Helping Friends of Ignacio Creek

Novato Mayor John Mani has a dream. And he’s inviting others to help him achieve it. But the dream isn’t about Mani, it’s about restoring Ignacio Creek to a wildlife habitat.

On Saturday, Nov. 2, Mani, along with a group of community volunteers, will began a “Friends of Ignacio Creek” clean-up program that the mayor hopes will be the first step in restoring the creek to a fish-friendly environment. Mani says the restoration project has been a dream of his for some time. With the recent redevelopment of Ignacio Boulevard, he says the idea for the clean-up and restoration program seemed a natural.

“When Ignacio Boulevard was being worked on by Shea Homes, and the adjacent park land was being developed as a walking park, where you will be able to look directly down into the creek, I thought, ‘What if we could clean up the creek to invite the indigenous fish — salmon and steelhead that typically return to streams for spawning?’ What a spectacular achievement that would be,” Mani said.

Ignacio Creek runs from the area of the Indian Valley Campus, winding along Ignacio Boulevard, behind the Ignacio Safeway, crossing under Highway 101, continuing past the Marin Humane Society site and into Pacheco Pond before it enters the bay, Mani says. With the creek’s close proximity to neighborhoods and schools, the cleanup project is a win-win situation; both the environment and the community will benefit, the mayor says.

Teachers and children from nearby schools Loma Verde, Hamilton, San Jose Middle School and even Novato High School could use the creek project as an opportunity to learn about wildlife, “and for all to learn about the dangers of putting toxins into storm drains, some of which could end up in a stream and damage wildlife,” he says.

While the project has been a dream of Mani’s for some time, he’s had the practical consideration to enlist the help of experts in the field. He’s putting together a committee to help steer Friends of Ignacio Creek in the right direction. “Including Rick Johnson, vice CEO of the Marin Humane Society and president of Ignacio Rotary, Liz Lewis with the County Creek Control, Bill Long, Grant Davis of the Bay Institute and architect Bill Kelly, among others,” Mani said. “They informed me that the other measures that need to be addressed are the obstacles that would impede the return of spawning fish to the creek.”

Some of those obstacles include concrete barriers and sudden elevation changes that need to be mapped and addressed in what Mani calls a step-wise progression. And while the obstacles are real, he says there is a good chance that the wildlife habitat can be restored.“ Liz Lewis told me that last winter a salmon was netted in the creek,” he said. “And long-time neighbors have told me that when they were children they saw salmon returning to spawn in this creek, 50 or 60 years ago.”
Mani says the reception he’s received has been overwhelming, from the Rotary to the Coast Guard, to environmental advocates and developers.

“At the Sunrise Rotary Club I recently invited members to help and so many raised their hands, including Capt. Jim Hass, who lives on Hamilton and is the commanding officer of the Alameda Coast Guard Station, who said he wanted to help, and Susan Stompe has agreed to help me,” Mani said. “Rob Wainright, project manager for Shea Homes, has informed me that they’re going to build a modified fish ladder and flood control improvements.” On Saturday, volunteers will meet at 8:30 a.m. at the west end of the Ignacio Safeway parking lot to begin cleaning up a 5-mile stretch of the creek along Ignacio Boulevard. Sturdy shoes or boots are recommended. Gloves are suggested but not necessary. “Agencies have told us we should leave the natural habitat alone — we’ll be picking up drink containers, paper, plastic debris,” Mani said. “We’ll provide the plastic bags for debris, Liz Lewis has arranged for the bags to be picked up on Monday.” Mani says he hopes the entire community will enjoy the benefits of such a program and that other neighborhoods with adjoining creeks might be inspired to develop similar programs. “Can you imagine the shining eyes of a young child who, for the first time, sees an adult fish swimming close to their neighborhood — where you can visibly watch the miracle of nature and watch fish returning to their birth place — that’s something that few of us have ever witnessed.”

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