A group of children and their fathers on Saturday stormed the marsh along Corte Madera Creek in Greenbrae with bales of straw, sheets of cardboard and buckets of mulch.
The volunteers, part of group from the Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco, were layering these materials to suppress the invasive weeds that occupy much of the Creekside Marsh bordering Hal Brown Park.
The blend creates a spongy soil that will settle for another crew to later plant a variety of native shrubs. This will provide habitat for endangered species.
“This isn’t just maintenance, this is truly a habitat restoration project,” said Marin County Park Ranger Kirk Schroeder, the volunteer coordinator. “And it has been a community-based project where residents are given a great sense of stewardship with results that are tangible.”
Schroeder said the stubborn harding grass had filled nearly 90 percent of the marsh. Those weeds were cut and ready to be stamped out by the bed of mulch.
The native shrubs will offer refuge for the harvest mice and birds like song sparrows and the Ridgway’s rail. Plus, they attract and protect pollinating honey bees.
The project has been a five-year effort with about 4,000 hours of work by volunteers. There is still about another five years’ worth of work, Schroeder said.
San Francisco resident Gordon Rothstein arranged for the group of fathers from his congregation to bring their kids for the work day.
“We’ve done beach cleanups before, and this seemed a bit more intimate,” he said. “It’s a way to give back to the community.”
The effort also received a helping hand from One Tam, the consortium of the Marin County Parks and Open Space District, California State Parks, the National Park Service, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the Marin Municipal Water District.
William Hough, youth program manager with One Tam, said he helps connect willing young stewards with age-appropriate volunteer work.
“Aside from safety, we really try to pair up kids with a job where there is a good narrative arc, so they learn and see the steps to get something done,” he said.
It was evident that the marsh restoration fit the bill. Beyond the work area, a freshly mulched section is settling near flourishing shrubs that were planted last year. The shrubs wrapped around the back of the park.
“You can clearly see what is barren, what has been worked on and what the result is,” Hough said.
The lesson resonated with 10-year-old Daphne Coplon, who was working with her father Dovid and sister Trixie, 7.
“Today we are working so they can plant plants that aren’t weeds,” she said. “There are few marshes in San Francisco and we need to preserve what we have.”