By Makayla Freed:
On Friday, September 1st, Professor Wendy St. John took the Restoration Ecology class for a walk up part of Copeland Creek, where previous Restoration Ecology students had both proposed and implemented a restoration plan. Our mission for the day was to get a better grasp of Copeland Creek’s history, to better understand the important role the creek plays in the ecosystem in Sonoma County, and to evaluate some of the restoration work the students have completed along the creek.
Copeland Creek is a perennial creek that begins at Sonoma State’s very own Fairfield Osborn Preserve, located on Sonoma Mountain, and flows down through campus, draining into the Laguna de Santa Rosa. The creek provides a diverse riparian ecosystem to the area. Historically, the stream meandered down from Sonoma Mountain and spread out into the floodplain that we now know as Cotati, Rohnert Park, and the surrounding areas. The rich ecosystem it helped create supported Coast Miwok, Wappo, and Pomo peoples for many years. When settlers came to the area to farm, they channelized Copeland Creek and other waterways in order to build their homes and make for a more “livable” location. The channelizing of creeks greatly altered the landscape – all of the sudden there were perfectly straight creeks shooting directly at the Laguna rather than hitting the floodplain and spreading out. Today, the creek is a popular spot on SSU’s campus and serves the important purpose of providing flood control during the rainy season (although, as seen with the flooding on campus just a few years ago, sometimes the whole flood control thing doesn’t quite work…).
During our walk along the creek, we identified and discussed a number of both native and non-native species. Interestingly, the canopy cover along the creek is made up of mostly native trees, such as oaks and willows, while many of the grasses are non-native. Some other species that call the creek and surrounding areas home include: Sierran tree frogs, slender salamanders, poison hemlock, a number of migratory birds, and the endangered steelhead (which even spawn in the creek by Lichau Road!).
One common non-native and invasive plant that can be found all along Copeland Creek is the ever-present Himalayan blackberry. While Himalayan blackberry provides an abundance of food and habitat for wildlife as well as stabilization for soil, its ability to crowd out and overrun areas has made its removal a priority in restoration work along Copeland Creek.
Last semester (Spring 2017), students, faculty, and members of the community alike worked tirelessly to remove Himalayan blackberry along the south bank of Copeland Creek on campus. A masticator even came through part of the riparian area and removed several thickets of Himalayan blackberry. In an effort to keep the blackberry from regrowing, students laid down cardboard mats and covered them in wood chips, blocking off sunlight. As we walked along the creek, we could see areas where young blackberry stalks had poked through the cardboard – a true testament to the persistence of the Himalayan blackberry. We also saw another highly invasive species that people involved in restoration work seem to come across the most often: trash. From beer cans and lighters to even a feather boa, humans get rather creative with what they litter.
At the end of class, we came together in the ETC to discuss different attributes we would focus on if we were to do restoration work on Copeland Creek. Students brought up everything from the trash problem to the lack of native understory. One thing we can all agree on is that in learning more about Copeland Creek, we now have a better grasp of both what makes the creek so unique and why restoration work along it are so important. Despite some of the rather disappointing things we saw on our little field trip (like the stylish but out of place boa), I remain hopeful for the future of this wonderful waterway.
0 Comments