Nicasio Creek
Nicasio Creek | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
Region | Marin County |
District | West Marin |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Big Rock Ridge |
• location | 4 mi (6 km) southwest of Novato |
• coordinates | 38°3′42″N 122°37′37″W / 38.06167°N 122.62694°W[1] |
• elevation | 1,030 ft (310 m) |
Mouth | Lagunitas Creek |
• location | 2 mi (3 km) east of Point Reyes Station |
• coordinates | 38°4′12″N 122°46′12″W / 38.07000°N 122.77000°W[1] |
• elevation | 33 ft (10 m)[1] |
Nicasio Creek is an 11.9-mile-long (19.2 km)
History
Nicasio Creek and the Rancho Nicasio are probably named for a Coast Miwok named "Nicasio" by the Spanish missionaries. The original diseno for the 1835 and 1844 land grants shows Arroyo de Nicasio, Casa de los Indios de Nicasio, and Roblar de Nicasio for Nicasio Creek, the house of the Nicasio Indians, and the oaks of Nicasio.[3]
In the mid-1830s,
Watershed and course
The Nicasio Creek watershed drains 36 square miles (93 km2) of coastal area of Marin County, California. This creek is the primary tributary of Lagunitas Creek which enters the Pacific Ocean at the head of Tomales Bay.[7]
Originating on Big Rock Ridge west of the city of Novato, Nicasio Creek descends initially to the south. Approaching Lucas Valley Road, it turns and follows the road as it winds westward, passing south of Skywalker Ranch to the town of Nicasio. North of Nicasio, it feeds into Nicasio Reservoir just as Halleck Creek enters from the east. The reservoir drains to the west, through a gap in Bolinas Ridge. Seeger Dam is located approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) upstream from the confluence of Nicasio and Lagunitas Creeks. The dam was constructed in 1960 by the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) to store water for cities in southern Marin County. From the dam, Nicasio Creek parallels Point Reyes-Petaluma Road westward until it empties into Lagunitas Creek.
Ecology
Before Seeger Dam presented an impassable barrier to anadromous fish passage, Nicasio Creek supported half of the
A river otter (Lontra canadensis) was collected by the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the southwest corner of Nicasio Reservoir in January, 2008.[10]
Bridges
There are at least two bridges spanning Nicasio Creek. Point Reyes-Petaluma Road crosses the creek in two places: once 3.47 miles (5.58 km) east of
References
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Nicasio Creek
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed March 9, 2011
- ^ Erwin Gustav Gudde (1960). California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names. University of California Press. pp. 3–. GGKEY:403N5Z6QERG.
- ^ Jack Mason, 1971, Early Marin, Petaluma: House of Printing, pp.70-76
- ^ United States. District Court (California : Northern District)Land Case 404 ND
- ^ Douglas (Dewey) Livingston (1989). Hamlet 1844-1988 A History of "Jensen's Oyster Beds" (PDF). Point Reyes National Park Service. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- ^ Case Study Report #37 Nicasio Lake Nicasio Creek (PDF) (Report). CalFed Water. 1977. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- ^ Russell Chatham (December 24, 2014). "Myths about coho and Marin County's watersheds". Point Reyes Light. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ Larry R. Brown; Peter B. Moyle (July 1, 1991). Status of Coho Salmon in California (PDF) (Report). National Marine Fisheries Service. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- ^ "Lontra canadensis brevipilosus". Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. 2008-01-29. Retrieved 2011-05-23.
- ^ "National Bridge Inventory Database".