Cerrito Creek Restoration at El Cerrito Plaza
Intersection of Central and San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito
Years gardened at this location: 3 years
Lot size: 800 linear feet
Showcase feature:A stretch of Cerrito Creek, channelized, degraded, and running between a shopping mall and apartments, has been restored by pulling the parking lot back from the creek, removing concrete from the banks, creating a more meandering channel, and installing a creekside trail. Invasives were removed and the area was planted with natives. Volunteers from Friends of Five Creeks contributed plants, seating, interpretive signage, maintenance, and fill-in planting.
Other garden attractions:
- Recycled glass cullet has been used to surface the creekside path. Recycled plastic cells hold the cullet in place.
- Local natives were planted along the streambank.
- Signage describes the history of this site (an Ohlone Indian village was located just downstream; the Plaza is the former location of Victor Castro's adobe, Cerrito Creek was the boundry between the Castro and Peralta land grants).
Gardening for Wildlife: Now that the former rat-infested ivy beds are gone, during the day nectaring butterflies and a variety of birds (including Cooper's hawks) flit and soar about. On spring evenings, Pacific chorus frogs can be heard calling for mates. Pacific garter snakes are occasionally seen.
Garden Talk: 12:30 “Selecting Tough Local Natives for Difficult Sites (compacted clay, dry shade, lack of irrigation and hot, dry conditions)"