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The Laguna de Santa Rosa is a wetland complex of international significance (Ramsar Convention, February 2011). The heavily altered, urbanized Laguna channel begins just south of Cotati/Rohnert Park to flow northwest for over 20 miles before joining the Russian River and flowing into the Pacific Ocean. So, what we do in Cotati has an impact on the rest of the Laguna de Santa Rosa downstream, and beyond. To learn more about the ecology and significance of the Laguna de Santa Rosa see the Laguna Foundation’s website www.lagunadesantarosa.org
Thanks to over 4,000 volunteers, Cotati Creek Critters has planted, mulched, staked, pruned, and maintained well over 2,000 native trees and shrubs and planted hundreds of native understory plants (grasses, sedges and rushes) along a 1-mile section of the upper Laguna de Santa Rosa channel. In Fall 2011-Winter 2012 we planted another 350 native trees and shrubs at a second, 2,000 linear ft. site, near Falletti Park, off Gravenstein Way.
Volunteers propagated plants in the nursery from seeds and cuttings, refurbished tools, and completed other supportive tasks as needed. CCC held regular trash pick up days to prevent trash washing further downstream into the heart of the Laguna, the Russian River and the Pacific Ocean.
As from January 2013, the 1-mile section from Liman Way to the bicycle/pedestrian bridge north of E. Cotati will be taken care of by Sonoma County Water Agency as part of its ongoing Stream Maintenance Program, and the section from Falletti Park/Gravenstein way will be taken care of by the Laguna Foundation (see maps below).
If you would like to participate in creek restoration projects in Cotati or elsewhere in the Laguna de Santa Rosa or Sonoma County, you may like to volunteer with Laguna Keepers or participate in Sonoma County Water Agency’s volunteer community workdays – see http://youthecologycorps.org/.
The dotted line on the map below indicates the extent of the Cotati Creek Critters project site.
From Fall 2011-12, CCC planted an additional 350 native trees and shrubs on the west bank of the Laguna channel from Gravenstein Way to Commerce Blvd. (see below):
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