Let’s take a journey through the mosaic of habitats that are found in the Alameda Creek watershed.
The Alameda Creek Watershed Center stands near the historic Sunol Water Temple. Listen. You can hear the water as it cascades down, through the temple, and into the pool below. This is one small part of the journey the region's water once took, before flowing to San Francisco.
The Watershed Discovery Garden beckons us with its fragrant flowers, buzzing bees, and fluttering butterflies. Explore the texture of bark, leaves, and seeds, and learn about the watershed's varied plant communities, and the wildlife found in each.
The art installation, – Ruupaywa, Songs of the Watershed, – blends a lattice of steel and glass, with a soundscape of animal calls and Muwekma Ohlone songs. It honors Ruupaywa, the golden eagle, a protector and creator in the Muwekma Ohlone creation story. This watershed is home to one of the world's most significant golden eagle breeding areas.
But it's Alameda Creek, and other water courses, that define the mosaic's pattern – flowing through the watershed like a life-giving artery. The largest in the Bay, the Alameda Creek watershed is biologically diverse, and rich in resources valuable to both natural and human communities.
The watershed sweeps across almost 700 square miles, collecting water from Mt. Diablo and Mt. Hamilton, and extending to the tidal marshes of the San Francisco Bay. The watershed's natural landscapes, such as wetlands, work as sponges and filters, absorbing water during heavy storms and purifying it as it passes through the roots of plants.
But human activities, like urbanization and agriculture, can alter the flow of water and introduce contaminants. The hum of traffic on nearby highways reminds us that the watershed is vulnerable to the consequences of development.
That's why watershed management strategies, such as habitat protection and restoration work, are critical to the health of the watershed. Our actions at work and home, can also affect the watershed's health. Like using few or no pesticides, and making sure fertilizers don't run off our yards and into storm drains and creeks.
With careful management and protection, we can ensure that the Alameda Creek watershed continues to provide important habitat and resources for plants, animals, and people alike, for generations to come.