Dow Wetland Preserve, Kirker Creek Watershed, East Contra Costa County, Beaver Pond
The project is located at the Dow Wetland Preserve in the Kirker Creek Watershed in east Contra Costa County. The 475-acre Preserve provides important tidal and upland marsh habitat for over 120 species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals in an area dominated by industry. The goal of the Beaver Pond Habitat Enhancement Project at the Dow Wetland Preserve is to enhance a significant wildlife habitat in the lower Kirker Creek Watershed; improve water quality through increased infiltration; involve a diverse group of volunteers in field-based learning and restoration, and increase collaborative partnerships both regionally and within the watershed. The Beaver Pond Project involves planting 20,000 plugs of various native species along the western edge of the runoff- and groundwater-fed pond located on The Preserve.
The Kirker Creek Watershed Management Plan, a consensus-based stakeholder document published in 2004, identifies The Preserve as the most significant wetland habitat in the watershed and recommends continued restoration work at the site. The purpose of the restoration is to provide habitat for over 120 species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals and improve water quality through increased infiltration and decreased erosion. The restoration will also provide a field-based learning opportunity in an area where few such opportunities exist. Hands-on involvement in improving the health of the watershed will instil a sense of stewardship in students and other community volunteers. The restoration project will also provide an opportunity to increase collaborative partnerships both regionally and within the watershed.
Native Plants, Regional Goals, Watershed Management, Habitat Enhancement, Water Quality
Ecosystem Restoration,
Environmental and habitat protection and improvement,
NPS pollution control,
Storm water capture and management,
Water quality protection and improvement,
Wetlands enhancement and creation
