Community members clean up Putah Creek to remove invasive species
PHOTO: Karyn Utsumi and Marc Vayssieres are regulars at Putah Creek clean-ups, and often help uproot invasive species along the river.
By Calissa Levy,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–
Along the path of the Putah Creek South Forks Preserve, a group of people weed out invasive species with rakes and hoes. Their work is a preservation measure to protect Putah Creek’s ecosystem.
Clean-up events like this happen multiple times a year and help maintain the creek’s unique native ecology.
Volunteers spend their time at the creek weeding invasive species, tilling dirt, planting new plants and cleaning up the paths. Events like these usually last around three hours or more, with many regular attendees.
Volunteer coordinator for Putah Creek Council Karyn Utsumi loves being around nature and just recently got involved with the Putah Creek Council after graduating from UC Davis.
Utsumi went to UCD for environmental science. “I got interested in restoration and working with people to get them connected to the outside,” Utsumi said.
Marc Vayssieres, a retired Davis resident, enjoys coming out to socialize and work in nature. This was his tenth time volunteering for the Putah Creek Council. “It’s good honest work. You get to chat with people and make friends,” Vayssieres said.
The calendar for upcoming Putah Creek clean-ups is available at https://www.putahcreekcouncil.org/calendar.
