Strawberry Creek

Geobox|River
name = Strawberry Creek
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category = stream
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country = United States
state = California
region = Alameda County
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city = Berkeley
landmark = University of California, Berkeley
river =
source = Berkeley Hills
source_location = Oakland
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source_elevation_imperial =
source_lat_d = 37 | source_lat_m = 52 | source_lat_s = 51 | source_lat_NS = N
source_long_d = 122 | source_long_m = 13 | source_long_s = 54 | source_long_EW = W
source_coordinates_note = gnis|235581|Strawberry Creek]
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mouth = San Francisco Bay
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mouth_lat_d = | mouth_lat_m = | mouth_lat_s = | mouth_lat_NS = N
mouth_long_d = | mouth_long_m = | mouth_long_s = | mouth_long_EW = W
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Strawberry Creek is the principal watercourse running through the city of Berkeley, California. Two forks rise in the Berkeley Hills, part of the California Coast Ranges, forming a confluence at the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, then running westward across the city to discharge into San Francisco Bay. The north fork has also been called "Blackberry Creek" [cite web
url=http://strawberrycreek.berkeley.edu/mapsphotos/eastbaycreeks1923map.html
title=1923 Map of East Bay Creeks and Hayward Fault
format=map
publisher=University of California, Berkeley] , a name which has also been applied to another small creek in Berkeley, a portion of which has been daylighted through Thousand Oaks School Park. The canyon in which the north fork of Strawberry Creek runs is called "Blackberry Canyon".

Strawberry Creek was the first surface water source for the University and parts of the city of Berkeley. A reservoir was constructed in the late 19th century in Strawberry Canyon, above the site of California Memorial Stadium. The reservoir was replaced in the early 20th century by the system of the East Bay Municipal Utility District whose source reservoir is located in the Sierra Nevada.

The creek has been culverted over the years in several places, but has remained open through most of the UC campus, except in the central glade where the two small middle forks were long ago filled in. The south fork of Strawberry Creek has some riparian coast redwood groves on the university campus and is also suitable habitat for the California slender salamander and arboreal salamander. [J.Torrey, A.Kratter et al., "Environmental Impact Report for the Business Administration Building, University of California, Berkeley", Earth Metrics Incorporated, California State Clearinghouse, April, 1989] Efforts to re-open ("daylight") the creek throughout its natural course through Berkeley continue, and have so far resulted in the establishment of "Strawberry Creek Park" [ [http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/parks/parkspages/StrawberryCreek.html Web Page Moved (or not found) - City of Berkeley, CA ] ] in West Berkeley on the site of what used to be a small freight yard of the Santa Fe Railway. The creek is also open through several private yards in the blocks east of the park, starting just below (west of) Sacramento Street.

Strawberry Creek serves as a significant marker for the movement of the Hayward Fault. The creek is offset at the mouth of Strawberry Canyon, precisely at the locus of Memorial Stadium. The filled-in middle forks are thought to represent remnants of the former course of the south (main) fork of the creek, which has moved northward by fault action.

In the latter half of the 19th century, a road bridge and a railroad trestle both spanned Strawberry Creek in the downtown section at what is now the intersection of Shattuck Avenue and Allston Way.

At the mouth of Strawberry Creek where it enters San Francisco Bay, the local indigenous people built up a shellmound. There was also a small wood of native willows here which was used in the late 19th century as a park.

ee also

*Cerrito Creek
*Codornices Creek
*List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area
*Schoolhouse Creek
*Temescal Creek

References

External links

* [http://www.strawberrycreek.org/ Friends of Strawberry Creek]
* [http://www.acme.com/jef/creeks/strawberry/ Map and photos of Strawberry Creek]
* [http://www.ehs.berkeley.edu/strawberrycreek.html Strawberry Creek] - UC Berkeley Office of Environmental Health and Safety
* [http://www.museumca.org/creeks/1140-RescStrawberry.html Strawberry Creek Watershed] - Oakland Museum of California Guide to San Francisco Bay Area Creeks