Celebrating 20 Years of Returning Oaks to Walnut Creek's Hills

Once upon a time, the hills in the Walnut Creek's open spaces were covered with oak forests. So were many of the now treeless hills and open spaces surrounding our East Bay communities. 

Cattle ranchers of the 1800s and early 1900s cut down many of the oaks to build homes, use for firewood and to allow their herds to roam. The grasses took over, giving our hills their distinctive golden dome look in the summer. But the sparsity of trees is not a good thing. For one thing, it means the loss of habitats for all variety of native wildlife from rabbits and reptiles to squirrels to robins and woodpeckers.

The Walnut Creek Open Space Oak Habitat Restoration Project will celebrate 20 years of trying to restore oak trees in the hillsides in the city's open spaces Saturday. 

The celebration will take place 10 a.m. at the Marshall Drive entrance to Shell Ridge Open Space, near Indian Valley School.  The morning program will include tours of restoration areas, including areas that were burned in last summer's fire, and talks by restoration experts.  

The celebration will honor co-founders of the all-volunteer project: Dick Daniel Ralph Kraetsch, and Dan Cather, the then-newly-hired superintendent of the Walnut Creek Open Space. Cather, now the city's public services manager, retires in April. Kraetsch also recently announced his retirement from the project at the end of the season this year.

In its 20 years, the Oak Habitat Restoration Project has planted acorns at 2500 sites in Lime Ridge, Shell Ridge, and Sugarloaf open spaces and clocked 2700 volunteer days and 6800 volunteer hours spent on acorn collection, planting, fencing, watering, and maintenance.

Three different kinds of oaks have been planted, all native to the area: blue oaks, valley oaks, and coast live oaks.

All members of the community are invited to the event, particularly volunteers who have helped the project in the past.  Speaking at the event will be Mayor Cindy Silva. Refreshments will be served. 

The Oak Habitat Restoration Project has been funded and supported by the Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation, an all-volunteer non-profit group based in Walnut Creek whose purpose is to preserve, protect, and enhance the open space.