Foss Creek Restoration Project

The Foss Creek Community Restoration Project is a multi-year native plant restoration project on Foss Creek that will involve removing large amounts of invasive non-native plants that have taken over parts of Foss Creek. The project is in partnership with the City of Healdsburg and is supported by generous donations from Alexander Valley Vineyards, the Glazer Family of Companies (AVA’s distributor), h2 Hotel & Hotel Healdsburg and Tony Crabb and Barbara Grassechi, owners of the biodynamically farmed Puma Springs Vineyards. The Foss Creek project also partners with community volunteers who donate their time to perform the majority of the project work.

The project started in April 2009 and will continue through fall of 2013 on Foss Creek between the Purity Lot (North St.) and the intersection of Healdsburg Avenue, Mill Street and Vine Street behind the h2 Hotel and Chamber of Commerce.

Foss Creek Community Restoration Project Goals

• Improve wildlife habitat along Foss Creek
• Educate community on value of watershed stewardship
• Reduce flooding impacts caused by invasive non-native plants
• Increase visibility and aesthetics of Foss Creek

Americorps volunteers working on the new Serpentine hillside area in the Maggie and Harry Wetzel Native Plant Garden at Foss Creek.

Foss Creek Community Restoration Project Update-January 2011
We are pleased to announce that we have completed Phase I of the Project and here are some of the highlights from the Phase I report:

• Removed 128 cubic yards of invasive plants weighing roughly 18 tons
• Installed 752 new native plants with less than 4% mortality
• Cleaned up 17 cubic yards of concrete, pavement and debris weighing 31 tons that went to recycling or disposal
• Held 34 Volunteer workdays with participation from over 128 individual volunteers
• Volunteer effort for the period was over 900 hours with 264 volunteer/days logged
• Obtained all necessary work permits from Water Quality Board, NCRA and Dept Fish and Game
• Produced site design plan for native plant garden area at Purity site
• Documented project with over 350 photographs

 

Volunteer to help restore Foss Creek!!

See our work schedule below for volunteer workdays. We meet at 8:30am at the location noted on schedule and work until 11:00 a.m. Riverkeeper provides tools, gloves and equipment and volunteers need to wear sturdy shoes and long pants.

 

2012 Foss Creek Volunteer Days – All Saturdays unless noted.

March 17th - Meet at Purity Lot 3 North St
April 14th - Meet at Purity Lot 3 North St
April 28th - Location TBA (likely Vine St)

The Healdsburg School volunteered at Foss Creek in May and had some nice things to say:

"It was amazing knowing that a class of seventh graders can make a difference." - Nolan Pisors

"I had so much fun working hard and saving the native environment." - Eric Palmer

"Actually working to help the planet is more fun than raising money." - Yoneo Arai

"The Russian River rocks!" - Simon Fruth

"The weather was a little overcast... a lack of sun - but ideal for transplanting. I was impressed with the communal effort of the seventh grade, the kindergarten class, and the Russian River volunteers. Together, we got a lot done, instilled a little hardiness, and learned about good environmental stewardship. In short, a wonderful outing." -Teacher Leigh Schmitt

Thanks Healdsburg School!!