Friends of Pinole Creek Watershed Turns 20
The Friends of Pinole Creek Watershed (FOPCW) are celebrating two decades of collaborative projects that have made the watershed a healthier home for nature and the community.
The Friends of Pinole Creek Watershed (FOPCW) are celebrating two decades of collaborative projects that have made the watershed a healthier home for nature and the community.
The Pinole Creek Watershed covers approximately 15 square miles in the north-west part of Contra Costa County. The watershed includes portions of the cities of Pinole and Hercules as well unincorporated areas such as the EBMUD Pinole Valley property and sections of El Sobrante and the Briones Agricultural Preserve.
In 2016, completion of the Pinole Creek Fish Passage Improvement Project at Highway 80 removed the only significant barrier to fish passage and hydrologically reconnected habitat in the upper watershed with the San Pablo and San Francisco Bay Estuaries. The Pinole Fish Passage Project is the capstone of a comprehensive, multi-year, habitat restoration effort. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on October 24th, 2016. It was a beautiful day to welcome the fish back to the I-80 culvert in Pinole!
CCRCD has partnered with the Friends of Pinole Creek Watershed (FOPCW) for more than 15 years and currently provides staff support for this extraordinary group of volunteers.
Since 2001, FOPCW has championed restorations throughout the watershed, promoting the recovery of federally-protected steelhead trout. East Bay Municipal Utilities District's Pavon Creek Wetlands Project restored eroded creekbanks and created a sediment detention basin and new seasonal wetlands. The Pinole Creek Demonstration Project restored habitat in the lower, tidally-influenced portion of the creek.
FOPCW hosts activities throughout the year and we hope to see you at one of our events!
For more information, contact info@friendsofpinolecreek.org
Website: www.friendsofpinolecreek.org
A collaborative vision-planning process was conducted in 2003-2004 that resulted in the Pinole Creek Watershed Vision Plan. The Vision Plan was developed with help of the Urban Creeks Councils and the Restoration Design Group, through a grant from the State Coastal Conservancy. The process emphasized local control, consensus-based decision-making, and voluntary implementation. A planning group comprised of stakeholders in the watershed collectively determined the contents of the plan. The group included watershed residents in urban areas, ranchers in the upper watershed, teachers, scientists, environmentalists, agency representatives and many others.
Skills: Public programming, education, interdisciplinary projects, facilitation, administration, intertidal and nearshore ecosystems.
Fun Fact: Often taking a class at the public art center.
Lydia Grew up in Contra Costa County and studied Environmental Studies and Studio Arts at Whitman College.
Her previous experience includes work with Indigenous issues in the East Bay, environmental education, and programmatic work in ecological agriculture, the intertidal zone and fisheries in Maine. She has taught preschool through undergraduate level students and has organized events like the California Indian Arts and Culture Festival, the Seaweed Symposium and the Maine Wild Blueberry Weekend.
With the CCRCD, Lydia supports community-led watershed initiatives and facilitates network collaboration and public engagement through the Watershed Symposium and Shoreline Festival. She is glad to work in her home watershed and is involved with community art centers.
The Mission of the Contra Costa Resource Conservation District is to Facilitate Conservation and Stewardship of the Natural Resources in Contra Costa County.
