Creek Cleanup Day is Sept. 21
Published on Page 4 of the September 4, 2013 issue of Morgan Hill Life:
By Mike Monroe
Mike Monroe
Morgan Hill is certainly a beautiful place to live and work. The creeks and riparian corridors that arise from our local foothills have given us rich alluvial soils in the valley, stream sides that are rich in wildlife and channels for rainwater which percolate into the Llagas/Uvas subbasin, or flow to the Pajaro River and into Monterey Bay.
Saturday Sept. 21 is California Coastal Cleanup Day, which is sponsored by a number of local agencies and community organizations including the city of Morgan Hill and the Santa Clara Valley Water District. So I thought: why not have a fun walk along the paved pedestrian pathway adjacent to Edmundson Creek prior to the cleanup? We can enjoy the pleasant early morning temperature, talk about the natural history of Edmundson Creek and Llagas Creek, and observe the benefits of a linear creek-side park in a residential neighborhood. We will pass by a couple of valley oaks that are “old timers” as well as some newly planted baby oaks that may grow to live a couple of hundred years. We may see a red-tailed hawk flying overhead or a fence lizard darting for cover. The trail bisects Paradise Park and Paradise School and we will make a U-turn at the far end of La Crosse Drive.
Both creeks originate in the western hillsides of Morgan Hill, each meandering about 1.5 to 2 miles to their confluence near La Crosse Drive. They combine with other tributaries to form the Llagas Creek watershed merging with Uvas Creek in southern Gilroy and emptying into the Pajaro River. Over the years, the creeks have often flooded, causing extensive property damage.
After our walk, we can join the volunteers at 9 a.m. at Starbucks in the Vineyard Town Center and lend a hand removing litter along West Little Llagas Creek. To register as a volunteer, visit www.cleanacreek.org and find Site 36 for more details. Whether you are able to join us for our brief stroll along Edmundson Creek or volunteer for the Creek Cleanup Day, or both, your participation is welcome.
Mike Monroe is a local business owner and amateur naturalist. He is docent for Santa Clara County parks and an Adopt-A-Creek member. Morgan Hill Life encourages everyone to enjoy the abundant opportunities to explore our great outdoors. When Mike Monroe came to us with an idea for a regular column in which he organizes group hikes for individuals and families to learn more about our community’s natural history, we couldn’t resist calling it “Take a hike with Mike.” We hope you enjoyed his inaugural column above.
