Working with the creek, not against it

We want to be precise about what this work does and does not do. No planting plan would have stopped what happened on July 5, 2025. What restoration can do is slow flood energy, hold banks in place, filter what runs off the land, and give the creek somewhere to put water other than through our homes — while bringing back the habitat the flood scoured away.

Riparian restoration

• Restore the creek corridor with native trees, shrubs, and grasses.
• Stabilize eroded banks and reduce future erosion.
• Improve water quality by slowing runoff and filtering sediment and pollutants naturally.
• Reconnect the creek to its floodplain where appropriate.
• Use natural features — logs, boulders, riffles, wetlands, pools, and side channels — to slow flood energy and store floodwater.
• Remove invasive species where necessary.

Sandy Creek — the corridor being restored

Photograph · 16:9 · creek bank, ideally showing erosion or new plantings

Native habitat and pollinator support

Target pollinator species include monarch, pipevine swallowtail, giant swallowtail, queen, Gulf fritillary, and pearl crescent butterflies, along with native bees, moths, and bats.

• Establish native and regionally appropriate vegetation for food, shelter, nesting, and seasonal resources.
• Support native solitary bees and local bumblebees.
• Provide habitat for nocturnal pollinators, including moths and bats.
• Select species that carry pollinators through the whole growing season, not just one bloom.

Native pollinators on the property — monarch, swallowtail, or native bees

Photograph · 4:3 · seasonal, can be added over time

Tree preservation and reforestation

We are working with TreeFolks through their Carbon+ program, in which participating landowners contribute the associated carbon credits back to TreeFolks to support broader conservation and climate-resilience work.

• Preserve existing mature trees wherever feasible.
• Reforest areas damaged by the flood and other disturbance.
• Establish native species suited to the creek corridor and uplands.
• Commit to long-term stewardship of restored and reforested areas.

Long-term care

Restoration is not an installation. It is a commitment.

• Maintain native plantings and restored riparian areas over time.
• Monitor erosion, vegetation establishment, and any areas affected by future flooding.
• Replace failed plantings with appropriate native species.
• Continue managing the property for water quality, habitat, biodiversity, and flood resilience.

Planting map — riparian restoration, reforestation, pollinator habitat, and the three zones

Export from Project Proposal p. 23 · 4:3

Fund the restoration