Sonoma Creek watershed is home to a cool, green corridor of natural land that links the Sonoma Mountains on the west to the Mayacamas Mountains on the east. A mosaic of state park, regional park, developmental center, and privately owned natural areas, the Sonoma Valley Habitat Corridor consists of forest, grassland, chaparral, riparian areas, and reservoirs. Described by the Sonoma Ecology Center’s Christy Vreeland as “the valley’s last dark place at night,” the wildlands of the corridor have been targeted for ongoing protection as habitat for wildlife. The corridor intersects the Sonoma Valley Landscape Unit identified for the Conservation Lands Network (developed by Bay Area Open Space Council’s Upland Habitat Goals Project) and is essential for the movement of fox, coyote, mountain lion, black bear, bobcat, and other mammals among biodiverse uplands.
Much has been happening in the corridor lately to keep and increase its value to wildlife and for climate resiliency. The following are just a few projects the Sonoma Ecology Center is working on, with partners, in and around the corridor.
Stuart Creek Run, Glen Ellen, California
By Sheri Cardo, Director of Communications, Sonoma Land Trust, and Rebecca Lawton, Director of Programs, Sonoma Ecology Center
Stuart Creek Run in Glen Ellen, California is a testament to the power of the annual conference of the Bay Area Open Space Council to help grow partnerships. This project, a collaboration of the Sonoma Ecology Center and the Sonoma Land Trust, grew in part out of discussions that took place at the 2010 conference. Over lunch with the California Coastal Conservancy, the Center brought the barrier-removal and stream-restoration project site to the attention of Sonoma Land Trust. The Center requested the Land Trust's assistance in acquiring it from landowners Toni and Jeff Piccinini, who favored a conservation outcome.
Stuart Creek Run includes a one-third mile stretch of Stuart Creek, which supports a stable run of federally threatened steelhead trout. Removal of this barrier has been identified as one of the highest priorities for recovering steelhead in the Bay Area by the Center for Ecosystem Management and Restoration. The Sonoma Ecology Center had already invested time and energy holding discussions with fish experts at CEMAR and NOAA-NMFS, preparing funding applications to California Department of Fish and Game, collaborating on project design with CEMAR and Prunuske-Chatham, Inc., and holding design review meetings with consultants assembled by San Francisco Bay Joint Venture.
The Land Trust visited the property with the Center, became immediately enthusiastic about its potential, and, thanks to a generous supporter who was willing to lend the Land Trust the purchase amount, moved to acquire 3.53-acre property near the intersection of Highway 12 and Arnold Drive in Glen Ellen.
"Even in an era of threatened park closures, we could not pass up this opportunity," said Ralph Benson, Land Trust executive director. "With the help of the community, Stuart Creek Run will open up Stuart Creek for the steelhead, and will also eventually make a splendid addition to the public amenities of the Sonoma Valley."
Along with its value as a steelhead run, the property’s location adjacent to the Sonoma Valley Habitat Corridor places it in proximity to the Land Trust's Glen Oaks Ranch and Secret Pasture Preserve, Sonoma Valley Regional Park, Bouverie Preserve, Quarryhill Botanical Garden, and Jack London State Historic Park.
"With the Land Trust taking ownership, we can now restore this special part of Sonoma Valley to once again provide safe passage for native fish and wildlife," said Richard Dale, executive director of the Sonoma Ecology Center. "After years of planning and negotiation, we are thrilled with this acquisition and excited about our partnership with SLT on this highly significant project."
Most of the fisheries habitat in the Stuart Creek watershed has been largely inaccessible to steelhead for decades because the stream under a small bridge on the property has eroded so deeply that steelhead can no longer make the jump. The degraded bridge also threatens to fall into the creek, with the potential to supply tons of polluting sediment directly into the stream.
An old bridge leading to the new Land Trust property on Stuart Creek poses fish-passage and sediment-pollution issues.
Along with reestablishing the creek's historical channel pattern to give steelhead access to 14 miles of high-quality spawning habitat, Stuart Creek Run offers an ideal spot for a charming roadside park where residents and visitors to the valley could enjoy a tranquil picnic, take a leisurely stroll, and learn about fish and creek restoration.
Now that the property has been protected, the Land Trust's first priority is to secure sufficient private donations to pay back the loan used to purchase the parcel. The Sonoma Ecology Center can move forward in partnership with the Land Trust to restore Stuart Creek's riparian and fish habitat and create a park on the property. The team will revisit plans, acquire permits, and begin restoration of the property, including removing the steelhead migration barrier, stabilizing the stream channel, and rejuvenating the riparian habitat. Private and public funding will be sought for this phase of the project.
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One of our strategies is to serve as the voice of our members, a strategy based on the belief that by working together we can achieve more. We want to raise up the stories of special places and the people who are working tirelessly to keep them special. To that end, we will share the words of our members with guest bloggers over the next few months. Our first guest is the Sonoma Ecology Center and we welcome them to this space.
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