olive oil of all things.

Well, the secret is becoming less so.  Soapmaker Kim Emanuel has started to join forces with local retailers, and his soaps and new lotions are available at re4m.  In coming weeks, they are planning to offer lip balm and more scents too.

Montclair Soap & re4m

Emanuel was attracted to re4m, which opened in June, because it’s “just the most wonderful store with fantastic surprises around every corner and on every shelf.  Lisa, the owner, has a completely magical eye for selecting objects that are a perfect combination of aesthetics within the store concept of sustainability.  I am very proud to be there!”

After nearly a year of developing lotions, it also was a good way to expand the business.  “Customers have been asking for a lotion with similar skin care qualities as my soaps,” explained the soapmaker.  “It was tricky but I think I have the formulas pretty tuned in….a one or two percent variation in ingredient ratio or temperature can be the difference.”

Plus there are fancier lotions available which require less fragrance than soaps.  Emanuel said he can afford really expensive essential oils like “steam-extracted Jasmine Grandflorum, Rose Otto & German Chamomile.”  I tried out the jasmine lotion while visiting re4m, and can report that it’s nice and light.

Hey, I’m a booster after discovering Montclair Soap last year.  Some users are attracted because other soaps are just too irritating.  For folks like me, it’s easy to get addicted to this slightly sybaritic experience – and now we have a reliable source in the Village.