Above: Near the mouth of Schoolhouse Creek, we kept invasives like this fennel from taking over large areas..

Directions to Schoolhouse Creek Historic maps of Schoolhouse Creek History of Schoolhouse Creek (PDF) Balance Hydrologics report on possible daylighting mouth of Schoolhouse Creek (PDF) History and Future of the Berkeley Waterfront (PDF) Slide show of wildflowers that flourish at the Bay's edge Video (12 min.): The Shorebird Diner at the Mouth of Schoolhouse Creek Wikipedia article on Schoolhouse Creek

Schoolhouse Creek

Schoolhouse Creek is small but historic -- Berkeley's first school was built on its banks, on land donated by Domingo Peralta, son of the area's Spanish land grantee. When Europeans arrived, the creek emptied into the south tip pf a large salt marsh that carried the waters of Schoolhouse, Codornices, and Marin Creeks north behind low dunes and sandy beach. But the beach was mined for  construction sand. The creek was put into a pipe that carried sewage west to the Bay, polluting the shoreline. Marsh and shoreline were covered by a garbage dump as the shoreline was filled westward.

Schoolhouse Creek waters are clean again, but the little creek still flows in pipes for most of its course from hills to Bay, emerging only here and there. Friends of Five Creeks' long-term goal is to bring Schoolhouse Creek out of its pipe at its mouth in what is now McLaughlin Eastshore State Park. The resulting tidal channel would enrich the park and also lessen flood danger in West Berkeley.

From 2008 to 2017, F5C volunteers worked to control invasives and make the neglected North Basin Strip, the area from the creek northward, friendly to people and wildlife. We removed invasive, painful yellow star thistle, a forest of invasive, fire-prone French broom, and huge clumps of Pampas grass. We opened "windows" in tall weeds that blocked Bay views and begun planting tough, drought-tolerant natives. Artists discovered the "glass beach" weathering from the World War II area garbage, with a miniature lagoon behind it. We are delighted that this project was adopted by board member John Kenny, whose work parties have transformed the shoreline with colorful natives! 

Current efforts: Helping plan the future of the North Basin Strip, part of McLaughlin Eastshore State Park, in Berkeley.  The In late 2024, the East Bay Regional Park District went public with planning the future for 20 acres and almost a half mile of Bay shoreline west of the I-80 Frontage Road, between the foot of Gilman Street and where Virginia Street would reach the Bay if it crossed the freeway. It includes the south shore of the North Basin Cove and the service road/trail there. This land is part of McLaughlin Eastshore State Park. (The Tom Bates Sports Fields are on a long-term lease to Berkeley and not included in the planning, but ideas on how they could work together are welcome.)  Background info and a link to a survey are here. Another public meeting is expected in spring 2025.

Friends of Five Creeks has worked for years maintaining this area, and we are taking an active role in planning. (Three of our interns also were part of a "New Voices" group that the Park District convened before public planning, but their participation was independent. We did not discuss their suggestions.)

Friends of Five Creeks seeks "daylighting" of the mouth of Schoolhouse Creek in the park and consideration for the varied and beautiful volunteer-planted natives along the shoreline, mostly by John Kenny's group. Here are main reaons to bring the creek mouth out of its pipe in the park:

• This would reduce flood risk upstream in residential West Berkeley -- a risk that is growing with the increased likelihood of deluges due to climate change.
• This would be the only place from South Oakland to North Richmond where people could see a creek flowing into the Bay. All others are piped.
• The needed bridge at the creek mouth would be a wonderful accessible viewpoint -- perhaps where the public could even see bat rays feeding, as happens at San Leandro Bay.  

We also are working to promote close communication and coordination between the East Bay Regional Park District and Berkeley on a wide range of matters, from dealing with sea-level rise through parking and traffic safety, responsible use by high-school mountain-bike teams, and effective links between the sport-field complex (on long term lease from the park) and the rest of the North Basin Strip and surroundings. 

Scroll down for a two-minute slide show of our work at the mouth of Schoolhouse Creek..