North Parcel is the site of a faculty housing project that is built around existing wetlands created by the removal of soil from the area in the 1960s when the golf course to the south was built. The exposed soils are sufficiently high in clay content to support seasonal wetlands. With nearly 10 acres of restoration of multiple wetlands and bioswales and the riparian corridor through the middle, this site will manage stormwater in a sustainable way and should support an array of wildlife. Restoration on the site was initiated in 2008 when the east side of Phelps Creek was laid back and a riparian corridor was restored by the Cheadle Center. Willows, sycamores, cottonwoods, and alders have been planted with an understory of wetland plants by the creek edge and coastal sage scrub along the upper banks. As these trees grow the site will evolve and develop into a riparian corridor.
We are currently working on habitat restoration and vegetation monitoring in Phase 3 of the faculty housing project.
North Parcel site before restoration in 2008
North Parcel Phelps Creek area after restoration in 2010
North Parcel Phelps Creek area after restoration in 2013 with full willow canopy
North Parcel at a glance
Date Initiated: 2010
Size: 9.9 acres
Habitat types: Coast Live Oak Woodland, Coastal Sage Scrub, Freshwater Marsh, Vernal Pool, Grassland
Special Status Species: Centromadia parryi ssp. australis (Southern Tarplant)
All Cheadle Center restoration monitoring reports, databases, and referenceable data are stored in the Cheadle Center eScholarship repository and can be accessed through our Data and Research Resources page.
