Ver. 9-28-2012
SCWA Projects on Copeland Creek (from Keenan Foster and Mike Thompson)
Priority Projects Identified at 2-14-12 SSU Meeting
1. Invasive Species
 How do we modify our channels to prevent/minimize the growth of Ludwigia or
Cattails?
 Does removal of undesirable understory vegetation and tree limbing increase
abundance of desirable understory species? What are the effects on other organisms
(e.g., birds), water quality, sediment, in-stream fish habitat? What types of riparian
canopy planting work best at shading out blackberry?
2. Sediment
 How much and what kind of sediment comes out of the headwaters of Copeland Creek?
 Where does it come from?
 How has the amount and type of sediment changed with settlement (i.e., what was the
pre-settlement condition?)
3. Water Quality
 What pollutants occur? Where are they and when?
 What is the influence of summertime urban irrigation on water quality?
4. Recreation- How do we enhance recreational experiences along the creek?
5. Planning Initiatives - Rohnert Park Creek Master Plan, Groundwater Planning (regional and local
recharge plan)
6. Groundwater Recharge
Additional Projects (from SCWA and SSU Facilities)

Long-term Monitoring
o Baseline and ongoing inventories of flora and fauna (including invertebrates)
o Patterns of succession in vegetation and long term retention,
o Project locations and methods used for vegetation management and sediment removal
o Water quality sampling

What are the best instream planting strategies (species selection, densities, arrangement)
to:
o maximize soil stability
o maximize habitat development
o maximize native species
o minimize undesirable species
o minimize displacement of hydraulic capacity

How effective are the instream basins between Snyder and County Club at capturing
sediment?

What is the relationship between sedimentation and vegetation?
o How are sediment patterns related to vegetation arrangement and vice versa? How can
SCWA use these relationships to best advantage?
Ver. 9-28-2012
o
When sedimentation is removed from outfalls, how can we cheaply and effectively
restore vegetation to maximize:
 Armoring (e.g., use of native wetland sod in bioswales)
 Filtration and uptake of target toxins (e.g., what is best species complement?)

What are the most effectiveness approaches for controlling blackberries, Ludwigia and other
non-natives?
o Ludwigia:
 What are the shade and moisture tolerances of the taxon?
 What topographic elevations can Ludiwigia colonize?
 What effectively competes with Ludwigia?
 What habitat features are resistant or conducive to invasion?
 Does this plant invade existing undisturbed habitat and if so at what dominance
or cover level?
o (SSU Facilities) focus on establishing native species that minimize need for fallen tree
cutting and other maintenance

How can we re-establish special status species?
o What is the feasibility of establishing and supporting special status plant species along
flood channels as a conservation action?
o How can we design and construct instream structures (abiotic or biotic) to benefit
outmigrating salmonids?
o (SSU Facilities) How can we remove blackberry and other invasives in Copeland Creek
without increasing erosion?

(SSU Facilities) What is the best way to stabilize banks and minimize erosion without causing
negative impacts to environmental resources?

(SSU Facilities) Erosion has deposited sediment sufficient to obstruct several outfalls. How
do we keep uncover the outfalls and keep them clear?

(SSU Faculty) What are the opportunities for increasing the natural resource value of the
university ponds?