Wholly H2O

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

06/04/2026

Such an interesting story. Both black and Chinese miners experienced severe racism while gold mining.

05/28/2026

Bay Area Residents,
The things we discover as we research our new tour at Aquatic Park. One of our excellent interns, Melane Nock-Salgado, wrote this for our tour.

"In 2023, California enacted Senate Bill 272- "Sea level rise planning and adaptation" which requires regional and local action to address rising sea levels.

The Bay Area is facing an anticipated 16-inches of sea level rise by the year 2050. The increased velocity of water flow through the Aquatic Park tide tube systems due to sea level rise paired with the increased frequency and severity of storm activity will intensify the flow of tidal bay water and stormwater through the central tide tubes, accelerating the cracking and the erosion of the roadbed and leading to the collapse of the surface of I-80, West Frontage Road, West Bolivar Drive, and the Bay Trail. Berkeley and the wider Bay Area are also at risk for seismic activity. While the weight of the highway roadbed is the primary factor for the eventual upcoming collapse of the tide tubes, an earthquake would greatly accelerate the failure process.

In December 2025, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) approved $350,000 for 2026-27 to fund the planning for the renovation of the Aquatic Park subsurface culverts that run underneath I-80, local roads, and the Bay Trail. Total cost of the project is estimated to be $4.6 million and to be completed in 2030."

05/19/2026

Did you know that there are over 1600 different species of native bees in California? And that the Bay Area is hotspot of biodiversity?

Join Emil Petrinic and Wholly H2O for a fun and informative bee walk. We'll get some basics from Emil and head off for a leisurely walk looking in every bloom for native bees.

Purchase tickets here!
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/native-bee-walk-with-emil-petrinic-at-the-gardens-at-lake-merritt

05/13/2026

You're coming, right? Dimond Park in Sausal Creek has a fascinating history, both human and natural history. We'll learn:
Ohlone uses of plants, animals and the creek
The Peralta Family colonization
Sausal Water Company
Redwoods - where they were and weren't
What does it mean to daylight a creek?
Devastating effects of stormwater and what you can do

Sausal Creek winds through this dramatic canyon that has seen thousands of years of human activity. As European colonists moved into the area, displacing the Huichin Ohlone, the area now known as Dimond Park went through several iterations as an elite homestead, water source, recreation area, Boy Sc...

05/06/2026

Hysterical.

05/06/2026

Bird Migration Alert. In California, and specifically in the Bay Area and Central Valley, there are gobs of birds migrating. Who are they? When are they flying? At what elevation? BirdCast has the answers. Here's what was happening last night, but keep checking every day to see who is passing over. And turn out your outdoor lights, especially LEDs and lazers which are particularly disruptive. Birdcast.com

05/05/2026

The Bay Area was once loaded with wildlife, including mountain lions. While they still reside in the hills and parks here and there, our activities, which specifically include roads dividing territories and hosting fast-moving vehicles has made it very difficult for long-term survival.

We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of a mountain lion trying to cross State Route 62 in the California desert. The death adds renewed urgency to a state-funded project led by MDLT to design two wildlife crossings over this busy highway. The lion was struck by a vehicle while moving from the San Bernardino Mountains side of the highway towards Joshua Tree National Park. The collision happened near one of the proposed crossings on Sunday April 26.
The lion was part of a population listed as a Threatened Evolutionarily Significant Unit under the California Endangered Species Act. Joshua Tree National Park has documented mountain lion activity in numerous locations over the last 20 years (see photo), with the most frequent being in the vicinity of the proposed wildlife crossings. Directing megafauna away from roads reduces the danger posed to people - in some instances, crossings have reduced wildlife-vehicle collisions by up to 90%.
In February, California’s Wildlife Conservation Board awarded MDLT with grant funding for the planning phase of two wildlife crossings. We urgently need to complete the planning of these wildlife crossings so we can help re-establish the natural movement of animals across the land, reduce dangerous wildlife-vehicle collisions, and strengthen the health of the ecosystems that sustain us.

Read our full press release.
https://www.mdlt.org/press-releases/mountain-lion-death-underscores-need-for-desert-wildlife-crossings

04/28/2026

One enriching way to support Wholly H2O is to join us on a Walking Waterhoods tour. We have one coming up Saturday, May 16 at Dimond Park in Oakland.
This is a super fun tour, where you learn a lot about the natural creek the early flora and Fana, the history of the Spanish in the East Bay, what settler colonialism looked like in the area, the German community, the creek restoration, and so much about stormwater and how it impacts the recently restored creek. These tours are always a bucket of fun.
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/walking-waterhoods-sausal-creek-in-lower-dimond-park-copy

01/26/2026

Wouldn't having a sign like this be great for every plant in your California pollinator garden? Well, we've got about 65 of them ready for you! Visit our store for more. https://whollyh2o.org/store/