Calabazas Creek
Encyclopedia
Calabazas Creek is a 5.5 miles (8.9 km) stream
in the Sonoma Valley
, California
, USA, that rises in the southern Mayacamas Mountains and empties into Sonoma Creek
near Glen Ellen
.
, calabazas means squash, pumpkins or gourds. The word calabazas is found on a diseño of part of the Agua Caliente land grant in 1840, just west of the Arroyo de los Guilicos. Gudde felt that this stream may be an early record of Calabazas Creek, although the Los Guilicos Warm Springs are a little west of Calabazas Creek.
One of Sonoma County's oldest stone arch bridge
s, from the year 1915, spans Calabazas Creek near Dunbar School.
As of 2007 the Sonoma County Open Space District has acquired 1,290 acres (5.2 km²) in this watershed for conservation
purposes, and is currently drawing up plans for future public access
.
, Bear Creek, Carriger Creek and mainstem Sonoma Creek; these studies demonstrated that adequacy of spawning gravel
s and absence of sedimentation
are not limiting factors for anadromous fish propagation.
The upper reaches of Calabazas Creek are relatively pristine with a dense forest canopy of mixed oak
woodland
, while the lower reaches on the Sonoma Valley floor have considerable encroachment by rural residential development, vineyard
s and other agricultural uses.
Up until about twelve million years ago, this location was part of the seabed
of the Pacific Ocean
. In the Miocene
era, precipitated by the combination of tectonic movement due to the seismically active environment and the presence of magma
not far below the Earth's surface, a massive period of uplift
ensued. This uplift formed the volcanically
based Mayacamas Mountains. Residual evidence of these ancient geological
features appears in the form of scattered outcrop
s of basalt
and rhyolite
as well as local hot springs
such as nearby Mortons Hot Springs and Agua Caliente
Hot Springs. Some rock quarry
ing was historically conducted near Nunns Canyon Road in the upper Calabazas Creek watershed
.
, just north of Trinity Road, at the top of Nunns Canyon. Its headwaters form from the convergence of several unnamed perennial stream
s. It descends in a westward direction through the canyon, augmented by the waters of Nunns Iron Spring and other tributaries, and parallels Nunns Canyon Road. It emerges into the Valley of the Moon
and turns southward, passing under State Route 12 at milepost 29.41. It flows west of the town of Agua Caliente
. As it parallels Henno Road soutward into Glen Ellen, it is fed by Stuart Creek. Just after it crosses Arnold Drive, it empties into Sonoma Creek.
The upper reach can be defined as the portion of Calabazas Creek north of its crossing of State Route 12, which point lies approximately three miles upstream of the confluence with Sonoma Creek. Initially there are two large ranches on either side of Calabazas Creek: Beltane Ranch to the west and Atwood Ranch to the east. Proceeding upstream for the next mile, there is continuous close viewing of the creek, since Nunns Canyon Road runs near the top of the west stream banks. An abandoned rock quarry is situated about 0.3 miles (500 m) north of State Route 12 on the west bank.
Where Nunns Canyon Road terminates, Calabazas Creek enters into an 1,290 acre (5.2 km²) open space nature preserve owned and managed by the Sonoma County Open Space District; as of 2007, there is no public access to this prior holding of the Beltane Ranch, which has been named the Calabazas Creek Open Space Preserve. In addition to a relatively pristine riparian zone
, the upper Calabazas Creek has a high quality California oak woodland
, much of which is an undisturbed ecosystem with considerable biodiversity
, particularly in the upper 1.7 miles (2.5 km) of the headwaters. Some of the steeply sloped forested areas are characterized as good examples of such woodlands, testifying to the absence of historic grazing
or other agriculture
.
Besides the riparian habitat, the dominant plant community is the oak woodland, which has a canopy
of coast live oak
, Pacific Madrone
, Douglas fir, Coast Redwood and California laurel. In the oak woodlands, the dominant understory
plants are native toyon
, blackberry
and western poison-oak
. Common animals observed include Black-tailed Deer
, gray squirrel
, jackrabbit, raccoon
, skunk
and opossum. Less frequently mountain lion are seen. There is abundant bird
life including the scrub jay, Steller's jay
, Acorn woodpecker
, Black Phoebe
and junco
. A number of amphibian
s occur near the creek and its tributary elements, including the Rough skinned newt, Taricha granulosa.
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
in the Sonoma Valley
Sonoma Valley
Sonoma Valley is the birthplace of the California wine industry and often called The Valley of the Moon. Sonoma Valley is home to some of the earliest vineyards and wineries in the state, some of which survived the phylloxera epidemic of the 1870s and the impact of Prohibition...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA, that rises in the southern Mayacamas Mountains and empties into Sonoma Creek
Sonoma Creek
Sonoma Creek is a stream in northern California. It is one of two principal drainages of southern Sonoma County, California, with headwaters rising in the rugged hills of Sugarloaf Ridge State Park and discharging to San Pablo Bay, the northern arm of San Francisco Bay. The watershed drained by...
near Glen Ellen
Glen Ellen, California
Glen Ellen is a census-designated place in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA. The population was 784 at the 2010 census, down from 992 at the 2000 census. Glen Ellen is the location of Jack London State Historic Park , Sonoma Valley Regional Park, and a former home of Hunter S....
.
History
In the Spanish languageSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, calabazas means squash, pumpkins or gourds. The word calabazas is found on a diseño of part of the Agua Caliente land grant in 1840, just west of the Arroyo de los Guilicos. Gudde felt that this stream may be an early record of Calabazas Creek, although the Los Guilicos Warm Springs are a little west of Calabazas Creek.
One of Sonoma County's oldest stone arch bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s, from the year 1915, spans Calabazas Creek near Dunbar School.
As of 2007 the Sonoma County Open Space District has acquired 1,290 acres (5.2 km²) in this watershed for conservation
Conservation ethic
Conservation is an ethic of resource use, allocation, and protection. Its primary focus is upon maintaining the health of the natural world: its, fisheries, habitats, and biological diversity. Secondary focus is on materials conservation and energy conservation, which are seen as important to...
purposes, and is currently drawing up plans for future public access
Public Access
Public Access is a 1993 American drama film directed by Bryan Singer in his feature film debut. Singer also wrote the screenplay with Christopher McQuarrie and Michael Feit Dougan. The film was shot in 18 days for US$250,000. It was screened at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival, where it was...
.
Ecology
Calabazas Creek has historically hosted a robust Steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) run. As late as 2001 spawning gravel studies were conducted in Calabazas along with Graham CreekGraham Creek
Graham Creek is a perennial stream in Sonoma County, California, tributary to Sonoma Creek. Graham Creek rises in the northern Sonoma Mountains and flows generally northeasterly down the northeastern flank of Sonoma Mountain. Historically this watercourse was called Wild Water Creek, a name used...
, Bear Creek, Carriger Creek and mainstem Sonoma Creek; these studies demonstrated that adequacy of spawning gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
s and absence of sedimentation
Sedimentation
Sedimentation is the tendency for particles in suspension to settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained, and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the forces acting on them: these forces can be due to gravity, centrifugal acceleration...
are not limiting factors for anadromous fish propagation.
The upper reaches of Calabazas Creek are relatively pristine with a dense forest canopy of mixed oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
, while the lower reaches on the Sonoma Valley floor have considerable encroachment by rural residential development, vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s and other agricultural uses.
Geology
Seabed
The seabed is the bottom of the ocean.- Ocean structure :Most of the oceans have a common structure, created by common physical phenomena, mainly from tectonic movement, and sediment from various sources...
of the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. In the Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
era, precipitated by the combination of tectonic movement due to the seismically active environment and the presence of magma
Magma
Magma is a mixture of molten rock, volatiles and solids that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and is expected to exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and dissolved gas and sometimes also gas bubbles. Magma often collects in...
not far below the Earth's surface, a massive period of uplift
Tectonic uplift
Tectonic uplift is a geological process most often caused by plate tectonics which increases elevation. The opposite of uplift is subsidence, which results in a decrease in elevation. Uplift may be orogenic or isostatic.-Orogenic uplift:...
ensued. This uplift formed the volcanically
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
based Mayacamas Mountains. Residual evidence of these ancient geological
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
features appears in the form of scattered outcrop
Outcrop
An outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth. -Features:Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficial deposits are covered by a mantle of soil and vegetation and cannot be...
s of basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
and rhyolite
Rhyolite
This page is about a volcanic rock. For the ghost town see Rhyolite, Nevada, and for the satellite system, see Rhyolite/Aquacade.Rhyolite is an igneous, volcanic rock, of felsic composition . It may have any texture from glassy to aphanitic to porphyritic...
as well as local hot springs
Hot Springs
Hot Springs may refer to:* Hot Springs, Arkansas** Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas*Hot Springs, California**Hot Springs, Lassen County, California**Hot Springs, Modoc County, California**Hot Springs, Placer County, California...
such as nearby Mortons Hot Springs and Agua Caliente
Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente, California
Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente is a census-designated place in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the CDP population was 4,144....
Hot Springs. Some rock quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
ing was historically conducted near Nunns Canyon Road in the upper Calabazas Creek watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
.
Course
Calabazas Creek originates about 4 mi (6 km) northeast of the town of Glen Ellen, CaliforniaGlen Ellen, California
Glen Ellen is a census-designated place in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA. The population was 784 at the 2010 census, down from 992 at the 2000 census. Glen Ellen is the location of Jack London State Historic Park , Sonoma Valley Regional Park, and a former home of Hunter S....
, just north of Trinity Road, at the top of Nunns Canyon. Its headwaters form from the convergence of several unnamed perennial stream
Perennial stream
A perennial stream or perennial river is a stream or river that has continuous flow in parts of its bed all year round during years of normal rainfall. "Perennial" streams are contrasted with "intermittent" streams which normally cease flowing for weeks or months each year, and with "ephemeral"...
s. It descends in a westward direction through the canyon, augmented by the waters of Nunns Iron Spring and other tributaries, and parallels Nunns Canyon Road. It emerges into the Valley of the Moon
Sonoma Valley
Sonoma Valley is the birthplace of the California wine industry and often called The Valley of the Moon. Sonoma Valley is home to some of the earliest vineyards and wineries in the state, some of which survived the phylloxera epidemic of the 1870s and the impact of Prohibition...
and turns southward, passing under State Route 12 at milepost 29.41. It flows west of the town of Agua Caliente
Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente, California
Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente is a census-designated place in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the CDP population was 4,144....
. As it parallels Henno Road soutward into Glen Ellen, it is fed by Stuart Creek. Just after it crosses Arnold Drive, it empties into Sonoma Creek.
Upper reach
Where Nunns Canyon Road terminates, Calabazas Creek enters into an 1,290 acre (5.2 km²) open space nature preserve owned and managed by the Sonoma County Open Space District; as of 2007, there is no public access to this prior holding of the Beltane Ranch, which has been named the Calabazas Creek Open Space Preserve. In addition to a relatively pristine riparian zone
Riparian zone
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the fifteen terrestrial biomes of the earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks are called riparian vegetation, characterized by...
, the upper Calabazas Creek has a high quality California oak woodland
California oak woodland
California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico...
, much of which is an undisturbed ecosystem with considerable biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
, particularly in the upper 1.7 miles (2.5 km) of the headwaters. Some of the steeply sloped forested areas are characterized as good examples of such woodlands, testifying to the absence of historic grazing
Grazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
or other agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
.
Besides the riparian habitat, the dominant plant community is the oak woodland, which has a canopy
Canopy (forest)
In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant community or crop, formed by plant crowns.For forests, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and including other biological organisms .Sometimes the term canopy is used to refer to the extent...
of coast live oak
Coast Live Oak
Quercus agrifolia, the Coast Live Oak, is an evergreen oak , native to the California Floristic Province. It grows west of the Sierra Nevada from Mendocino County, California, south to northern Baja California in Mexico. It is classified in the red oak section Quercus agrifolia, the Coast Live Oak,...
, Pacific Madrone
Pacific Madrone
Arbutus menziesii, commonly known as the Pacific Madrone, is a species of Arbutus found on the west coast of North America, from British Columbia to California...
, Douglas fir, Coast Redwood and California laurel. In the oak woodlands, the dominant understory
Understory
Understory is the term for the area of a forest which grows at the lowest height level below the forest canopy. Plants in the understory consist of a mixture of seedlings and saplings of canopy trees together with understory shrubs and herbs...
plants are native toyon
Toyon
Heteromeles arbutifolia , and commonly known as Toyon, is a common perennial shrub native to California down to Baja California....
, blackberry
Blackberry
The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by any of several species in the Rubus genus of the Rosaceae family. The fruit is not a true berry; botanically it is termed an aggregate fruit, composed of small drupelets. The plants typically have biennial canes and perennial roots. Blackberries and...
and western poison-oak
Western Poison-oak
Toxicodendron diversilobum, western poison oak or Pacific poison-oak is in the Anacardiaceae family and is a plant best known for its ability to cause allergic rashes after contact...
. Common animals observed include Black-tailed Deer
Black-tailed Deer
Two forms of black-tailed deer or blacktail deer occupying coastal temperate rainforest on North America's Pacific coast are subspecies of the mule deer. They have sometimes been treated as a species, but virtually all recent authorities maintain they are subspecies...
, gray squirrel
Gray squirrel
Gray squirrel or grey squirrel may refer to several species of squirrel indigenous to North America:*The Eastern gray squirrel , from the eastern United States and southeastern Canada; introduced into Britain, Ireland, western North America, Italy, and South Africa;*The Western Gray Squirrel , from...
, jackrabbit, raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
, skunk
Skunk
Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
and opossum. Less frequently mountain lion are seen. There is abundant bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
life including the scrub jay, Steller's jay
Steller's Jay
The Steller's Jay is a jay native to western North America, closely related to the Blue Jay found in the rest of the continent, but with a black head and upper body. It is also known as the Long-crested Jay, Mountain Jay, and Pine Jay...
, Acorn woodpecker
Acorn Woodpecker
The Acorn woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker, 21 cm long with an average weight of 85 g.-Description:...
, Black Phoebe
Black Phoebe
The Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans, is a passerine bird in the tyrant-flycatcher family. It breeds from southwest Oregon and California south through Central and South America. It occurs year-round throughout most of its range and migrates less than the other birds in its genus, though its...
and junco
Junco
A Junco , genus Junco, is a small North American bird. Junco systematics are still confusing after decades of research, with various authors accepting between three and twelve species...
. A number of amphibian
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
s occur near the creek and its tributary elements, including the Rough skinned newt, Taricha granulosa.