Gallinas Watershed Council (GWC) is a group of concerned citizens who live and work in Las Gallinas Valley, North San Rafael, Marin County. From the headwaters in the hills of Terra Linda to the wetlands of Santa Venetia, we are committed to using the WATERSHED APPROACH to protect and manage our environment.
GWC is a fiscally sponsored project of MarinLink, a California nonprofit corporation exempt from federal tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service #20-0879422.
Gallinas Watershed Council (GWC) usually holds monthly meetings on the First Wednesday of the month (except for holidays) at the Northgate Mall Community room in Terra Linda. Public portion of our meetings begins at 7 pm. Everyone is welcome to attend our meetings.
Our Watershed contains several creeks. The largest, the Las Gallinas Creek South Fork, flows through Gallinas Valley from its headwaters in the hills of Terra Linda, through the Santa Margarita neighborhood, along Freitas Parkway, under Highway 101, through Santa Venetia and Contempo Marin and out towards the San Pablo Bay where the North and South forks of the Creek join and terminate. Several ephemeral Creeks from the Los Ranchitos area flow through the Meadows and Redwood Village neighborhoods, under 101 and into a tidal finger between the RR line and Embassy Suites road.
The Las Gallinas Creek North Fork flows from its headwaters near Gallinas Hill and Los Gamos Drive to Smith Ranch Road to McInnis Park where it joins the North Fork shortly before entering San Pablo Bay. Both Meadow Creek and Armory Creek flow from the hills of San Pedro Mountain into the Gallinas Creek South Fork.Both forks are fed by many smaller ephemeral creeks and year long springs, some of which are now completely undergrounded beneath streets and houses.
Those of us who live along this highly altered and impacted stream would like to see it cleaned, restored and recreated as habitat for native plants and animals, including the steelhead which were found spawning as far upstream as St. Isabella’s historically. This will substantially enhance our lives as humans, too. To see how this can be accomplished, read the Gallinas Creek Hydrology Report.
Interested in our work?
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Download the Gallinas Watershed Brochure which contains a map of watershed hotspots.