Putah Creek Council fundraiser by Kate Laddish

I hope you'll join me in supporting Putah Creek Council during this year's Big Day of Giving on May 4, 2023. I am enthusiastic about PCC's mission to protect and enhance Putah Creek and its watershed through advocacy, education and community-based stewardship. I've been volunteering with Putah Creek Council for almost 20 years, served on the Board's Advisory Committee in 2019–2020, and have served on the Board of Directors since 2020.

Putah Creek Council conducts educational and stewardship programs that engage students and other community members in Yolo and Solano counties each year; the CreekSpeak lecture series, OneCreek restoration program, docent-led tours, and new Creek Explorers events are particularly popular programs. We partner with local natural resource organizations to provide over 100 community stewardship events each year for nearly 1,000 local volunteers who do habitat planting, creek cleanups, and native plant propagation. Our work has resulted in the re-establishment of a native fishery in Putah Creek, including Chinook salmon and increasing numbers of other fish native to the Central Valley. PCC's efforts have also helped make Putah Creek a regional recreational destination, and use of many public stretches of the creek has soared in the last few years.

I feel a strong personal connection to Putah Creek––and not just because I play fiddle and guitar with the Putah Creek Crawdads! This is my local, neighborhood creek. I take great joy in knowing where the good sunset, swimming, and wading spots are, knowing where and when to look for beavers, otters and egrets, seeing how the creek changes with the seasons, and getting to know other people who visit the creek. I appreciate the work Putah Creek Council and our partners do along the stream itself and elsewhere in the watershed, which stretches from the Coast Range to the Sacramento River.

This is an exciting time for Putah Creek Council. Two years ago, we moved our headquarters to scenic Sackett Ranch west of Winters, right about where the creek leaves the Coast Range and enters the Central Valley. That move brought the opportunity for an expanded native plant nursery. We grow over 120 local native tree, shrub, forb, and grass species in our nursery, all ethically sourced from within the Putah-Cache region. The nursery needs new cooling infrastructure to remain operational during our hot summers; your contribution can help turn that from a goal into a reality.
 
Since our founding in 1988, PCC has benefited from community members' engagement and generosity. Please join me in supporting Putah Creek Council with a Big Day of Giving donation on or before May 4.

Thank you!