Conn Creek Land Lab Pilot Project (Request No. 1652-2026-093-001-R3)

The Conn Creek Land Lab Pilot Project aims to stabilize eroding stream banks and improve riparian habitat through biotechnical and rock-based erosion control measures, utilizing native materials such as rock, woody debris, brush, and live plantings. Techniques include brush and gully packing, backfilled one-log and rock dams, live plantings, and woody wattle structures, all installed primarily by hand with support from mini excavators, tracked utility vehicles, and water trucks. Materials will be sustainably sourced from on-site or nearby uplands, including vine wood, oak and conifer limbs, willow cuttings, and acorns, with no heavy equipment permitted in creek beds to avoid disturbance. Revegetation strategies involve native seeding, container planting, and targeted removal of invasive species to promote the natural recruitment of regionally adapted herbaceous plants, shrubs, and trees across the bank tops and into the riparian transition zone, enhancing ecological function and biodiversity. A comprehensive grazing and exclusion plan will be implemented to safeguard newly established vegetation and the riparian understory from livestock impact, ensuring long-term viability of restored areas. The project prioritizes ecological resilience by reinforcing native communities and minimizing sedimentation downstream, with all work focused on improving conditions beyond existing levels. Conducted in St. Helena, California, under the oversight of the Regional Water Quality Control Board, Region 2 – San Francisco Bay, the initiative is led by Environmental Scientist Alicia L. Pisani and represents a pilot effort to test and refine integrated, low-impact approaches to watershed restoration within a sensitive riparian corridor.