The Future of Devil’s Gate Dam: a tour of the Cottonwood Canyon Wildlife Corridor

Join AFC’s Land Manager & Planning Director, Tim Martinez, for a guided hike through the Arroyo Seco to explore Lower Cottonwood Canyon and learn about AFC’s plans to restore this important wildlife corridor. Participants will get an introduction to our Devil’s Gate Wildlife Passage and Habitat Planning and Design Project, which is exploring opportunities to restore native habitat, remove invasive plants, and improve wildlife movement through and around Devil’s Gate and south toward Cottonwood Canyon.

Please park in the upper lot of Hahamongna Watershed Park and meet near the restrooms: https://maps.app.goo.gl/DaiUS3YLEvFTa1XMA

We’ll start at Hahamongna Watershed Park and make our way toward the soft-bottom Arroyo Seco below Devil’s Gate Dam, where we’ll look at the project area for AFC’s Devil’s Gate Wildlife Passage and Habitat planning work. From there, we’ll continue south along the Arroyo Seco West Trail to the lower portion of AFC’s Cottonwood Canyon Preserve, including the area where spring-fed Yokum Creek emerges from the canyon and crosses the trail.

We’ll discuss AFC’s long-term vision to restore this area by removing invasive vegetation, bringing back native cottonwood trees, and eventually daylighting more of the historic stream. Cottonwood Canyon is an important gateway for wildlife moving between the Arroyo Seco and the San Rafael Hills, supported by its rare perennial spring. This area is the focus of the next phase of AFC’s Cottonwood restoration work, including plans to reestablish native cottonwoods in habitat now dominated by non-native vegetation.