Cotati Creek Critters vision is to see Cotati’s reach of the Laguna de Santa Rosa become a green corridor of habitat for native and migratory birds, pond turtles, frogs, butterflies and dragonflies, as well as an urban greenway with its walkways and bicycle path.

Cotati Creek Critters goals are to:

• Enhance natural habitat for native species without compromising flood control;
• Organize Creek Stewardship Days to plant native trees, shrubs, and understory plants and to remove invasive species;
• Encourage an appreciation of Cotati's creeks and creekside (riparian) vegetation;
• Raise awareness that Cotati's creeks are part of the larger Laguna de Santa Rosa and Russian River watersheds;
• Enjoy this beautiful natural resource with our families, neighbors and the community.

Hands in the dirt!

Please join us for Creek Stewardship Days, held regularly from October through May. To date we have planted and maintained over 2,000 native trees and shrubs, and thousands of native grasses, sedges, and rushes alongside a 1 mile-long section of the Laguna de Santa Rosa channel that runs through Cotati and part of Rohnert Park.Creek Stewardship Days may involve planting native trees and shrubs, removing invasive plants, removing trash, propagating plants in the nursery, and pruning, mulching, weeding, and other supportive tasks as needed.

We hold a Trash Pick Up event twice a year (see 2010 and 2011 events), usually in October and April, to remove trash from the Laguna de Santa Rosa channel before it gets washed downstream into the heart of the Laguna, the Russian River and the Pacific Ocean.

Cotati Creek Critters also:

• Organizes group stewardship days for specific groups of 15 or more (e.g. class, church, work group, youth group, etc.)
• Offers a presentation on the history, background, and purpose of its projects, to any interested group or class.
• Runs an internship program and offers community involvement opportunities for students.

CCC's Inside/Outside Nature Education series is a program of community education events featuring local experts.  The series includes “inside” presentations in fall and winter, and “outside” guided walks, field trips, and bicycle rides in spring and summer. The series is complemented by a monthly column in the local newspaper, The Community Voice. See Press & Media to read past articles.

CCC’s Stewardship Coordinator is Wade Belew.
The Outreach Coordinator is Jenny Blaker.

CCC is fiscally sponsored by the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit public benefit corporation, and supported by the Sonoma County Water Agency, and the City of Cotati. An initial three-year project to plant a mile of native trees and shrubs along the Laguna de Santa Rosa in Cotati was funded by the California Department of Water Resources Urban Stream Restoration Program (2005-2008). An understory restoration project was funded by an Environmental Enhancement grant from the City of Santa Rosa. USFWS Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program contributed funding from 2010- 2011.   The current project is funded by Sonoma County Water Agency. In November 2011, the Rose Foundation for Communities & the Environment contributed funding for community outreach, environmental education and volunteer recruitment, including to support a new partnership with St. Joseph Health System Sonoma County/Community Benefit Department.

Interpretive Signs
In October, 2009, Cotati Creek Critters installed three interpretive signs, which tell the story of the biology, history, and restoration of the Cotati reach of the Laguna.  Approximately 30 people contributed to the signs including graphic designers, ecologists and historians, writers and editors, artists and photographers, City and SCWA staff and officials, manufacturers and installers.
Read more . . .

Laurette Rogers, Director of STRAW, speaks at Open House, October 2009

Jenny Blaker, Wade Belew, Assemblyman Jared Huffman and artist Ed Willie discuss interpretive sign at unveiling, October 2009

photos courtesy of Jean Wasp