July 2019
Volunteers pass Arundo stalks to one another to properly discard. Photo: Walnut Creek Watershed Council.
Partner Spotlight: The Walnut Creek Watershed Council

The Walnut Creek Watershed Council (WCWC) is a voluntary, non-regulatory stakeholder group working to support a healthy and sustainable Walnut Creek Watershed. The WCWC supports community efforts, scientific studies, education programs, and restoration projects that protect and enhance the entire watershed. The Walnut Creek Watershed is the largest watershed in Contra Costa County, with over 300 miles of creek channels. Groups within the WCWC host year-round education and restoration programs in various parts of the watershed.

The WCWC has focused its recent efforts on removing giant reed ( Arundo donax) from the watershed’s creeks. Arundo displaces native plants and wildlife and poses a serious fire and flood hazard ( check out a recorded presentation on the Arundo project). WCWC volunteers have mapped more than 250 Arundo infestations in the watershed. Other species targeted for removal include Himalayan/Armenian blackberry ( Rubus armeniacus) and English ivy ( Hedera helix).

The WCWC is cooperating with the city of Walnut Creek and Friends of the Creeks to remove 11 stands of Arundo from Walnut Creek, and cooperates with the Lafayette Creeks Committee to address invasive plants in Lafayette. WCWC volunteers have worked with the Friends of San Ramon Creek to remove Arundo in the town of Danville. Next, the WCWC plans to provide invasive plant assistance for the cities of Concord and Pleasant Hill.

The WCWC is partnering with the Contra Costa Watershed Forum to host the next Quadrennial Watershed Symposium at Saint Mary’s College on December 5, 2019. The Symposium provides a platform for local groups, community members, and representatives from public and private sectors interested in creek and watershed health to share information, problem solve, and network. Attend a meeting and learn more about the WCWC .
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