Established in 1991, Friends of Alhambra Creek is a volunteer group that brings people and Alhambra Creek together to protect the health of the creek and its surrounding community. They have collaborated with other people and agencies to participate in, and carry out, a wide range of projects.
The group meets at 6pm on the second Tuesday of each month. These meetings are currently held on at the Martinez Senior Center (818 Green Street, Martinez). Meeting agendas are uploaded to the Friends of Alhambra Creek Facebook Page and a Google Drive folder a few days prior to each meeting. To view the agendas, please click this Google Drive Folder link.
If you have any questions, please contact the Friends of Alhambra Creek at foac@ccrcd.org.
Martinez Marina Garden Workdays for FOAC & Partners
04/20/25, 05/18/25, 06/15/25, 07/20/25
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
These garden maintenance workdays happen the third Sunday of every month at the Martinez Marina Native Wetland Garden. The garden is located here.
To learn more about the garden's history and plant species, please visit this page.
John Muir Birthday/Earth Day Celebration
Saturday 04/26/25
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The Friends will be tabling at this fun, free event at the John Muir National Historic site in Martinez. Enjoy a wide variety of activities for the whole family, food, live music, and more. The event location is here. For more information about this event, visit the John Muir Association website.
Service Road Mother's Day Cleanup
Sunday 05/11/25
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Come join the Friends, Mt. View Sanitary District, and the Contra Costa Resource Conservation District us for a very special Mother's Day event! We will be picking up trash along Service Road, on the south side of McNabney Marsh in Martinez. We will meet at the gravel lot along Service Road, just east of I-680. Bringing your mom to the event is highly encouraged!
Moorhen Marsh Wildlife Garden Workday
Saturday, 05/24/25
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Come out and remove invasive plants at Moorhen Marsh to improve habitat for wildlife! You might even spot an otter, beaver, or Western pond turtle! Many thanks to California Climate Action Corps Fellow Natalie Liu for organizing this event.
The September 5th, 2024 episode of the Linksploration Podcast features Jeannine and Elaine of Friends of Alhambra Creek, discussing the Alhambra Native Plant Trail!
Linksploration is a podcast that investigates "climate change and social issues in the Diablo Valley and beyond, and how they link together." The episode with FOAC is part of their "Friends of the Creeks" series highlighting local community watershed groups.
Well done Elaine and Jeannine, you were great! Click the blue button below to listen.
Visit the gardens created by volunteers from Friends of Alhambra Creek and the California Native Plant Society to get ideas for your very own California native garden at home!
The goal of the Alhambra Native Plant Trail is not only to educate residents about our native flora, but also to create a wildlife corridor through Martinez for birds, butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects.
This project was spearheaded by Jeff Sherwin, a Friends of Alhambra Creek member and Martinez resident. Jeff's vision and dedication transformed the blank, gray walls of the Highway 4 underpass on Alhambra Way into the current vibrant mural. The mural celebrates some of our remarkable local plants and animals. The mural was completed in January 2024.
Tim Hon, Steve Ha, Romali Licudan, and Eric Nodora make up the local art group,
To learn more about the Alhambra Way Mural Project, please visit the Alhambra Way Mural Webpage by clicking the button below.
Illegal dumping can have a devastating effect on water quality in our local waterways when rains flush dumped materials, many of them highly toxic, into storm drains or directly into bodies of water.
Did you know that Contra Costa County Public Works Department offers citizens a variety of ways to report illegal dumping for clean-up? You can report by phone, email, mobile app, through the Public Works Department Online Portal, and even to the County Sheriff's Office as dumping is occurring!
Phone: Call 1-800-663-8674 (1-800-NO-DUMPING). To report dumping as it is happening, call the Sheriff's Non-Emergency Line at (925) 646-2411.
Online Customer Portal: To report from a desktop computer, use the Public Works Online Portal here.
Email: Send a message to the Public Works Department at Admin@pw.cccounty.us.
Mobile Citizen App: Download the Mobile Citizen app on the Public Works Mobile Citizen info page here.
Thank you for doing your part to address illegal dumping and keep our waterways clean! For more information, please click the blue button below.
Having a creek or waterway flowing along or through your property can be a blessing, but it comes with various potential challenges. According to Contra Costa Public Works, "If your property has a creek or a waterway flowing through it, it is your responsibility to maintain it. Typically private property extends to the center of the creek and not just to the fence line. These privately owned creeks are an important part of our county’s drainage system and are regulated by County ordinance, but they are not maintained by the County." To read more about your responsibility as a private creek owner from the county, visit this Private Creek Maintenance page.
Here is a list of resources that may be helpful to you as a creekside property owner:
Please note, any work to alter a creek (widening, filling, dredging, reinforcing banks, etc.) may require permits from the County, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the State Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Contact these regulatory agencies for more information.
These hike flyers were created by FoAC member, Doug Burgess
The Alhambra Watershed Council (AWC) is a stakeholder group that was established in 1997 to produce the Alhambra Creek Watershed Management Plan (2001). The group’s mission is to protect and enhance the health of the Alhambra Creek Watershed by educating the public about the watershed, providing a forum for new ideas and projects, and acting as a community resource.
By representing diverse stakeholder interests and promoting healthy natural systems, the AWC aims to support the health and vitality of the entire watershed community. Contra Costa County, Friends of Alhambra Creek, National Park Service, New Leaf Collaborative, Mt. View Sanitary District, and residents are among the active participants. Past projects include the Alhambra Creek Watershed Map and Festival and the Strentzel Lane Flood Reduction Project. The AWC receives coordinator support from the CCRCD.
Meetings are currently held on the first Tuesday of every month (excluding August) at 6:30pm, on Zoom. Interested community members are welcome to attend AWC meetings. Come and share your ideas!
AWC Meeting dates for 2023 are listed below. If you would like to join a meeting and are not yet on the AWC email list, please contact Evan Green for the meeting access info.
January 2, February 6th, March 5th, April 2nd, May 2nd, June 6th, July 4th, August 1st, September 5th, October 3rd, November 7th, December 5th
The Mt. View Sanitary District (MVSD) provides wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal services for the northeasterly portion of the City of Martinez and adjacent unincorporated lands to the northeast. Their wetlands and pond restoration projects are one of a kind and provide both habitat and wastewater filtration. Tours of their beautiful site are available to the public.
The New Leaf Collaborative is a 501c3 non-profit corporation based out of Martinez, CA. Their mission is to provide hands-on learning and leadership opportunities in science, nature and ecological literacy to nurture the wellbeing of our students and communities.
NLC has 3 main programs primarily located in Contra Costa County; Community Science Workshops, Community Garden Workshops, and our Earth Ambassadors Program. All of these programs are offered to youth during and after school and through summer camps and community events.
Together with community partners, NLC seeks to provide equitable experiential learning experiences to youth that sparks curiosity about how the world works, to cultivate ecological intelligence and to foster community engagement in a way that supports these efforts.
Since 1916, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our national parks. With the help of volunteers and partners, we safeguard these special places and share their stories with more than 275 million visitors every year. NPS is the local steward of the John Muir Historical Site and Strentzel Meadow.