Friends of Alhambra Creek

Friends of Alhambra Creek

Established in 1991, Friends of Alhambra Creek is a volunteer group that brings people and Alhambra Creek together to protect the health of the creek and its surrounding community. They have collaborated with other people and agencies to participate in, and carry out, a wide range of projects.

The group meets at 6pm on the second Tuesday of each month. These meetings are currently held on at the Martinez Senior Center (818 Green Street, Martinez). Meeting agendas are uploaded to the Friends of Alhambra Creek Facebook Page and a Google Drive folder a few days prior to each meeting. To view the agendas, please click this Google Drive Folder link.

If you have any questions, please contact the Friends of Alhambra Creek at foac@ccrcd.org.

Visit our Facebook page

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Events

EPA Grant Discussion
Wednesday, October 23rd, 2024, 7:00 pm
Martinez City Council Chambers
FOAC & other community partners

The City of Martinez is in the process of applying for an EPA Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant to help transform the Martinez Marina. Please join us for this Martinez City Council meeting where the grant application will be submitted to the City Council for approval.

Community Garden Workday
Sunday, October 27th, 2024, 9:00 am-12:00 pm
Martinez Community Garden (across from MUSD office at 921 Susana St, Martinez)
FOAC and New Leaf Collaborative

This will be a fun community garden event at the Martinez Community Garden across from the Martinez Unified office with our partner, New Leaf Collaborative. Come out and enjoy the garden!

Martinez Marina Garden Planting Event
Sunday, November 24th, 2024, 9:00 am-12:00 pm
FOAC and New Leaf Collaborative

Join us for a community planting and weeding event at the Martinez Marina Wetland Garden. The garden is thriving but it’s time to add extra plants! Come beautify the garden and learn about salt tolerant native wetland plants. For more information about the Marina Wetland Garden, please click here. The garden is located here.

Martinez Marina Garden Workdays for FOAC & Partners
10/20, 11/17, 12/15
01/19/25, 02/16/25, 03/16/25
9:00 am – 12:00 pm

These garden maintenance workdays happen the third Sunday of every month. The garden is located here.

Friends of Alhambra Creek featured on Linksploration Podcast!

The September 5th, 2024 episode of the Linksploration Podcast features Jeannine and Elaine of Friends of Alhambra Creek, discussing the Alhambra Native Plant Trail!

Linksploration is a podcast that investigates "climate change and social issues in the Diablo Valley and beyond, and how they link together." The episode with FOAC is part of their "Friends of the Creeks" series highlighting local community watershed groups.

Well done Elaine and Jeannine, you were great! Click the blue button below to listen.

Listen here

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The Alhambra Native Plant Trail

Visit the gardens created by volunteers from Friends of Alhambra Creek and the California Native Plant Society to get ideas for your very own California native garden at home!

The goal of the Alhambra Native Plant Trail is not only to educate residents about our native flora, but also to create a wildlife corridor through Martinez for birds, butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects.

Alhambra Way Mural

This project was spearheaded by Jeff Sherwin, a Friends of Alhambra Creek member and Martinez resident. Jeff's vision and dedication transformed the blank, gray walls of the Highway 4 underpass on Alhambra Way into the current vibrant mural. The mural celebrates some of our remarkable local plants and animals. The mural was completed in January 2024.

Tim Hon, Steve Ha, Romali Licudan, and Eric Nodora make up the local art group,

To learn more about the Alhambra Way Mural Project, please visit the Alhambra Way Mural Webpage by clicking the button below.

Alhambra Way Mural Webpage

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What Are the Friends Up To?

On 9/29/24. the Friends joined in an INVASIVE PLANT REMOVAL AND LITTER CLEANUP in Martinez adjacent to the Alhambra Way Mural, sponsored by Martinez Refining Company and Republic Services!

Mike Anciaux of Friends of San Ramon Creek (FSRC) was there to lead an Arundo (giant reed) removal workshop, and he and FSRC have it down to a science! The Friends and other volunteers made quick work of the few stands of Arundo, even getting into the dumpster to pack things down to get the whole pile to fit! Volunteers also cleared Dittrichia (stinkwort) from the roadsides, improving the aesthetics of the lot by removing dead plants and keeping this nasty invasive plant from going to seed and spreading.

Kiryn Duncan from Our Water Our World was there to table the event and share the organization’s message about choosing eco-friendly, less toxic pesticides. Volunteers also removed a large quantity of litter from roadsides around the site!

On 9/14/24, the Friends joined the MCNABNEY MARSH COASTAL CLEANUP DAY EVENT at McNabney Marsh in Martinez, sponsored by Mountain View Sanitary District and Contra Costa Resource Conservation District!

Over 20 volunteers pulled 5 cubic yards of trash and 0.5 cubic yards of recycling out of the marsh and off of adjacent roadsides. Volunteers found several tires, a mini fridge, and a road sign, and also pulled invasive plants including fennel. These cleanup efforts help to prevent harm to marine life by keeping plastic and other dangerous waste from entering the ocean.

This site continues to be a major trash hotspot because of its location on the route to the Contra Costa Waste Transfer Station. If you take your trash to the transfer station, please be sure to tarp your load securely. The creatures of McNabney Marsh thank you!

On 9/7/24, the Friends took part in the MARTINEZ COMMUNITY LEARNING GARDEN WORKDAY, sponsored by New Leaf Collaborative and the Martinez Community Foundation!

More than 35 volunteers harvested delicious garden fruits, removed weeds, painted a beautiful pollinator garden sign, and created their own custom bookmarks with California native plants. A great time was had by all! Supplies for the event were generously financed by the Martinez Community Foundation.

On 4/28/2024, HIDDEN LAKES PARK CLEANUP- A BIG SUCCESS! Sponsored by: City of Martinez, Martinez Refining Company, Kiwanis, Friends of Alhambra Creek, Republic Services, Martinez Chamber of Commerce.

The community cleanup of Hidden Lakes Park was a huge success. There were 42 volunteers who canvased the area and picked up 72# of trash. We had Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Kiwanians, Martinez Refinery Company employees, and many people from Martinez and neighboring Pleasant Hill and Concord. Martinez City Council member Satinder Mali led the charge, even taking one for the team as he stepped into the lake, unexpectedly, for a plastic drink cup!

The event followed a similar clean up in downtown Martinez on February 3rd. That clean up netted 57# of garbage. Clearly there is always a need for garbage pick up. PLASTIC remains a problem! There were bags of plastic Easter grass and eggs along with pink foil pacifiers- perhaps from a gender reveal party.

PLEASE remember to pick up after your parties and try not to use plastic for your decorations. We all know how damaging it is for our environment and the critters who share our world.

On 10/1/2023, the Friends participated in the WARD STREET PARKLET CLEANUP: Thanks to our City of Martinez Mayor Brianne Zorn for spear heading our cleanup of the Ward Street Parklet. Lots of work was accomplished by our small but mighty group. District 1 Councilman Jay Howard was first into the creek. We removed tires, cushions, lots of buckets of garbage, ivy, blackberries and invasive weeds. Our dumpster was filled in three hours! To date the area remains a nice place to view the creek and has become less of a flooding hazard. Martinez city workers keep the waterway clear of downed trees. Photos are below at the end of the page in he photo gallery. Friends of Alhambra Creek out there making a difference!

On 01/21/23, the Friends participated in a CCC Flood Control District planting event called Giving Natives a Chance in Concord, CA.

On 11/19/22, the Friends added native pollinator plants to the Alhambra Native Plant Trail, provided by funding from the Kiwanis Club of Martinez.

On 09/25/22, the Friends partnered with Mt. View Sanitary District and CCRCD for Coastal Cleanup Day 2022 at McNabney Marsh

On 9/25/21, the Friends removed stinkwort and trash from McNabney Marsh in Martinez.

On 9/18/21, the Friends partnered with Green Team to remove stinkwort and trash from the parking lot near the Martinez Dog Park.

How to Report Illegal Dumping

Illegal dumping can have a devastating effect on water quality in our local waterways when rains flush dumped materials, many of them highly toxic, into storm drains or directly into bodies of water.

Did you know that Contra Costa County Public Works Department offers citizens a variety of ways to report illegal dumping for clean-up? You can report by phone, email, mobile app, through the Public Works Department Online Portal, and even to the County Sheriff's Office as dumping is occurring!

Phone: Call 1-800-663-8674 (1-800-NO-DUMPING). To report dumping as it is happening, call the Sheriff's Non-Emergency Line at (925) 646-2411.

Online Customer Portal: To report from a desktop computer, use the Public Works Online Portal here.

Email: Send a message to the Public Works Department at Admin@pw.cccounty.us.

Mobile Citizen App: Download the Mobile Citizen app on the Public Works Mobile Citizen info page here.

Thank you for doing your part to address illegal dumping and keep our waterways clean! For more information, please click the blue button below.

More information

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Creek Cleanup Interest Form

The Friends of Alhambra Creek (FoAC) have supported and participated in many creek cleanups within and surrounding Martinez. If you are interested in completing a creek cleanup with the help of the FoAC, please fill out the form by clicking the below button.

Google Form

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Creekside Property Management

Having a creek or waterway flowing along or through your property can be a blessing, but it comes with various potential challenges. According to Contra Costa Public Works, "If your property has a creek or a waterway flowing through it, it is your responsibility to maintain it. Typically private property extends to the center of the creek and not just to the fence line. These privately owned creeks are an important part of our county’s drainage system and are regulated by County ordinance, but they are not maintained by the County." To read more about your responsibility as a private creek owner from the county, visit this Private Creek Maintenance page.  

Here is a list of resources that may be helpful to you as a creekside property owner:

Please note, any work to alter a creek (widening, filling, dredging, reinforcing banks, etc.) may require permits from the County, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the State Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Contact these regulatory agencies for more information.

Plant a Native Garden!

Click the image to see full size. Click the bottom button to visit the East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society's Guidelines

More information

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Visit our Partner Groups

Alhambra Watershed Council

The Alhambra Watershed Council (AWC) is a stakeholder group that was established in 1997 to produce the Alhambra Creek Watershed Management Plan (2001). The group’s mission is to protect and enhance the health of the Alhambra Creek Watershed by educating the public about the watershed, providing a forum for new ideas and projects, and acting as a community resource.

By representing diverse stakeholder interests and promoting healthy natural systems, the AWC aims to support the health and vitality of the entire watershed community. Contra Costa County, Friends of Alhambra Creek, National Park Service, New Leaf Collaborative, Mt. View Sanitary District, and residents are among the active participants. Past projects include the Alhambra Creek Watershed Map and Festival and the Strentzel Lane Flood Reduction Project. The AWC receives coordinator support from the CCRCD.

Meetings are currently held on the first Tuesday of every month (excluding August) at 6:30pm, on Zoom. Interested community members are welcome to attend AWC meetings. Come and share your ideas!

AWC Meeting dates for 2023 are listed below. If you would like to join a meeting and are not yet on the AWC email list, please contact Evan Green for the meeting access info.

2024 AWC Meeting Dates:

January 2, February 6th, March 5th, April 2nd, May 2nd, June 6th, July 4th, August 1st, September 5th, October 3rd, November 7th, December 5th

More information

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Mt. View Sanitary District

The Mt. View Sanitary District (MVSD) provides wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal services for the northeasterly portion of the City of Martinez and adjacent unincorporated lands to the northeast. Their wetlands and pond restoration projects are one of a kind and provide both habitat and wastewater filtration.  Tours of their beautiful site are available to the public.

More information

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New Leaf Collaborative

The New Leaf Collaborative is a 501c3 non-profit corporation based out of Martinez, CA. Their mission is to provide hands-on learning and leadership opportunities in science, nature and ecological literacy to nurture the wellbeing of our students and communities.

NLC has 3 main programs primarily located in Contra Costa County; Community Science Workshops, Community Garden Workshops, and our Earth Ambassadors Program. All of these programs are offered to youth during and after school and through summer camps and community events.

Together with community partners, NLC seeks to provide equitable experiential learning experiences to youth that sparks curiosity about how the world works, to cultivate ecological intelligence and to foster community engagement in a way that supports these efforts.

Visit our Facebook page

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National Park Service

Since 1916, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our national parks. With the help of volunteers and partners, we safeguard these special places and share their stories with more than 275 million visitors every year. NPS is the local steward of the John Muir Historical Site and Strentzel Meadow.

More information

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Friends of Alhambra Creek Photo Gallery