Coyote Creek (Santa Clara County) Pilot Revegetation Project

The Santa Clara Valley Water District, located in Northern California, is currently evaluating a pilot riparian revegetation project on a 1.6 ha (4 ac) site adjacent to Coyote Creek in the south San Francisco Bay Area. Specific techniques used during the design, site preparation and installation of 3640 plants (including seed planting locations) are described. This paper reports on the analysis of 1 year's data, comparing the survival of various types of plant materials for each of the 15 native plant species installed. Plant survival is evaluated for portions of the site irrigated by overhead sprinklers versus flood irrigation. Weed control techniques and plant protection measures are also discussed.