The First Small Steps Towards Marsh Creek Restoration

In the summer of 2007 the City of Oakley was approached by the Natural Heritage Institute (NHI) and the Friends of Marsh Creek (FOMC) about the possibility of creating a creek side trail and habitat enhancements to Marsh Creek at the City’s Creekside Park. A conceptual design was developed and a collaborative grant application was submitted to the California River Parkways Grant Program.

Conceptual Plan View

Conceptual Cross Section

The California River Parkways Program is a competitive grant program first created under the Water Security, Clean Drinking Water, Coastal and Beach Protection Act of 2002 (Proposition 50). The program is administered by the Office of the Secretary for Resources and awards funds to public agencies and non-profit organizations to acquire, restore, protect or develop river parkways.

In August of 2008 the City received a letter telling us that the grant application was successful and the City was awarded $1,067,550 in grant funds to establish a creek side environment along approximately 2,400 linear feet of Marsh Creek. Unfortunately these grants funds were awarded just as the State began to feel the effects of the current economic crisis. The grants were frozen and unfrozen a number of times. The door is open and City staff and representatives from NHI and FOMC have begun to explore design options. They recently selected a firm, Restoration Design Group, LLC from Berkeley, who specializes in creek restoration and habitat enhancement, as a consultant design services.

 

Vandalism at Holly Creek Park

Update 09/01/09 – The city is removing the “remains” from Holly Creek and have cut off the steel post below grade. They are pursuing the insurance claim. The investigation has not gathered in any information that links anyone specifically to the fire. Chief Thorsen is directing more frequent patrols around the neighborhood.

Early Sunday morning someone set fire to a play structure at Holly Creek Park. If anyone has information please contact the Oakley Police Dept at 625-8855. I looked at the ruins this afternoon and it appears that an accelerant was used. The rubber and plastic were burnt to the ground, but the surrounding bark was only singed. Neighbors called the Fire Dept around 3am Sunday morning.

 

Big Break Shoreline Park ribbon cutting ceremony

The June 17th ribbon cutting ceremony for the Big Break Shoreline Park was a well‐attended and successful event. The ceremony, hosted by East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) and Delta Science Center, officially dedicated the bridge that connects the trail system along the shoreline, and initiated construction of Phase 3a of the regional park.

Phase 3a of the park was approved by the City Council on March 24, 2009, and depicts $2.5 million in park improvements. EBRPD currently has $1.5 million in grant funds from the River Parkway and Coastal Conservancy grants. As a result in the interim shortfall of funding, EBRPD has reduced the scope of the initial construction of Phase 3a. The initial improvements will include the trail system, kayak storage building, vault restroom structure (instead of permanent restroom building with sewer connection), fish bike rack, 7 of the 12 picnic tables, 1 of the 8 BBQ, 15‐gallon trees instead of 24‐inch box, a scaled‐back children’s play area with a dinosaur dig site. EBRPD plans to build out the remainder of the improvements when additional funding is secured. Remaining improvements include the future fish cleaning station, and additional picnic tables, benches, standard bike racks, and BBQs. The 3‐dimensional Delta Map feature is being funded by a separate grant and is on track for construction with Phase 3a.

EBRPD also informed City staff that the $2.6 million from Measure WW is still earmarked for the Delta Science Center building and interpretative and
educational features at the shoreline park.

 

Big Break Park – Phase 3A

At 10,000 feet above sea level, in the southern Sierra snow pack, the San Joaquin River begins its 350-mile trek to the Pacific Ocean as an outlet from Thousand Island Lake. Along the arduous path to the sea the river has been dammed, channeled, pumped and diverted away from its natural course by thousands of miles of levees to protect agricultural lands.

Around the turn of the century levees were constructed in Oakley to protect the asparagus crop. However, in 1929 the levee was breached, each breach morphed into a lager one eventually inundating the asparagus farmland with 10 feet of water. The flooded farmland has aptly been named ‘Big Break”. Spring and early summer still yields an occasional spear of asparagus.

Big Break is in store for more changes in the next few months. Construction will begin again at Big Break Regional Shoreline, which encompasses a 1,648-acre piece of the Delta (mostly off-shore). The East Bay Regional Park District is about to embark on Phase 3A of construction. Phases 1 and 2 are nearly complete. These initial improvements include: an entry road, main parking lot, bathroom, an observation deck, improved wetland habitat, and several trails.

The next phase, 3a will include additional utilities, a new restroom building, kayak storage building and launch area, maintenance building, outdoor amphitheatre, picnic areas, children’s play area with climbing structures, and fish cleaning station. All of these improvements are proposed just south of the existing observation deck. The area is surrounded by open water and tidal wetlands on three sides. One example of the interpretative design proposed is a scaled map/model of the delta that will be located right in the middle of the above‐mentioned improvements.

To view the maps ckick on them to enlarge and then press cntl+ to enlarge them. cntl- will reduce the size

Park Site

Phase 3A enhancements

 

Creekside Park opens in Oakley

On Saturday morning Oakley opened its 31st park. The first phase of Creekside Park, located at the corner of Laurel Ave. and Creekside, includes a parking lot, playground, 2 bocce ball courts, a BMX dirt track and a skate park. A restroom will be added this year.

The ribbion cutting ceremony drew quite a crowd for a cold and damp morning. With Oakley Rec. staff on hand to run the event all the amenities were in use in short order.

Through a grant of more than $1 million provided by the California River Parkways Program over 1,000 feet of Marsh Creek will be restored. The grant also provides for the building of a pedestrian bridge linking the Marsh Creek Regional Trail to Creekside Park, the planting of shade trees and the construction of a creekside nature trail. 

Should we or shouldn't we - Lets not

 

A Foggy Morning at Big Break

I took a walk around Big Break this morning looking for beavers that frequent the shores. I found tracks on the shoreline but could not find the elusive animals.  I have seen them on walks around Jersey Island. The beavers in Oakley don’t present the same issues that they have in Martinez. I feel it is safe to save that they are generally welcomed by all. Besides beaver the park also provides habitat for osprey, great blue heron, river otter, raccoons, among other wildlife.

I did notice that the bridge over the slough at Piper Lane is open. The Big Break Trail can now be traveled through to its connection with the Marsh Creek Trail.

During the late 1800s asparagus farmers “reclaimed” this marshy area for cultivation by creating a levee system against the waters of Dutch Slough and the San Joaquin River. In 1928 portions of the levee gave way creating a “Big Break”. The asparagus farm was lost. However, if you walk the park in the spring you may find some remanent asparagus still growing.

 

A New Park in Oakley

Upon incorporation on July 1,1999 the City of Oakley had 3 parks. On Saturday we opened our 30^th city maintained park, Summer Lake Community Park. This is a large park that sits at the end of Cypress and although it does have some large power lines going through it there are still plenty of amenities including playgrounds, a large gazebo, barbeques, picnic tables, baseball fields, soccer fields, basketball courts, tennis courts, restrooms and 2 convenient parking lots. 

 

 

Hiking and Biking in Oakley

Big Break Regional Shoreline, a 1,648-acre mostly-offshore piece of the Delta is one of the newest additions to the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD). Big Break Regional Shoreline will soon feature multiple trails, an observation/fishing pier, a boat launch, parking, rest rooms, and the Delta Science Center. The Delta Science Center is being developed on a 40-acre site at Big Break.

Grading for Delta Science Center at Big Break - Photo by Megan Romick

Pier at Big Break - Photo by Megan Romick

Pier at Big Break - Photo by Megan Romick

Waterfowl at Big Break - Photo by Megan Romick

Beaver activity at Big Break - Photo by Megan Romick

The Big Break Trail, operated by the East Bay Regional Park District, currently begins at the north end of Jordan Lane at Walnut Meadows Drive and runs north and then east to Marsh Creek. Much of what you can view along this route falls along Ironhouse Sanitary District property that is located to the southeast side of the trail. A project currently under construction will build a bridge over the Vintage Parkway Creek Channel and connect the trail to the Big Break Regional Shoreline Park. Depending on weather the trail should be open by December. The project will also make trail improvements along ½ mile of shoreline from Piper Lane to the existing trail at Fetzer Lane. The ultimate goal is to extend the trail west through the Cline and DuPont properties to the Oakley/Antioch Regional Shoreline Park.   

 

 

The Marsh Creek Trail, which winds through Creek Side Park in Brentwood to the shores of the San Joaquin River in Oakley, connects with the Big Break trail. It will be part of a greater trail system that will stretch from the oak draped foothills of Mt Diablo (Morgan Territory Regional Preserve and Round Valley Regional Park) to the shores of the Delta at Big Break. These trails and others planned in Oakley will be part of the Great California Delta Trail which will link the San Francisco Bay Trail system and planned Sacramento trails in Yolo and Sacramento counties to present and future trails in and around the Delta.

 

Marsh Creek Trail - Photo by Megan Romick

The City recently received a $1,067,550 grant from the California River Parkways Program to establish a creek side environment along Marsh Creek. This will create approximately 2,400 linear feet of trail along Marsh Creek in Oakley’s new Creekside Park.

Mt. Diablo at dusk from Marsh Creek Trail - Photo by Megan Romick

 

Along the Contra Costa Canal is the Delta de Anza Regional Trail, named to commemorate the route taken by Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza during his 18th century expedition into the Delta region of Eastern Contra Costa County. The paved, multi-use hiking, bicycling and equestrian trail currently runs for about 15 miles and connects the cities of Concord, Bay Point, Pittsburg, Antioch and Oakley and provides access to Contra Loma Regional Park (and Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve) through Antioch Community Park. This relatively flat trail intersects Antioch’s Mokelumne Trail and the Marsh Creek Regional Trail.

AREA TRAIL MAP   

             The Ironhouse Sanitary District allows fishing, hiking and pheasant hunting on our Jersey Island property by permit only. Camping opportunities may soon be available on Jersey Island. There is no charge to obtain a permit, but there are several conditions that must be observed. Walking dogs on the “Halsey Trail” is allowed when the trail is open. The trail will be closed during pheasant hunting season, levee maintenance, or inclement weather. Walking with or training dogs in the fields is permitted only during hunting season. The running of dogs with a moving vehicle is NOT permitted. Dogs must be under the owner’s control at all times. If you wish to park on Jersey Island you must also obtain an annual Parking Pass. The current fee for the annual Parking Pass is thirty ($30) dollars.

 

Jersey Island