In response to recent vegetation removal along Laguna Creek, members of the LCWC met with the Director of Public Works, Bob Murdoch, and city staff this past week. The Council presented a strategy for reaching the goal of stabilizing and re-vegetating the banks of Laguna Creek south of the Bond Road bridge. We had a very productive discussion and came to agreement on a direction moving forward. The City agreed to retain an environmental consulting firm with expertise in creek restoration/rehabilitation to assess the situation and develop a plan to re-vegetate the corridor and control the spread of non-native Himalayan blackberries, one of the original goals of the vegetation “mowing”. The plan to be developed by the consultant will also consider the diverse uses of the corridor and the interests of the community. The plan will address the multiple functions of the creek corridor, including flood flow conveyance, safety for local homeowners, and enhancing wildlife and bird habitat – a key issue for the LCWC. Maintaining the natural look and feel of the creek corridor will also be considered as this is one of the many reasons why hikers and bikers enjoy using Laguna Creek trails.
To begin the process, members of the LCWC will meet with city staff to identify and select an appropriate consultant – a firm with a track record of successfully addressing this type of issue. The first meeting is planned for the last week of January. Once the consultant is on board, a public information process will be established to obtain community input and ideas.
A very constructive meeting! Stay tuned for more information!!
Looking south from the Bond Road bridge
All the erosion-control straw placed over the denuded areas was washed away
