Codornices Creek rises from springs and swales in the Berkeley Hills, visible in many places including Remillard Park, Glendale Path, lower Stevenson Path, and LaLoma Park. The middle fork tumbles over beautiful falls above Keith and north of Tamalpais Steps. The south and middle forks come together in a culvert in Codornices Park. The main stem forms the centerpiece of Live Oak Park. Farther downstream, the creek marks the Berkeley-Albany border, flowing in a deep canyon next to St. Mary's High School and crossing the Ohlone Greenway just north of Gilman Street.
West of San Pablo Avenue, the creek edges UC Berkeley's University Village student-family housing complex, popular sports fields, and Berkeley's transfer station before flowing in a culvert under I-880/580. West of the freeway, the creek flows north in a tidal slough between the freeway and Golden Gate Fields racetrack, broadening into a small salt marsh before reaching the Bay just north of Buchanan Street. Although this northward turn seems artificial, it actually follows the original course of the creek, which flowed into a meandering tidal slough that followed this course in a broader salt marsh.
Codornices is our area's most intact creek, with a population of rainbow trout and at least occasional ocean-going steelhead (these two are the same species). Watch this video of steelhead in Codornices Creek. Friends of Five Creeks is involved in several projects along the creek.
In 2007, Friends of Five Creeks began new projects in the Northeast Berkeley Hills, removing ivy and planting natives at Mortar Rock Park as well as planting natives along paths in the Upper Codornices watershed in partnership with Berkeley Path Wanderers. Check out these photos and slide show (Picasa.com). Also in partnership with Berkeley Path Wanderers, we have outlined an "urban trail" that would follow Codornices Creek as closely as possible from the top of the Berkeley Hills to the Bay.
In part of Live Oak Park, Friends of Five Creeks volunteers including neighbors and schoolchildren are gradually replacing ivy with natives along the creek. Check out these photos and slide show (Picasa.com).
Friends of Five Creeks' first big project, in 1999, was restoring Codornices Creek at the Ohlone Greenway, the regional bicycle-pedestrian trail on the BART right-of-way. Inspired and led by local architect Todd Jersey, we replaced ivy and trash with native plants, improved access, and built a handsome observation railing on Codornices Creek at the Ohlone Greenway. Check out our photos and slide show (Picasa.com).
Long-term plans for restoration of the creek below Kains Avenue are slowly being carried out.
Two phases of this major restoration have been completed, from the Union Pacific railroad tracks to Sixth Street. Friends of Five Creeks now helps maintain this reach. Our volunteers maintain the reach between 9th and 10th Streets pending restoration; in 2001, we built a temporary trail that will eventually be replaced by a permanent creekside trail.Check out these photos and slide show (Picasa.com).
Friends of Five Creeks' longer-term plans include expanding the salt marsh south of Buchanan Street, near the creek's mouth, on property belonging to Golden Gate Fields race track. See our feasibility study by Balance Hydrologics. This project is likely to await longer-term planning of the future of this property.
The main stem of historic Cerrito Creek was the dividing line between Peralta and Castro land grants, and hence became the boundary between Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Another way to look at Cerrito Creek, though, is as a fan of small creeks, including Blackberry/Middle Creek in today's Berkeley and the "north fork" flowing through Kensington's Sunset View Cemetery. These and other creeklets came together just west of today's San Pablo Avenue, at the head of a marsh just north of Albany Hill. The pipes still come together there, at Adams Street, the start of an engineered channel that continues west to the Bay.
Friends of Five Creeks' aim is a creekside greenway from the Ohlone Greenway (the pedestrian/bicycle trail on the BART right of way) to the Bay Trail and Eastshore State Park. This mostly creekside route also will link El Cerrito Plaza Shopping Center, Albany Hill Park, Creekside Park, the California Orientation Center for the Blind, and Pacific East Mall, offering safer routes to school children and commuters.
The cities of Albany and El Cerrito have adopted this goal and a plan for the trail, and segment by segment, it is becoming reality.
At the Ohlone Greenway, Friends of Five Creeks removed blackberries and ivy that were choking the creek, planted natives, and installed seating rocks.
Just to the west, the creek is buried in a culvert to Talbot Street, mostly under the edge of the El Cerrito Plaza parking lot. If this corner is redeveloped, the creek will be "daylighted" - brought up into the sunshine.
Between Talbot and Kains Streets, the creek was little better than a degraded concrete ditch. Friends of Five Creeks helped advocate for adequate restoration as part of Plaza remodeling. With a grant from the Coastal Conservancy, in 2003 the city of El Cerrito had the parking lot moved back; a new, more meandering channel dug and planted with natives. Friends of Five Creeks contributed amenities such as signs and litter cans, and does ongoing maintenance and fill-in planting, See our photos and slide show (Picasa.com).
West of San Pablo Avenue, in July 2005, Friends of Five Creeks volunteers began revitalizing Cerrito Creek from Adams Street (one block west of San Pablo) down through Creekside Park. Check out our photos and slide show (Picasa.com).
As part of this project, the City of El Cerrito used a state grant with Bay Trail funds to improve the creekside walkway along the reach from Adams Street to Creekside Park. Ugly chain-link fences have been replaced by an overlook, attractive fencing that improves visibility and safety, and a new walkway through Creekside Park, previously a muddy rut.
West of Creekside Park, Friends of Five Creeks restored the north bank of the creek, adjacent to Pacific East Mall, as our major project from 2001 to 2005. See our photos and slide show (Picasa.com).
The mouth of Strawberry Creek, now part of Eastshore State Park, is important habitat for shorebirds. Friends of Five Creeks volunteers control perennial pepperweed that could take over the mudflats shorebirds use, and also remove other invasives, particularly ice plant. View our photos and slide show (Picasa.com).
Friends of Five Creeks long-term goal is bringing Schoolhouse Creek out of its culvert at its mouth in Eastshore State Park. This would create a small salt marsh. This project is included in plans for the park, and with Save the Bay we have done a long-term feasibility study. In the meantime, volunteers work to control invasives in the area. Check out our photos and slide show (Picasa.com).
Friends of Five Creeks' Weekday Weed Warriors group meets weekly for a couple of hours' hard work followed by coffee. The group goes to many sites, not just F5C projects. A couple are shown in these photos and slide show (Picasa.com).
Friends of Five Creeks volunteers use a variety of small grants to place interpretive signs where "our" creeks cross the Bay Trail and in restoration projects. View our photos and slide show (Picasa.com).
In the spring of 2006, each of three groups used materials found on site to make temporary art installations at three distinct creek environments: headwaters high in the Berkeley hills, mid-creek, and creek mouth at the Bay. Upcoming local events and exhibitions featuring large-format photographs of the artworks, accompanied by drawings and poetry, will promote appreciation, enjoyment, dialog, and action. See our photos and slide show (Zach Pine).
Each year, Friends of Five Creeks visits another part of the Bay Area to learn about restoration efforts. Our 2006 trip took us to the Delta with Jeff Hart of Hart Restoration and Delta Ecotours. In 2007, we toured the Guadalupe River Parkway through downtown San Jose. See our photos and slide show (Picasa.com).
F5C volunteers lead walks, give talks, and distribute information at public events including Earth Day fairs, the Albany and El Cerrito July 4th fairs, Solano Stroll, and others.
