Wholly H2O

08/10/2026

Did you think Gov. Newsom is on the side of water in California? Think again!

"Gov. Gavin Newsom offered on Friday some of his most detailed remarks on data centers, which have become a target of bipartisan, nationwide ire because of their heavy demand for electricity and water for internal cooling systems, which has driven up local utility rates. The outgoing governor, who is expected to run for president in 2028, vetoed legislation last year that would have required data centers to disclose how much water they use. At the time, he said he was “reluctant to impose rigid reporting requirements” on the centers’ operating companies. Local opposition to data centers has emerged as the most visible symbol of the growing public backlash to artificial intelligence and the powerful companies profiting off of the emerging technology, some of which have demanded that local governments sign nondisclosure agreements during land use negotiations. In recent months, Newsom, a longtime Big Tech ally, said he anticipates that AI backlash will dominate future elections…” https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article316807246.html?giftCode=7bbb7a20f2888410c18694625f37feccd5b4c691a5b5f64b4646da9bda928288

07/23/2026

Holy Moly, what a fun moth night last night! Thanks so much to everyone who came out. It's always a treat to be in the Oakland Hills woods at night and even more so if Damon Tighe is leading the way, stopping at every tree and plant with little tidbits of info. Also all the knowledge from the people who showed up was the extra perk!

07/21/2026

We are so excited to be offering our first of six ESRI StoryMaps that will help you get to know Sausal Creek in Oakland more profoundly. Our first StoryMap covers the Natural Creek, and what is a watershed, or waterhood, as we call them, for a watershed neighborhood.

From the Oakland Hills to the Oakland Estuary: A Journey Through Sausal Creek

06/30/2026

The Federal Government is working hard to erode our CA water rights to have rivers with healthy and strong ecosystems. This is definitely a time to call our Senators, Alex Padilla (415-981-9369) and Adam Schiff (415-393-0707) to state that we want the dam on the EEl River removed as planned, and to keep the Sacramento River as healthy as we can for fish and all other wildlife.
From Friends of the River:

State regulators have rejected Reclamation's temperature plan for the Sacramento River, saying it fails to protect endangered salmon. Learn why this dispute could have major consequences for California's rivers, fisheries, and water future. Read more at https://www.headwatersonline.org/the-river-advocate/state-rejects-federal-temperature-plan-for-sacramento-river-salmon?blm_aid=500905

The Eel River Dams Saga Continues
Just when it seemed the Eel River dam removal was moving forward, a new political battle erupted. As federal officials push to keep the dams in place, Friends of the River is fighting to keep the decommissioning process grounded in science, law, and the public interest. Read more at https://www.headwatersonline.org/the-river-advocate/eel-river-dams-saga-continues?blm_aid=500905

Just when it seemed the Eel River dam removal was moving forward, a new political battle has erupted. As federal officials push to keep the dams in place, Friends of the River is fighting to keep the decommissioning process grounded in science, law, and the public interest.

06/17/2026

I thought you'd never ask! (Blush!)☺️

06/16/2026

We're just starting a water quality, community garden, and art project at Josie de la Cruz Park in City of Oakland - Local Government. We're hoping we can get the park staff to allow us to put up a board like this to first get ideas from the Fruitvale Community and Fruitvale Community Garden folks!

06/15/2026

We love our funding partners, Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment New Voices is a very cool program that someone would be lucky to direct.

Join Our Team
The Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment is hiring! We are looking for a dynamic and dedicated New Voices Are Rising Youth Program Lead to mentor East Bay youth in our environmental justice leadership program and support our New Voices Are Rising Associate Program Director Mykela Patton with administration, community engagement, and other program-related activities.

For 20 years, our New Voices Are Rising program (New Voices) has worked to promote youth leadership and environmental stewardship to improve air quality, community health, and climate resilience for Bay Area residents. The New Voices Youth Program Lead manages planning, ex*****on, and evaluation of the Summer Climate Justice Leadership Academy and school-year Fellowship program.

The Rose Foundation values a diverse team whose lived experiences inform their relationship to social justice and community equity work. We encourage BIPOC folks to apply, as well as candidates who identify as women, femme, non-binary, or LGBTQ+. We encourage candidates who are comfortable conversing in Spanish, or another language commonly spoken in California communities of color, to apply.

Help us raise up the youth leaders of tomorrow!

Apply Today!
https://rosefoundation.applytojob.com/apply/Vkfk68dWWJ/New-Voices-Are-Rising-Youth-Program-Lead
Click the above button for more information about the role like job qualifications and how to apply. We are looking to fill this position as soon as possible, with a priority application review date of June 30, 2026.

06/11/2026

This weekend's tour is in the Temescal neighborhood Before we do a tour, we always check on the newest numbers and species seen in that particular watershed on iNaturalist.org Here's the project that we created for the Temescal Creek watershed. We spy as the lead observer.
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/temescal-creek-watershed-observations

06/08/2026

The anonymous donor who dropped $50,000 into Wholly H2O's coffers two weeks ago started a trend. In the last five days, we've received a bevy of grant money. For us at Wholly H2O, we really consider our grantors like part of our team and certainly part of our extended family. I not only want to thank them, but make them proud.

Many thanks to Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment who have been long funders who just gave us the money needed to continue our work protecting from nasty stormwater in Fruitvale at and Jose de la Cruz Park, to the Bill Graham Memorial Fund, also regular funders for adding to our abilityy to maintain staff, and to Rotary Club of Oakland, giving a second round of funding so we can repaint 100' mural of Sausal Creek through campus directly over the actual creek!

What? You'd like to contribute as well? https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/06f93c79-e78c-4a1d-8ff6-1c58cd542930