The Peyton Slough watershed is composed of urban Peyton Creek and some minor tributaries, managed runoff from the Shell Oil Refinery located west of I-680, urban runoff from the relatively small Arthur Road neighborhood east of I-680, as well as drainage from portions of I-680 itself. The watershed includes Martinez Reservoir, the terminal reservoir of the Contra Costa Canal. Martinez Reservoir has a spillway connected to Peyton Creek. Peyton Creek is a highly modified urban creek with a combination of open concrete channels, natural channels, and a 1,000-foot-long underground concrete culvert through the Shell Oil Refinery property. Peyton Creek is an intermittent stream, mostly drying up by the summer.
Skills: Environmental education, community engagement, research processes, insect identification, report writing.
Fun Fact: Victoria competes in triathlons and will hike or bike up any hill/mountain she can get her feet or wheels on. She summited Haleakalā in Maui, HI on bike in the summer of 2021. Her next challenge is pending. Victoria also loves to cook and create random dishes from available seasonal produce.
Victoria (she/her) is from Orange County, CA. She graduated in 2021 from University of California, Davis with a BS in Environmental Science and Management with an emphasis in Natural Resource Management and a minor in Insect Biology. She participated in a research lab at UC Davis exploring the impacts of human development on insect/plant relationships over time. Following this, she worked as an environmental consultant to identify and resolve soil and/or groundwater contamination to protect water resources throughout the Bay Area.
Victoria grew up helping her dad weed and tend to his extensive vegetable and fruit tree garden and spent many family vacations camping in various national parks. Victoria considers herself very lucky to have grown up with access and connections to the outdoors and wildlife. She understands the importance of access to healthy, natural places for individual and community wellbeing. Victoria is excited to work with CCRCD and partners to help achieve more safe, accessible, sustainable, and functional natural areas regardless of community wealth, race, or composition.