With healthy watershed the common goal, a group of SCV Water staff and members of TreePeople and the Sierra Club teamed up for a “Restoration Field Day” Friday to learn about the local watershed and restore a creek-side habitat in San Francisquito Canyon.

A total of 88 various plants were successfully planted in about four hours.

“The Field Day was an opportunity for everyone to work together to better the environment,” said SCV Water General Manager Matt Stone. “We’re learning from each other, sharing our goals and building partnerships that will ultimately help us manage our watershed effectively and sustainably.”

For many, it was the first time getting a hands-on experience working within the watershed. It was an opportunity to make the connection between cultivating a healthy and thriving creek-side habitat and the role it plays in sustainably managing groundwater.

“It was such a great opportunity to get out from behind my desk and dig in the dirt,” said Cheryl Fowler, administrative analyst in Water Resources. “It was satisfying to participate in the connection between habitat restoration, our watershed, and the service SCV Water provides.

Thierry Rivard, TreePeople’s Angeles Restoration Program Manager, spoke to the group about the benefits of removing invasive plant species and caring for native ones.

“The native chaparral plants provide the deer, coyotes and other wildlife with food and shelter,” Rivard said. “It’s a cruel reality that those areas hit by major wildfires often become even more dangerous in the future, as invasive species rush in and grow vigorously, only to become dense masses of tinder as they dry out.”

SCV Water has previously partnered with TreePeople by donating non-potable water to their Forest Restoration Program, which provides a multitude of benefits to the area, including watershed protection, erosion control, and forest restoration with native plants.

More help is needed. TreePeople and their partners can use all the volunteer help the Santa Clarita Valley region can muster.

To find out about upcoming volunteer events and how to get involved, register at www.treepeople.org/calendar, email volunteer@treepeople.org, or call 818-632-4879.