Friends of Five Creeks
Encyclopedia
Friends of Five Creeks is a regional community volunteer organization founded in 1996 by Sonja Wadman originally dedicated to the stewardship of creeks in northern Alameda County
and western Contra Costa, California
, United States. Education about wildlife and restoration is also a major facet of the FCC's mission.
-Middle/Blackberry
, Marin Creek
, Codornices Creek
, Schoolhouse Creek
and Marin/Village Creek
, however the organization's involvement has expanded to all the creeks in the area including the communities of Berkeley
, Albany
, El Cerrito
, Kensington
, Richmond
, and the surrounding unincorporated areas. Susan Schwartz the organizations leader states that the organization like other "friends of" groups would not have gotten off the ground without help from the Urban Creeks Council
. The group holds up to 40 events a year where the volunteers work on refuse collection, graffiti removal, removing culverts in addition to plating native vegetation and removing invasive species. There is a monthly work party to pick weeds and showcase the area's natural habitats with a new site each month. The organization is registered with the California Coastal Commission
.
Cerrito Creek runs from the El Cerrito
hills
to the San Francisco Bay
. The organization has daylighted and restored a portion of the creek along the parking lot of El Cerrito Plaza Shopping Center. Further down stream part of the creek runs through Pacific East Mall
's parking lot, where it forms the border between Richmond and Albany
. This portion of the creek was daylighted and restored by the organization in 2003. Berkeley Daily Planet columnist Ron Sullivan reports a statement from FFC's Susan Schwartz that Pacific East Mall landscapers in Richmond have used herbicides, and speculates that this could explain her (Sullivan's) observations of dead grasses, plants and trees along the creek path near the mall's property line. Furthermore, Sullivan reports allegations and concludes from seeing the rults that small native shrubs were mowed, and reports allegations that the mall has not agreed to a written maintenance plan as required by its use permit.
In 2001 the organization received two separate grants totaling $400,000 to work on the restoration of Codornices Creek
. In the 1990s the Friends of Five Creeks discovered the reappearance of steelhead and rainbow trout at Codornices Creek while performing restoration work. The "Friends" are also lobbying for the creation of public space adjacent to the creek for a new Whole Foods
supermarket and parking structure along the stream's banks in U.C. Village.
The organization also helps to restore and work on some non-creek areas such as the Berkeley Meadow and Eastshore State Park
in addition to blight abatement, and trash collection activities at local parks. Working with Citizens for Eastshore Parks FCC is studying the possibility of daylighting a portion of Schoolhouse Creek.
Alameda County, California
Alameda County is a county in the U.S. state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,510,271, making it the 7th most populous county in the state...
and western Contra Costa, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States. Education about wildlife and restoration is also a major facet of the FCC's mission.
History
The organization is dedicated to improving creek habitats for environmental, flood control, pollution filtration, and beautification reasons. The original five creeks were Cerrito CreekCerrito Creek
Cerrito Creek is one of the principal watercourses running out of the Berkeley Hills into San Francisco Bay in northern California. It is significant for its use as a boundary demarcation historically, as well as presently. In the early 19th century, it separated the vast Rancho San Antonio to...
-Middle/Blackberry
Middle Creek (California)
Middle Creek is a major tributary of Cerrito Creek in Albany, California.The creek runs begins at the confluence of Blackberry Creek and Capistrano Creek, on the western edge of Berkeley's Thousand Oaks neighborhood. It flows west, both above ground and through culverts before discharging into...
, Marin Creek
Marin Creek
Marin Creek is a creek tributary of Codornices Creek in northwestern Alameda County, California. The lower stretch of Marin Creek is also known as Village Creek.-Overview:...
, Codornices Creek
Codornices Creek
Codornices Creek , long, is one of the principal creeks which runs out of the Berkeley Hills in the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. In its upper stretch, it passes entirely within the city limits of Berkeley, and marks the city limit with the adjacent city of Albany in...
, Schoolhouse Creek
Schoolhouse Creek
Schoolhouse Creek is the name of a creek which flows through the city of Berkeley, California in the San Francisco Bay Area.-History:The creek acquired its name from a school which was sited adjacent to it, the Ocean View School...
and Marin/Village Creek
Marin Creek
Marin Creek is a creek tributary of Codornices Creek in northwestern Alameda County, California. The lower stretch of Marin Creek is also known as Village Creek.-Overview:...
, however the organization's involvement has expanded to all the creeks in the area including the communities of Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, Albany
Albany, California
Albany is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. The population was 18,539 at the 2010 census.-History:In 1908, a group of local women protested the dumping of Berkeley garbage in their community...
, El Cerrito
El Cerrito, California
-Transportation:The city's primary transportation infrastructure consists of the El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations along with several local bus lines, operated by AC Transit, providing access to the surrounding area and the nearby cities of Albany, Berkeley and Richmond...
, Kensington
Kensington, California
Kensington is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area, in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 5,077 at the 2010 census.- Law and government :Kensington is an unincorporated area of Contra...
, Richmond
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
, and the surrounding unincorporated areas. Susan Schwartz the organizations leader states that the organization like other "friends of" groups would not have gotten off the ground without help from the Urban Creeks Council
Urban Creeks Council
The Urban Creeks Council is a Berkeley, California non-profit organization that promotes stewardship of San Francisco Bay creeks and habitat restoration around them...
. The group holds up to 40 events a year where the volunteers work on refuse collection, graffiti removal, removing culverts in addition to plating native vegetation and removing invasive species. There is a monthly work party to pick weeds and showcase the area's natural habitats with a new site each month. The organization is registered with the California Coastal Commission
California Coastal Commission
The California Coastal Commission is a state agency in the U.S. state of California with quasi-judicial regulatory oversight over land use and public access in the California coastal zone....
.
Creek work
The organization organizes more than 40 work parties each year, providing direction and tools for groups of volunteers who work to restore a section of one of the creeks.Cerrito Creek runs from the El Cerrito
El Cerrito, California
-Transportation:The city's primary transportation infrastructure consists of the El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations along with several local bus lines, operated by AC Transit, providing access to the surrounding area and the nearby cities of Albany, Berkeley and Richmond...
hills
Berkeley Hills
The Berkeley Hills are a range of the Pacific Coast Ranges that overlook the northeast side of the valley that surrounds San Francisco Bay. They were previously called the "Contra Costa Range/Hills" , but with the establishment of Berkeley and the University of California, the current usage was...
to the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. The organization has daylighted and restored a portion of the creek along the parking lot of El Cerrito Plaza Shopping Center. Further down stream part of the creek runs through Pacific East Mall
Pacific East Mall
Pacific East Mall is an Asian mall in Richmond, California. It is owned by Pacific Infinity Company Incorporated.The mall opened in 1998 in Richmond's Richmond Annex neighborhood but straddling the El Cerrito border at a former Breuner's location...
's parking lot, where it forms the border between Richmond and Albany
Albany, California
Albany is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. The population was 18,539 at the 2010 census.-History:In 1908, a group of local women protested the dumping of Berkeley garbage in their community...
. This portion of the creek was daylighted and restored by the organization in 2003. Berkeley Daily Planet columnist Ron Sullivan reports a statement from FFC's Susan Schwartz that Pacific East Mall landscapers in Richmond have used herbicides, and speculates that this could explain her (Sullivan's) observations of dead grasses, plants and trees along the creek path near the mall's property line. Furthermore, Sullivan reports allegations and concludes from seeing the rults that small native shrubs were mowed, and reports allegations that the mall has not agreed to a written maintenance plan as required by its use permit.
In 2001 the organization received two separate grants totaling $400,000 to work on the restoration of Codornices Creek
Codornices Creek
Codornices Creek , long, is one of the principal creeks which runs out of the Berkeley Hills in the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. In its upper stretch, it passes entirely within the city limits of Berkeley, and marks the city limit with the adjacent city of Albany in...
. In the 1990s the Friends of Five Creeks discovered the reappearance of steelhead and rainbow trout at Codornices Creek while performing restoration work. The "Friends" are also lobbying for the creation of public space adjacent to the creek for a new Whole Foods
Whole foods
Whole foods are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible, before being consumed. Whole foods typically do not contain added ingredients, such as salt, carbohydrates, or fat. Examples of whole foods include unpolished grains, beans, fruits, vegetables...
supermarket and parking structure along the stream's banks in U.C. Village.
The organization also helps to restore and work on some non-creek areas such as the Berkeley Meadow and Eastshore State Park
Eastshore State Park
Eastshore State Park is a state park and wildlife refuge along the San Francisco Bay shoreline of the East Bay between the cities of Richmond, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, and Oakland. It encompasses remnant natural wetlands, restored wetlands as well as landfill west of the Eastshore Freeway. It...
in addition to blight abatement, and trash collection activities at local parks. Working with Citizens for Eastshore Parks FCC is studying the possibility of daylighting a portion of Schoolhouse Creek.