Our Back Yard: Roni Gehlke
Residents help clean up creeks

By Roni Gehlke
Thursday, June 22, 2006

The city of Oakley sponsored its annual cleanup of the Marsh Creek and DeAnza trails earlier this month. According to Parks and Recreation Director Nancy Kaiser, the event was a big success, thanks to the help of many Oakley residents and the members of the Friends of the Marsh Creek Watershed committee.

At last week's council meeting, the council approved a resolution to authorize City Manager Bryan Montgomery to enter into a cooperative funding agreement with East Bay Regional Park District to develop a specific landscaping plan for part of the Marsh Creek Trail.

EBRPD is the lead agency responsible for the trail system that runs through Oakley, from the Vintage Parkway subdivision behind the Ironhouse Sanitary District offices, all the way to Brentwood.

The cooperative plan would specifically design landscaping for the part of the trail that runs from West Cypress Road to Delta Road. For those who haven't taken advantage of the trail route, the Marsh Creek Trail along that route is lined with houses on one side, the creek in the middle and then more houses on the other side.

Kaiser said many residents have been concerned with the appearance of the trail. The landscaping that EBRPD and the city are considering will be plants that would naturally grow in the area around the trail. The new landscaping will not only enhance the appearance, but it will also create a more natural habitat for the animals living along the creek.

The landscape plan also works within the scope of what the Friends of the Marsh Creek Watershed has been trying to accomplish for a couple of years. The community-run group came together in the fall of 2004 to protect and improve the Marsh Creek Watershed. The organization provides support for the Marsh Creek that flows from the eastern slopes of Mount Diablo through the cities of Brentwood, Oakley and Antioch and into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in East Contra Costa.

Since the committee started, it has been working to improve Oakley's creeks. In March, the group planted native fresh water plants near Dutch Slough as a test project to see if the plants would respond well to the waters in the area.

The group also removed invasive weeds that have been plaguing the water and causing problems. This past winter, the committee conducted a Chinook salmon monitoring program for the creek area. It was reported late last year that several salmon were seen and caught in Marsh Creek in the Oakley area.

During the years, many children have enjoyed fishing for crawdads and trout, as well as many other fish that are normally found in the connecting Delta region. It also is not unheard of to see water snakes and muskrats swimming along the creek.

Kaiser said the council sees the Marsh Creek Trail as one of Oakley's assets and wants to see it continue to be developed to its potential for residents to enjoy.

This weekend the city celebrates its seventh anniversary and will host a barbecue, concert and fireworks at Freedom High School. Oakley was officially incorporated in 1999 after residents voted to let their town become independent of Contra Costa County's unincorporated area.

The celebration will begin at 5 p.m. with a $2-a-person barbecue. A concert featuring Dave Crimmen will begin at 6 p.m. with 1960s rock 'n' roll music. Fireworks will follow at 9:30 p.m.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own blankets and chairs. They can also bring a picnic dinner if they don't want to purchase the barbecue.