Our team of habitat restoration volunteers has been hard at work planting native trees and shrubs along the banks of a small creek that has been damaged from decades of overgrazing by cattle. SPAWN has put in a fence to keep cattle out of this sensitive creek, which serves as an important backwater refuge for adults and juvenile salmon.
Thanks to the hard work of volunteers Mel Wright, Bill Teufel, Matt Schallock, Aaron Heller, Doug Gore, Steve Woodward, and SPAWN interns Kim Horrell, Jeremy Rich, Colin Lang, and Allie Chavez, the creek has now been fenced off so the cattle can no longer graze within critical salmon habitat. The fence is a unique 5-strand wire fence with un-barbed wires at the top and bottom so wildlife can pass under or over without harm, while also keeping cattle out.
The new fence will enclose roughly one acre of the riparian habitat as a cow-free zone within Golden Gate National Recreation Area. SPAWN also created a new path out of boulders and small rocks so that the cattle can cross the creek without damaging the banks. This fall and winter, SPAWN will be planting this area with 100 native trees and shrubs to improve the riparian habitat and reduce erosion.
If you’d like to get involved please email Preston Brown at preston@tirn.net.
