Yreka Creek Greenway
BENEFITS OF THE GREENWAY
Through their votes, millions of Americans have said 'yes' to preserving open spaces, greenways, farmlands and other important habitat. During the 1998 election, voters in 44 states approved over 150 conservation-related ballot initiatives. Trails and greenways provide what many Americans seek- recreational areas close to their homes, community meeting places, historic preservation, educational experiences, natural landscapes and beautification. Both trails and greenways help communities build pride by ensuring that their neighborhoods are good places to live, so that children can safely walk or bike to a park, school, or to a neighbor's home. Trails and greenways help make communities more attractive and friendly places to live.
Habitat and Environment
"Ecology" is "HOME LOGIC". The word Ecology comes from two words ECO (from the word "Oikos" meaning "Home") and LOGIC ("Logos" meaning "knowledge").
The ecology of Yreka Creek is not limited to its biological elements. HOME LOGIC, as applied to this Universe and all ecosystems nested within it, is the knowledge of the functions and structures that interelate and evolve, and all have physical, biological and social aspects. The Yreka Creek Greenway project supports and enhances all three.
Yreka Creek maintains populations of Fall Chinook salmon, Coho salmon (a threatened species), winter and summer steelhead, and resident trout. The creek needs to be healthy, shaded, and have cool temperatures in order to support fish and other wildlife. Preservation of Yreka Creek is necessary to protect the integrity of the entire watershed. Establishing a restored greenway corridor along Yreka Creek will improve the ecological health and long-term sustainability of both Yreka Creek and the Shasta River.
Hydrologic benefits will be realized by implementing measures to reduce velocity and erosion along Yreka Creek during flood events. Pool development for fish populations would also serve to detain storm water. Increasing vegetation along the channel bottom and banks, and developing adjacent wetlands would retard erosion, reduce runoff and creek velocities during storm events, and provide non-point source pollution treatment for small storm events. In urban areas, small storm events often carry the highest concentration of pollutants, though not the largest quantities.
Historic and Cultural
Trails and greenways have the power to connect us to our heritage by preserving historic places and by providing access to them.
They can give people a sense of place and an understanding of the enormity of past events. Yreka Creek has played an important role in the activities and economies of the people living here, from prehistoric Native American habitation, to the area’s 1851 gold rush and through today. Many of the current residents of Yreka recall playing in and along the banks of Yreka Creek as children.
The greenway project provides an excellent opportunity for community education and awareness of the historical events that have shaped our community, resulting in a heightened sense of belonging and community pride.
Recreational
Many people realize exercise is important for maintaining good health in all stages of life; however many do not regularly exercise. The U.S. Surgeon General estimates that sixty percent of American adults are not regularly active and another 25% are not active at all. Trails and greenways provide a safe, inexpensive avenue for regular exercise for people living in rural, urban and suburban areas.
In a speech given on June 5, 2004, Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton stated, "Our efforts to promote trails for health and recreation are part of a larger partnership initiated by President Bush. These partnerships are using the vast interconnected outdoor recreation network of federal, state and local lands and waters as a resource that can help provide inexpensive, enjoyable exercise for all Americans. By promoting the importance of recreational activities and physical fitness opportunities on our public lands and waters, we encourage Americans to stay active and healthy while enjoying the outdoors."
Economic
Yreka Chamber of Commerce members are very supportive of the Yreka Creek Greenway as an economic engine for our community. This support comes from their knowledge of some of the following facts:
Trails and greenways provide countless opportunities for economic renewal and growth. Tourism and recreation-related spending are just two of the ways trails and greenways positively impact community economies. In a 1992 study, the National Park Service estimated the average economic activity associated with three multi-purpose trails in Florida, California and Iowa was $1.5 million annually. According to a study conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, birdwatchers spend over $5.2 billion annually.
A National Park Service study revealed the total economic impact of a trail involves a combination of new trail-related jobs and the expansion of existing businesses related to travel, equipment, clothes, food, souvenirs and maps. Trails can even have a direct impact on a community's ability to attract jobs. Many companies seeking to relocate or establish a corporate headquarters have cited the availability of trails as a significant factor in their decision to choose one locale over another.
In 2002, a survey of 2,000 recent home buyers was co-sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders and the National Association of Realtors. The survey asked about the "importance of community amenities," and trails came in second only to highway access. Those surveyed could check any number of the 18 amenities, and 36 percent picked walking, jogging or biking trails as either "important" or "very important." Sidewalks, parks, and playgrounds ranked next in importance. In other nationwide studies, development projects near or adjacent to trails show property values increase from 1% – 6% over properties further removed from trail locations.
Education
The Yreka Creek project maintains the educational and interpretive objectives that were developed in 1989 and persist to this day. The emphasis of the Greenway interpretation is on the importance of creating habitat for fish and wildlife, the historic importance of Yreka Creek to the local economy, identification of local plant and animal species, and opportunities for outdoor education programs for adults and school children.
Teach a class in our outdoor classroom! All age groups can benefit from a visit to the Greenway. We can provide you with ideas for lessons that will stay with your students forever, while embuing them with a greater sense of community, pride, and connection to local history and our environment. Discover local biodiversity and natural heritage through hands-on experiences. The Greenway is intended to be a place of rich learning opportunities address-ing the value of aquatic and streamside resources. There are visible reminants of of Yreka's past along the creek corridor, as well as interpretive panels to explain what you are looking at or standing among.
Improvements to the Visitor Center will enhance our outdoor classroom!
View these .pdfs to see the proposed conceptual plans:
Visitor Center Concept - Section
Local Students Aid in
Promoting Stream Health
Other opportunities abound for student participation in the Greenway. Recently, Yreka Creek friend Sam Cuenca has been working with local community school students to protect key streamside trees from destruction by beavers along Greenhorn Creek. They are wrapping the base of important trees with chickenwire, shown to be very effective against hungry beavers (beavers do great things for streams and Sam and students are welcoming them to gnaw on other trees which don't provide as much critical shade/shelter over stream waters).