The summit-to-sea Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project (MCERP) will remove Rindge Dam and return a key watershed back to its natural course — a challenging yet exciting project. Taking place within Malibu Creek State Park, the restoration project also includes sharing the rebuilding of the waterway with all who pass though. Project funding includes creating an interpretive site at a historic overlook where visitors will be able to view the dam removal, learn about the Malibu Creek watershed and its cultural history, all while taking in the area’s majestic beauty.
To imagine the possibilities of a creating such a site, CalTrout reached out to the UCLA Extension Landscape Architecture Program to help interpret the points of interest into a “stop the car!” experience with welcoming aesthetics and engaging displays.
Program Director Stephanie V. Landregan and her 3rd year students attended a MCERP design blitz at King Gillette Ranch Visitor Center to learn about the project goals and the Santa Monica Mountain’s cultural history from several individuals from different organizations: CalTrout South Coast Senior Project manager, Russell Marlow, Barbara Tejada, Supervisor of the Cultural Resources Program at State Parks, Science and Policy Director Katherine Pease from Heal the Bay and Watershed Scientist Tevin Schmitt from Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation discussed the project’s cultural, historical and ecological components.
Students then visited Sheriff’s Overlook, located on Malibu Canyon Road to brainstorm and conceptualize designs for interpreting the watershed’s ecology and native species migration patterns, indigenous communities, and dam history. They worked in three teams performing site analysis and presenting their concepts of how they would create an enriching and inspirational experience. And how they delivered!
Design concepts from the teams included creating trail access, native plant landscaping enhancements providing shade, seating areas, creating sculptures from dam materials and signage. This design blitz was the first natural study held to kick off the planning, engineering, and design (PED) phase of the Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project. California State Parks and CalTrout are managing the PED project phase.
Have an idea? Let us know what you’d like to see!
Hear from Program Director Stephanie V. Landregan about the creative process in UCLA Extension Landscape Architecture Program.
Cover Photo Credit: Bernard Yin
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Peter Moyle is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and Associate Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences, at UC Davis. He is author or co-author of more than 240 publications, including the definitive Inland Fishes of California (2002). He is co-author of the 2017 book, Floodplains: Processes and Management for Ecosystem Services. His research interests include conservation of aquatic species, habitats, and ecosystems, including salmon; ecology of fishes of the San Francisco Estuary; ecology of California stream fishes; impact of introduced aquatic organisms; and use of floodplains by fish.
Robert Lusardi is the California Trout/UC Davis Wild and Coldwater Fish Researcher focused on establishing the basis for long-term science specific to California Trout’s wild and coldwater fish initiatives. His work bridges the widening gap between academic science and applied conservation policy, ensuring that rapidly developing science informs conservation projects throughout California. Dr. Lusardi resides at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and works closely with Dr. Peter Moyle on numerous projects to help inform California Trout conservation policy. His recent research interests include Coho salmon on the Shasta River, the ecology of volcanic spring-fed rivers, inland trout conservation and management, and policy implications of trap and haul programs for anadromous fishes in California.
Patrick Samuel is the Conservation Program Coordinator for California Trout, a position he has held for almost two years, where he coordinates special research projects for California Trout, including the State of the Salmonids report. Prior to joining CalTrout, he worked with the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum, a non-profit that supports the eight federal regional fishery management councils around the country. Patrick got his start in fisheries as an undergraduate intern with NOAA Fisheries Protected Resources Division in Sacramento, and in his first field job as a crew member of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Wild and Heritage Trout Program.