Being stewards of the land is an ongoing process for San Geronimo (Calif.) Golf Course, home to a large population of endangered Central California coast coho salmon.
At the end of July, the nonprofit Salmon Protection and Watershed Network (SPAWN) approached officials at San Geronimo (Calif.) Golf Course to restore Larsen Creek, home to a large population of Central California coast coho salmon, the San Rafael (Calif.)-based Marin Independent Journal reported.
The project covered a 200-foot stretch near the 11th hole and most of the heavy lifting wrapped up in seven days. The San Geronimo staff set up a temporary green as work was done, but according to Superintendent Barry Mueller, that was the only work the golf course’s own staff had to do.
SPAWN workers gathered and relocated wildlife from the creek before the work began. The narrow passage of the creek made it difficult for fish to travel through, and also facilitated erosion and sediment buildup in the creek bed. Downstream, redwood stumps were placed in the creek bed to deflect the flow of water from the bank and to create a pool habitat for the fish. Since the project, the creek flows slower and spreads wider, the Independent Journal reported.
SPAWN will continue planting native shrubs along the creek intermittently as part of an education effort for interns, and the golf course is glad to accommodate those efforts, particularly since the same nonprofit has worked on other projects on the property, including adding a fish ladder to help fish swim upstream to spawn.
Jennifer Kim, the golf course’s Executive Director, noted that the restoration fits in with the property’s efforts to be more environmentally sustainable, the Independent Journal reported.
“It’s something we want to do to be better stewards of this land, because we have a larger footprint than other businesses or homes in the area,” Kim said. “So we want to do our part to make as little of a negative impact as possible.”
The property also uses organic fertilizers and fungicide, has installed bird boxes in lieu of using insecticide, and has conserved water by over 30% by relocating sprinklers, hand-watering, and redirecting runoff to collection ponds, Kim said.
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