It goes without saying that plants are some of the most beautiful and important organisms we have on our planet. As a child I was always interested in the world of plants. A world seemingly so familiar yet so estranged from common understanding. As kids we run barefoot and play on the soft grass, take refuge under the shade a tree provides amidst a hot California day, and take a deep breath of the fresh air the leaves so selflessly gift to us.

What if we had a chance at redemption? What if we could provide that fresh start to a lost creek? This is exactly what the City of Santa Rosa and their Storm Water & Creeks team are attempting to accomplish with Colgan Creek. After applying and being awarded over 4 million dollars in federal, state, and local grants the dream has become a reality. The Lower Colgan Creek Restoration Project is broken into a three phased approach. Grant funds have been applied not only to do the restoration work and recontour the channel, but also to acquire the lands adjacent to the constricted waterway to allow for widening the creek from a 25-year flood capacity to a 100-year flood capacity. 

That’s right! Its already sitting here just waiting for you to take the wheel and create a campaign to better our world, our waterways, our wildlife, and you. Action Tracker is a way for you to set a goal and tell your story on how you made this world a better place this year. Many hands make light work and simple actions have great impacts towards protecting our local community waterways, creeks, and river. Action Trackers protect their local creeks from streets.  Set a goal and tell the story of your motivation to protect our creeks. Invite friends, classmates, neighbors, or any like-minded individuals to track their actions to meet your goal, together. Where will you focus your positive changes?  Currently there are three simple activities to select from that will help you track your success related to preventing litter, car washing rinse water, or pet waste (even backyards have drains that lead to our creeks) from being transported into our fishable, swimmable, and drinkable local waterways. 

Stormwater infrastructure is not just the typical concrete pipes, outfalls and storm drains seen around towns and cities. This infrastructure has developed over time into an integrated and even attractive part of our urban landscape. You may often pass by a stormwater feature and think it is just landscaping. These features, known as Low Impact Development (LID) treat stormwater and blend in with the natural landscape.