Sacramento Area Creeks Council

During 2025, Sacramento Area Creeks Council (SACC) was proud to act as fiscal sponsor for two outstanding groups which were able to become tax exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code: River City Waterway Alliance (RCWA) and Waterbird Habitat Project (WHP). During its third year of operations alone, the volunteer group RCWA (rivercitywaterwayalliance.org) removed 1.2 million pounds of trash from Sacramento area waterways over 307 events. This milieu of trash included 7,500 needles, 556 shopping carts, 540 tires, 253 mattresses and some 2,100 pounds of batteries, both large and small. Since its inception, RCWA has removed over three million pounds of trash, and continued to enrich its relationships with partner organizations: the County and City of Sacramento, American River Flood Control District, RD1000, Forensiclean, ACTenviro and others. Removal of invasive plants, such as primrose, has become a feature at cleanup events, and plans are afoot for more extensive removal activities. RCWA is moving from strength-to-strength as it continues to increase its volunteer roster and provide much needed aide to our rivers and creeks which have suffered greatly from years of governmental neglect and inattention. This resulting degradation of habitats has been harmful to wildlife. WHP (waterbirdhabitat.org) was formed to safeguard the American River where waterbirds such as herons, egrets, cormorants, ducks, and geese mistake discarded fishing line and hooks for food, leading to fatal entanglement or internal injuries. Other wildlife, including beavers, otters, and river mammals, can also become trapped, suffering exhaustion and eventual death. Unseen fishing line microplastics contaminate the water, creating long-term environmental consequences for wildlife and the communities that rely on the river. WHP removes abandoned fishing gear and collaborates with anglers to raise awareness of fishing gear injuries and promote responsible stewardship of the river ecosystem. At William Pond, WHP removed invasive primrose with support from the California Conservation Corps. SACC believes that environmental alliances such as these strengthen support, awareness and collaboration among many groups, amplifying our impact on governmental policies and the protection of delicate and beautiful ecosystems. Other notable accomplishments during the past year included:Participated in Dry Creek Salmon Count which continues to show significantly more salmon (5 in the 2023 count and 208 in 2024). Our analysis shows that the removal of trash from Steelhead Creek had a major impact on the increase in salmon. Participated in the California Coastal Cleanup and the September/October Multi-Agency.Sponsored several non-profit events at Effie Yeaw Nature Fest, Walk on the Wild Side, Family Fall Fest, ECOS and Rio Americano Earth Day, Biodiversity Day.Participated in several outreach events in Sacramento County (Two National Nights Out).Participated in monthly Parkway Coalition meetings. These achievements were celebrated at a very successful second annual Streamside Social event at Camp Pollock, an 11-acre riverfront site which is managed and maintained by The Sacramento Valley Conservancy. The event included presentations by Jeffrey Mount, Ph.D., founder of the UC Davis Watershed Institute, on restoring connectivity between rivers, their watersheds and their communities, and Kimberly ShiningStar Petree, Cultural Resource Preservation Officer for El Dorado County Indian Council, who shared a fish tale.In 2026, SACC will continue to work on a five-year strategic plan which will identify a keystone project for Steelhead and Arcade Creeks.