Frank Cruzen Remembered

by Alta Tura Frank Cruzen, co-founder and first president of the Sacramento Urban Creeks Council, passed away on August 29, 2006. Frank accomplished many things before he took on the challenge of advocating for creeks in Sacramento County. After he and his wife Marie raised their family, he retired from Pacific Bell and could have […]

Creek Critters: Water Striders

by Bonnie Ross Among aquatic insects, long-legged water striders are about the easiest to see. They live on the water surface film and they tend to congregate in large numbers. One genus, would you believe, lives on the surface of the ocean, sometimes many miles from land! Water striders belong to the family Gerridae within […]

Sacramento’s Other Kings

by Bill Templin Dry Creek and its tributaries are noteworthy for having the only documented salmon run of any of the area's creeks. These runs occurred both before and after construction of the Natomas East Main Drain (now called "Steelhead Creek") and levee which were constructed around 1914-15. Read our Historical Overview of Sacramento's Creeks. […]

Mourning Doves

by Bill Templin As much as you might think that those mourning doves that you see in your back yards are locals, many of them are probably migrating from as far north as Canada in the late summer and up from Mexico in the spring. Mourning doves, like ducks and geese, are migratory game birds […]

Arundo Eradication and Control Program

by Frank Wallace Project Director, Sacramento Weed Warriors What is the Problem with Arundo? Arundo (also called Giant Reed) is a bamboo-like grass that thrives in moist soils and Sacramento's hot climate. It can grow up to 30 feet tall, as much as 1 foot a week in the summer! Arundo chokes out valuable native […]