Much of the upper watershed is accessible through hiking and biking trails administered by the East Bay Regional Park District and the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). Briones Regional Park is particularly popular with cyclists and local hikers. There are two staging areas located on Bear Creek within Briones Regional park.[5]
Bear Creek was dammed in 1964 to create the Briones Reservoir, which is operated by EBMUD. The reservoir is filled with water imported from the Mokelumne Aqueduct, as Bear Creek and other local streams do not provide sufficient natural flow (~5% of reservoir volume). It is part of a regional water importation and storage complex to service the water needs of the East Bay, a region home to over 2.8 million residents. [6] A large portion of the lower Bear Creek watershed and its tributaries were submerged as a result of this construction.
Bear Creek likely supported a population of Steelhead or Rainbow trout (Onchorhynchus mykiss irideus) before alterations to its watershed and the construction of the Briones Reservoir. Trout have been known to ascend Bear Creek from Briones Reservoir to a point about half of a mile upstream, where a natural sandstone waterfall blocks access to the upper watershed.[3]
Fishing in Bear Creek is strictly prohibited on account of the watershed's protected status under EBMUD management and the Central Valley Steelhead Distinct population segment's placement on the endangered species list.
