Sacramento Area Creeks Council

Sacramento Area Creeks Council (SACC) promotes public and private care of natural streams and waterways through education, advocacy and hands-on activity in order to reestablish natural ecosystem functions and ensure the survival and protection of riparian habitats. To achieve these goals and promote creek preservation, SACC supports volunteer groups engaged in creek, waterway and neighborhood cleanups, and participates in the decision-making processes which affect the health of Sacramento area waterways. SACC also offers scientific educational materials and participates in neighborhood fairs, workshops and public events, working with schools, neighborhoods, and youth groups to encourage waterway clean ups and restoration.Harmful chemicals, trash and human waste from illegal homeless encampments pollute Sacramento's rivers and creeks resulting in a crisis for our waterways. During 2023, SACC decided to prioritize support for volunteer groups dedicated to cleaning and protecting these imperiled waterways. Groups supported by SACC included River City Waterway Alliance, Elk Grove Anti-Trash Volunteers (EGAT), Friends of Steelhead Creek, and Arcade Creek Adopt a Creek Project. SACC was instrumental in forming EGAT in 2020 providing supplies and advice. EGAT cleans the walkways, creeks, and parks of Elk Grove, and during 2023 held 39 cleanups. Astonishingly, in their first twelve months of existence (01/13/23 to 01/13/24), the volunteer group River City Waterway Alliance (RCWA) pulled 1,134,313 pounds of trash from Sacramento waterways. Thanks to meticulous record keeping for each of 328 cleanup events during that period, RCWA was able to document the removal of 23,819 batteries, 9,485 needles and 441 shopping carts included in that 1.1 million pounds. RCWA has posted 214 videos of cleanup events on its YouTube channel which have amassed 25,000 views. Two-hundred and ninety-nine individuals have participated in RCWA cleanups contributing a total of 9,380 volunteer hours over a twelve-month period. This has saved Sacramento County Regional Parks, which compensates its seasonal workers at $66 per hour (including benefits), an estimated $600,000. For these efforts, RCWA received an award for Environmentalist of the Year from the Environmental Council of Sacramento, and was recognized by the Sacramento Environmental Commission for Outstanding Environmental Leadership.RCWA cleanups have included the following locations: Bannon Island, Archery Range Woods at Discovery Park, Township 9, Riverdale area surrounding Camp Pollock, Northgate, Steelhead Creek, Woodlake, Sutters Landing, Howe Avenue, Watt Avenue, Del Paso Regional Park and Arcade Creek, Cordova Creek, Sacramento Bar, Sunrise Avenue, Sacramento River, the Bufferlands, and the East Drainage Canal in Natomas.SACC educational activities (in partnership with RCWA) included: a booth at the Earth Day festival on April 23 in Sacramento; a booth at the Walk on the Wild Side on May 20, an outdoor family-oriented event that celebrates International Migratory Bird Day and highlights local efforts in wildlife conservation and protecting and restoring native Central Valley habitat; a booth at the Family Fall Festival on October 1 in Rancho Cordova, an outdoor family-oriented event with live animals and nature walks; the Effie Yeaw Nature Fest on October 8 which promotes science and nature education; the Rio Velo Sacramento Bike Festival in June at Mirasol Village where kids lined-up to play RCWAs Trash Game; and the Ben Ali Community Association / Sacramento Horsemens Association National Night Out Event in August.Collaboration is vital for success in these undertakings and SACC and RCWA are proud to receive critical assistance from Sacramento County Regional Parks, Reclamation District 1000 and Citrus Heights Parks. Grant funding was received from the City of Sacramento Stormwater Quality Improvement Program which enabled RCWA to purchase many of the tools and supplies used at cleanups, and the Confluence Regional Partnership Program which provided funding for a trailer used to haul trash that is accumulated during cleanup events.SACC hopes to apply for grant funding of projects which preserve and restore creeks and their natural corridors, particularly in Steelhead and Arcade Creeks. Looking ahead to 2024, much work remains in removing trash from illegal homeless camps. Because of damage from these camps, the creeks have been degraded and become inaccessible as spawning and rearing habitats. However, after 34 cleanup events last year removed 189,410 pounds of trash from Steelhead Creek, RCWA volunteers have noticed an improvement in water flow. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) this work in small fish runs is vitally important to maintain genetic diversity. NOAA Fisheries states that restoration helps repair habitats that have been destroyed...or harmed by other human activities. The first part of this project will include assessments of barriers to fish passage, and spawning and rearing habitats in Steelhead and Arcade Creeks. See Sacramento Area Creeks Council at its web page saccreeks.org and on Facebook.