Pipevine Preservation and Replanting Strategy

Updated: June 2026


Background:

The Clean Energy Campus project is a critical infrastructure upgrade designed to transition UC Berkeley from its aging, natural gas-fueled cogeneration steam plant to a clean, electrified heating and cooling system. The first phase of this project will reduce the university's total carbon emissions by more than 60% within the next four years, with subsequent phases delivering further reductions.

An infrastructure project of this magnitude requires extensive, temporary disruption to the campus landscape. To replace outdated lines, install new utility vaults, and integrate modern equipment, multiple areas across campus must be excavated to access existing underground infrastructure. The planning and execution of this work have been strictly guided by years of rigorous environmental and technical studies.

One critical location of work will occur in an area near Stephens Hall and Strawberry Creek. This specific site sits directly above a major confluence of vital utility lines that currently serve large portions of the campus. To replace, modernize, and secure these networks, a small area where California pipevine (Aristolochia californica) currently grows must be partially excavated. Because these utility pathways are fixed and the surrounding area must simultaneously be regraded to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance for pedestrian paths and curbs, rerouting the project outside of this immediate area is not possible.


UC Berkeley has voluntarily chosen to protect, transplant, and ultimately expand the campus pipevine habitat.

Neither the California pipevine nor the Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly are classified as protected species under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) or the Federal Endangered Species Act (FESA). Consequently, any environmental mitigation or habitat restoration in this project zone is entirely voluntary. The university is proactively managing these conservation efforts as part of its broader commitment to fostering urban biodiversity and safeguarding native habitats along the creek corridor.


To minimize disruption and ensure the long-term health of the plants and dependent butterfly populations, the university is executing the following strategy:

  1. Limit Excavation: UC Berkeley intends to remove only the vegetation necessary to access and replace underground utility lines, and where utility lines cross Strawberry Creek. Any existing pipevine plants located outside the required work zone will be left in place throughout construction.
  2. Seasonal Transplantation: Some of the existing pipevine plants will be carefully extracted before work begins. This work will be timed to match optimal seasonal conditions for plant survival and will occur outside of the window when caterpillars are nesting.
  3. Habitat Optimization along Strawberry Creek: UC Berkeley is working alongside experts to identify viable areas along Strawberry Creek to receive the transplanted vines. This will establish secure, alternative habitats on campus while construction is underway.
  4. Post-Construction Replanting and Expansion: Following the completion of construction, the excavated area will be restored and replanted with pipevine. This will increase the overall footprint of pipevine along the creek. Additionally, the new vines will be positioned further back from active sidewalks and pedestrian pathways, reducing human interference and allowing both the vines and butterflies to thrive.

While major utility infrastructure projects inevitably cause temporary disruptions to the campus landscape, these targeted steps—combining in-place preservation with active transplantation and replanting—will result in a net increase of pipevine habitat at UC Berkeley.


Community Feedback:

UC Berkeley values community input. Local groups and individuals who have specific suggestions for new, viable locations on campus where pipevine could be introduced or expanded are encouraged to submit their recommendations to the project planning team at cleanenergycampus@berkeley.edu.


Berkeley Clean Energy Campus - Press/Media Contact:

Kyle Gibson
Director of Communications, Administration Division
University of California, Berkeley
kyle.gibson@berkeley.edu