With 44 miles of creeks in Rocklin, maintenance and the overall well-being of every inch is an extensive job. The City’s updated Adopt-a-Creek program, renewed in part by Leadership Rocklin, allows residents to roll up their sleeves and give back to their community in a tangible and feasible way twice a year.

“Our Leadership Rocklin class was happy to help relaunch the City’s adopt-a-creek program,” said Michele Vass, Planning Commissioner and co-leader of the project for Leadership Rocklin. “As of April 27, we have two formal adoptions and three groups that have indicated they are interested in signing up for the two-year commitment.”

Leadership Rocklin is a Rocklin Area Chamber of Commerce program aimed at refining leadership skills, enhancing civic knowledge, and fostering long-lasting relationships between participants. The curriculum encourages members to give back to the community, and as a legacy project, the class of 2018-2019 revamped Adopt-a-Creek to make it easier for residents and businesses to get involved.

The concept is relatively simple: A group of up to 50 people decides to adopt a creek for at least two years. They commit to care for their section of the creek twice a year by cleaning up trash, getting rid of graffiti, repainting fences, and more.

The City provides each group with gloves, trash bags, and trash grabbers, and hauls away the refuse at the end of the clean-up. Each group is also recognized with a sign at the nearest roadway, acknowledging their efforts.

Creeks within the City perimeter are generally thoroughly cleaned when dredging takes place once every three years to remove silt deposits. Often, the areas around the creeks are only addressed when issues are reported, due to the amount of waterways in the City. This project keeps creeks clean on a more consistent basis at a low cost and allows residents to help out.

“We are excited volunteers are willing to give the creeks the extra attention they deserve,” said Corinne Heisler, Rocklin’s Environmental Services Specialist and co-leader of this year’s Leadership Rocklin class. Heisler will oversee the program for the City after her leadership class graduates.

The length of the creek adopted is entirely up to the group and is flexible depending on their abilities. A collection of senior citizens might choose a shaded and level stretch of creek, whereas a more physical group of 20 and 30-somethings may take on a longer stretch with more demanding terrain.

Visit the Adopt-A-Creek program page here to learn more and sign up!