On each episode of OpenRoad, journalist Doug McConnell visits beautiful and inspiring places across Northern California and the Bay Area. He does so to learn more about the region’s natural, historical and cultural treasures. McConnell places a special emphasis on the parks and protected open spaces that provide access to the public and key protections for fish, wildlife and California’s unique ecosystems.
In a recent episode, OpenRoad visited one of California’s newest parks, the San Geronimo Commons, to learn about how a former golf course is being transformed into a hub for the local community. He took time to interview two TU staff members, project manager Katie Robbins and associate scientist Troy Cameron, to learn more about TU’s work to monitor endangered coho and steelhead populations in a key coldwater stream flowing through the park and TU’s plans to restore the stream’s habitat along the corridor.
San Geronimo Creek
Thirty miles north of San Francisco, San Geronimo Creek flows through the San Geronimo Commons. Dedicated TROUT Weekly readers will recognize it as the event location for NOAA’s Partner in the Spotlight awarded to TU’s North Coast Coho Project featured in Chris Wood’s blog post “There’s Hope for Endangered Salmon and Steelhead.”
When the owners of the former golf course indicated a desire to sell the land, the 157-acre property was purchased by The Trust for Public Land and eventually transferred to the County of Marin to create a new public park. As seen in the OpenRoad episode, TU’s North Coast Coho Project and Conservation Hydrology programs are partnering with the County to monitor and help recover struggling populations of Endangered Species Act-listed California Central Coast Coho salmon and steelhead.
San Geronimo Creek is the largest un-dammed tributary of the Lagunitas Creek watershed and contains roughly 40 percent of the remaining salmon and steelhead spawning habitat in the basin. The stream is a critical wildlife migration corridor that connects several nearby preserves and public open spaces. When the land operated as a golf course, habitat was constricted to make way for putting greens and fairways and a great deal of the creek’s water was diverted for irrigation. Permanent protection as a public park offers a remarkable opportunity to restore a TU Priority Water.
TU’s Conservation Hydrology staff rigorously measure stream flow and water temperatures and conduct regular snorkel surveys to maintain an accurate count of coho and steelhead populations. In the coming years, the North Coast Coho Project staff will undertake a multi-phased restoration project that will enhance instream habitat complexity and reconnect San Geronimo Creek to its floodplain. This work will provide salmon and steelhead with much-improved rearing habitat, help cool the water and expand the riparian corridor.
It is an inspiring project and a great example of TU’s work in California. Don’t miss the opportunity to watch the new episode of OpenRoad and hear about the project directly from the staff members leading this work.