Creeks in Common: the Copeland Creek Urban Watershed Demonstration Site

Creeks in Common strengthens academic-community partnerships addressing environmental and social challenges in the watershed. Some projects are already underway; others emerge from ideas shared during Copeland Creek workshops. Each project description serves as a tool to spark collaborative action by students, faculty, agencies, organizations, and campus partners. Many of the lists were generated by ChatGPT, are incomplete and contain errors, and in no way represent commitments by organizations. Working groups will use this document to jumpstart discussions, and will update to reflect new priorities and partnerships. Please comment or get involved!

Academic-Community Partnership Working Group

Undertakes projects that cultivate, evaluate and provide recommendations for sustained collaboration between academic and community partners to address real-world challenges

• Campus Integration Projects: This proposed project would leverage the Campus Corridor and Creeks in Common inquiry projects into a campus-wide identity rooted in real-world learning. It would serve as a replicable model for other universities in place-based, interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Campus Corridor Project: The proposed project would transform 15-acres of campus into a signature campus-wide learning environment — a living laboratory that unites environmental stewardship, community engagement, and interdisciplinary education.

Water Working Group

Undertakes projects that integrate all aspects of the water cycle—precipitation, surface water, and groundwater—into coordinated solutions

• Flood, Sediment, and Groundwater Recharge Projects: This proposed multi-benefit project would create an off-channel basin to reduce flooding, recharge groundwater, and restore steelhead trout habitat, while improving access with a trail linking Rohnert Park to Crane Creek Regional Park. It is currently being advanced by local partners and agencies committed to ecological restoration and community safety.
• Watershed Sensor Network Projects: This proposed project will install an integrated network of sensors to track key elements of the water cycle, supporting real-time data collection, climate resilience planning, and experiential learning. Initial components, including a climate station network, are currently in early development.
• Water Quality Project: The proposed project identifies ways to reduce contaminants in Copeland Creek that are contributing to impaired water in the Laguna de Santa Rosa.   

Regenerative Landscapes Working Group

Undertakes projects that restore soil and water health, support biodiversity, and strengthen healthy community-ecosystem relationships through land-based practices, such as restoration, landscaping, and agroecology.

• Regenerative Landscaping the SSU Campus: This initiative reimagines the SSU campus as a model for climate-resilient, community-centered land stewardship through regenerative landscaping, biodiversity enhancement, and food access. Early projects include pollinator corridors, edible gardens, and a pilot site developed in collaboration with ReScape California.
• Watershed-Wide Riparian Restoration: This collaborative project proposes to align restoration activities along Copeland Creek from headwaters to confluence, enhancing ecological function and climate resilience across multiple jurisdictions. It is currently in the planning phase, with interest from agencies and nonprofits active in watershed stewardship.
• Center for Just Food Systems: Planned as a hands-on learning hub at SSU’s Agroecology Garden, this center will integrate food justice, policy, and regenerative agriculture through student programs and public engagement. The concept is actively being developed by SSU faculty Caiti Hachmyer in collaboration with community leaders.

Regional Connections Working Group

Undertakes projects that strengthen landscape linkages across the region, supporting both ecological integrity and human well-being.

• Greenlinks Project: Greenlinks is a planning initiative to connect the Copeland Creek/Crane Creek Trail to a broader network of trails, greenways, and ecological corridors throughout Rohnert Park. The vision is being explored in coordination with partners at the City of Sonoma to promote access to nature, active transportation, and ecological connectivity.
• Crane Creek Trail Project: This regional project will expand Crane Creek Regional Park and extend the Copeland Creek Trail through SSU to the park, offering 2.6 miles of Class I bikeway and improved habitat access. The project is actively being implemented with funding from county and transportation sources.

Watershed Awareness Working Group

Undertakes projects that connect people to the Copeland Creek watershed and empower them to co-create solutions for environmental and social resilience

• Interpretive Signage: Creek Conversations is a proposed educational signage project that will use QR-linked content to foster reflection, wellness, and ecological learning along the Copeland Creek trail. The first series, focused on health and movement, is being developed in partnership with SSU faculty and campus groups.
• SSU Native Plant Garden: Revitalize a historic campus garden into a dynamic, inclusive teaching space that fosters emotional and intellectual connection to the Copeland Creek watershed
• Dig Into Copeland Creek: This coordination effort connects and expands interdisciplinary, place-based education across the watershed on topics like restoration, wildfire, groundwater, and food systems. It is currently in development through collaboration among faculty, CEI, and community educators.
• Common Knowledge Project: Collaborative solutions to watershed challenges require a shared foundation of accessible, interdisciplinary knowledge.  This project creates a digital Watershed Primer and Annotated Bibliography while at the same time teaching responsible, interdisciplinary use of emerging AI technologies.