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Be a Creek Steward
Spotlight on Kathy Fischer and Tom Hart
Where they work: Lake City holding pond
Time as a Site Steward: Seven years
Mode of work: Work parties and general maintenance.
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How they got involved in the Creek Steward Program: Prior to Kathy and Tom’s intervention, Lake City holding pond, through which Thornton creek passes, was a degraded dumping ground located right in their backyard. Kathy and Tom described it as a “blight on the neighborhood,” and so they applied for a grant to restore the area to a ecologically functioning wetland.
What creek stewardship means to them: Doing what you can on a local scale. As Kathy and Tom say, “Right here is a place we can do something.” And they make an impact literally right in their backyard, hoping to inspire others partly by installing an interpretive sign for the community to learn about the site.
What Kathy and Tom do when they’re not battling blackberry: Kathy and Tom are psychotherapists, writers, and teachers.
The most rewarding aspect of creek stewardship: Kathy and Tom have a lot to say about both the personal and ecological rewards of creek stewardship. Beyond the obvious benefits of restored habitat, they enjoy the personal satisfaction gained from this project. Namely, as neighbors corralled together to restore the holding pond, strangers in their apartment building have become friendly, familiar faces.
What keeps them going out every month: The investment! It took many hours (and years!) of hard work to restore this area. They want to ensure that children and future generations can also enjoy restored areas such as these.
Kathy’s most hated weed: Stinky Bob
Tom’s most hated weed: Himalayan Blackberry
Most beloved native: The consensus is mock orange.
Memorable creek steward moment: Witnessing the return of the birds, such as the red-winged blackbird and, most notably, the great blue heron.
Interested in adopting your own site as a site steward? Visit our Adopt-a-Site page for available sites in your neighborhood watershed.
Visit the Aquatic Habitat Matching Grant Program page to learn how to acquire funding for projects that improve, preserve and restore aquatic habitat in or along creeks, marine or lake shorelines.
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