Healing a Wounded Watershed with the Colma Creek Collective
Colma Creek Shoreline, South San Francisco, San Mateo County; Measure AA Region: West Bay
Safe, Clean Water and Pollution Prevention Program; Vital Fish, Bird and Wildlife Habitat Program; Shoreline Public Access Program.
This project consists of community-led restoration on approximately one quarter to one third acre at the mouth of Colma Creek; hosting restoration education workshops, watershed field trips, and community-based shoreline restoration events; and collecting and distributing historical Colma Creek Watershed information.
The project includes a training program that will host approximately 10 restoration education workshops, 8 watershed field trips, and 8 community-based shoreline restoration events. The goal of the project is to restore parts of Colma Creek while demonstrating that local communities have the power and passion to improve the ecological conditions and character of Colma Creek. In the 1950s, the mudflats and tidal marsh surrounding the mouth of Colma Creek were covered with fill and quickly developed into lots for warehouses and office buildings. Today, the Colma Creek shoreline is littered with trash and is a popular illegal dumping site. Additionally, much of the native vegetation is choked out by swaths of invasive ice plant.
While many Colma Creek restoration projects have been proposed, as of today most of these projects have not moved past the design phase. The proposed project will act as a small-scale interim restoration project while these larger projects undergo design and planning. Throughout the project, SBMW will coordinate with the larger aforementioned projects to ensure the Colma Creek Collective complements future restoration efforts.
