Pacheco Valle Biodiversity Project
About Our Traffic Island Habitat
In 2009 Marcia Basalla adopted a traffic island through the City of Novato’s “Adopt an Island” program. This traffic island is located on Alameda del Prado in Pacheco Valle right next to Highway 101. With a 560-foot perimeter, it is planted with 95% California native plants.
Marcia’s objective was to create a natural habitat for wildlife and to increase biodiversity connectivity in this open space area. Since its inception, the traffic island has evolved into a home for a whole host of birds, pollinators, insects, reptiles and other small animals. And for the many years it has been a Monarch Butterfly way station.
Pacheco Valle Biodiversity Project Objective
The main project objective is to demonstrate how otherwise wasted open spaces such as traffic island can be converted into valuable biodiverse habitats.
We share project information and updates via our website pachecovallebiodiversity.com, various social media channels and our free email newsletter.
Project Goals
- Use our thriving biodiverse native habitat as a demonstration garden
- Show how our island increases biodiversity connectivity in the area
- Expand community outreach and education
- Speaking engagements to community and environmental organizations, schools, libraries, businesses
- Guided tours of the traffic island
- Expand our volunteer corps
- Educate people about how to use native plants in their own environment
Habitat Hero
Marcia Basalla is a long time Novato resident who in 2009 “adopted” a 560 foot traffic island in Novato’s Pacheco Valle as part of their “Adopt an Island” program. Her concept was to convert this island into a wildlife habitat by planting 95% California native plants. This converted site expands the habitat corridors, allowing wildlife more safe passage between natural open spaces with needed resources. Since its planting, it has become a vibrant, thriving grassland supporting numerous birds, insects and other wildlife by way of Marcia’s diligent care on a weekly basis, spending 4-5 hours every weekend planting, weeding, pruning and documenting life on the island, its plants and animals.
In recent years it has been a Monarch Butterfly way station, one of the largest public sites in Marin County. With Marcia’s weekly presence she is able to connect with and educate neighbors and other hikers in the area about the work being done on this island.
In recognition of this successful project, Marin County Parks and Open Space planted a pollinator garden in an adjacent meadow in December 2022. Recently this garden was expanded with an additional garden. This garden is in collaboration with the Ignacio Rotary Club and Marin Master Gardeners.
This important site has been recognized by the California Native Plant Society, Marin Audubon, SPAWN, Marin Monarch Working Group, California Native Grassland Association, Home Ground Habitat Nursery (Novato), California Society for Ecological Restoration, Marin Biodiversity Corridor Initiative, Xerces Society and others as a valuable wildlife habitat.
