Watershed Finder

Do you know where the creek closest to your house is? Do you know where its water ends up? We all live in a watershed, a land area from which water drains into a creek, river, lake, wetland, bay, or ground-water aquifer. However, many of us may not know which watershed we live in, nor understand how its natural and manmade drainage works. With the goal of increasing public awareness about Bay Area watersheds and creeks, the Oakland Museum of California has created an informative watershed finder on its website at www.museumca.org. You can currently locate watersheds in Alameda, Contra Costa, and parts of Santa Clara County; the ultimate goal is to encircle the Bay. The museum has also produced a series of printed creek maps of watersheds in Oakland and Berkeley, Hayward and San Leandro, and Fremont. To learn more or to purchase these maps, check out www.museumca.org/creeks or contact Christopher Richard at crichard@museumca.org or (510) 238-3884.