Putah Creek Riparian Reserve Support Fund

The UC Davis Putah Creek Riparian Reserve is a 640-acre natural riparian and grassland ecosystem that runs along the southern edge of the UC Davis campus. It is maintained and operated by the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden. Exploring this natural ecosystem is equivalent to entering a time machine to understand what current UC Davis Arboretum landscapes must have been like well before the university arrived.

A majority of the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve is open to the public for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, swimming, and hiking, with over 3 miles of trails to explore along the creek. The campus utilizes the Reserve for teaching and research, wildlife and habitat protection, and community engagement in addition to public recreation use.

Your gifts to the Reserve allow us to improve and maintain public facilities such as picnic tables, drinking fountains, and trailheads, engage the public through our volunteer and student internship programs, and restore native habitat along the creek.

We are extremely fortunate to have the Reserve as a campus resource because, according to the State of California Wildlife Conservation Board, humans have removed, degraded, and disturbed 95% of California’s streamside habitat since the Gold Rush. While the Reserve does have a history of disturbance and alteration by humans, we are making huge strides toward restoring this rare ecosystem. In fact, it is a model for riparian restoration throughout the state and now serves as inspiration for our ongoing Arboretum Waterway Maintenance and Enhancement Project.

Please donate to help us continue to protect and enhance this valuable public resource.