Meanderings Restore, Conserve & Inspire: Nurturing a Healthy Laguna Summer 2017
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Russian River Watershed Directory September 2012
Russian River Watershed Directory September 2012 A guide to resources and services For management and stewardship of the Russian River Watershed © www.robertjanover.com. Russian River & Big Sulphur Creek at Cloverdale, CA. Photo By Robert Janover Production of this directory was made possible through funding from the US Army Corps of Engineers and the California Department of Conservation. In addition to this version of the directory, you can find updated versions online at www.sotoyomercd.org Russian River Watershed Directory version September 2012 - 1 - Preface The Sotoyome Resource Conservation District (RCD) has updated our Russian River Watershed directory to assist landowners, residents, professionals, educators, organizations and agencies interested in the many resources available for natural resource management and stewardship throughout the Russian River watershed. In 1997, The Sotoyome RCD compiled the first known resource directory of agencies and organization working in the Russian River Watershed. The directory was an example of an emerging Coordinated Resource Management and Planning (CRMP) effort to encourage community-based solutions for natural resource management. Since that Photo courtesy of Sonoma County Water Agency time the directory has gone through several updates with our most recent edition being released electronically and re-formatting for ease of use. For more information or to include your organization in the Directory, please contact the Sotoyome Resource Conservation District Sotoyome Resource Conservation -
Ludwigia Control in the Laguna De Santa Rosa, California
Ludwigia Control in the Laguna de Santa Rosa, California California Invasive Plant Council 15th Annual Symposium Thomas J. McNabb, Clean Lakes, Inc. Julian Meisler, Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation Ludwigia Control in the Laguna de Santa Rosa, California CDFA Project Site SCWA Project Site Ludwigia Control in the Laguna de Santa Rosa, California Ludwigia Control in the Laguna de Santa Rosa, California The Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation (Laguna Foundation) contracted with Clean Lakes, Inc. to carry out Year One of a three-year control effort aimed at reducing the area and density of the non-native invasive weed Ludwigia hexapetala within selected areas of the Laguna de Santa Rosa The infestation harbors mosquito vectors of West Nile Virus (WNV) that poses a health threat to humans and wildlife; out-competes native wetland species, severely degrading habitat; and is believed to impair both the water quality and the flood-control functions of the Laguna. On April 28, 2005 the California Department of Fish and Game, Central Coast Region, and the Sonoma County Water Agency, each filed a Notice of Intent (NOI) and an Aquatic Pesticide Application Plan (APAP) to comply with the terms of the General National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit for the Discharge of Aquatic Pesticides for Aquatic Weed Control (General Permit) On July 1, 2005, the California Department of Fish and Game filed form FG 880, Application No. 05-361, Pesticide Use Recommendation for the work to be performed on the Department of Fish and Game property (Site II). Ludwigia Control in the Laguna de Santa Rosa, California On July 14, 2005, the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, North Coast Region, issued project approvals via a letter of “Applicability of General NPDES Permit for the Discharge of Aquatic Pesticides for Aquatic Weed Control in Waters of the United States and a Notice of Coverage, Waiver of Waste Discharge Requirements for the Laguna de Santa Rosa, Sonoma County” to the Sonoma County Water Agency, Ludwigia Control Project (WDID No. -
HISTORICAL CHANGES in CHANNEL ALIGNMENT Along Lower Laguna De Santa Rosa and Mark West Creek
HISTORICAL CHANGES IN CHANNEL ALIGNMENT along Lower Laguna de Santa Rosa and Mark West Creek PREPARED FOR SONOMA COUNTY WATER AGENCY JUNE 2014 Prepared by: Sean Baumgarten1 Erin Beller1 Robin Grossinger1 Chuck Striplen1 Contributors: Hattie Brown2 Scott Dusterhoff1 Micha Salomon1 Design: Ruth Askevold1 1 San Francisco Estuary Institute 2 Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation San Francisco Estuary Institute Publication #715 Suggested Citation: Baumgarten S, EE Beller, RM Grossinger, CS Striplen, H Brown, S Dusterhoff, M Salomon, RA Askevold. 2014. Historical Changes in Channel Alignment along Lower Laguna de Santa Rosa and Mark West Creek. SFEI Publication #715, San Francisco Estuary Institute, Richmond, CA. Report and GIS layers are available on SFEI’s website, at http://www.sfei.org/ MarkWestHE Permissions rights for images used in this publication have been specifically acquired for one-time use in this publication only. Further use or reproduction is prohibited without express written permission from the responsible source institution. For permissions and reproductions inquiries, please contact the responsible source institution directly. CONTENTS 1. Introduction .....................................................................................1 a. Environmental Setting..........................................................................2 b. Study Area ................................................................................................2 2. Methods ............................................................................................4 -
Historical Glimpses of the Laguna De Santa Rosa
“Crystal Laughing Waters” – Historical Glimpses of the Laguna de Santa Rosa by John Cummings December 2003 Copyright – John Cummings, December 20 ©John Cummings, 2003 All rights reserved 2 INTRODUCTION While a visitor to Sebastopol in 1898 described the Laguna as “crystal laughing waters” in the Sebastopol Times, the description is very fanciful. The Laguna is physically a very low flow stream with a fall of at most about 40 feet in the 14 miles between Cotati and the Russian River (a drop of less than three feet per mile – less than two feet per mile north of Sebastopol). While draining a relatively large watershed of 250 square miles – about 16% of the acreage of Sonoma County, the Laguna would have always been a relatively warm stream prone to cloudy water of low water quality – certainly not “crystal”– even in the “pristine” Laguna conditions prior to European settlement of the region in the 1830s. The Laguna north of Sebastopol typically floods its banks to some extent during the winter rainy season and usually does not flow during the late summer, but forms a series of ponds and dry channels. The post-European changes in acreage of habitat types and the abundance of wildlife in the Laguna area in the pristine and the early settlement period, is well established. But from a water quality point of view, post-European settlement made the “natural” poor water conditions of the Laguna highly degraded by, for example, making the water warmer yet by agricultural clearing of the riparian forest shading the waterway or by increasing nutrification of the water with farm wastes, urban sewage and cannery wastewater, etc. -
2018 Stream Maintenance Program
2018 Stream Maintenance Program Improving water quality in our streams while providing flood protection for our community This summer the Sonoma County Water Agency (Water Agency) will be working in streams and channels throughout Sonoma County to improve water quality and provide flood protection. As part of our comprehensive Stream Maintenance Program (SMP), we will be removing sediment and garbage and planting trees to create shady riparian canopies. These canopies help cool the water and shade out less desirable species of plants, which can catch debris and reduce the streams’ water-carrying capacity. If necessary, we will remove some non-canopy forming trees such as arroyo willows as well as certain dense shrubs such as non-native and invasive blackberries. Sediment removal activities include planting native trees, shrubs, and some aquatic plants according to a certain pattern to establish canopy while maintaining channel capacity. The Sonoma County Youth Ecology Corps (SCYEC), a workforce training and ecosystem education program aimed at educating youth and young adults in environmental stewardship and restoration, will be working with the SMP this summer. The SCYEC provides youth and young adults paychecks, valuable work experience, environmental education, and the opportunity to contribute to their community through ongoing outdoor experiences. Below is the list of streams the Water Agency will be maintaining this summer. For a more detailed list, map of locations, and information on stream maintenance, visit www.sonomacountywater.org. -
Dear Friends, Sonoma County Is Celebrating the Winter and Spring Rains Which Have Left Our Rivers and Creeks with Plenty of Clea
This picture of Mark West creek was taken in April by our intern, Nick Bel. Dear Friends, Sonoma County is celebrating the winter and spring rains which have left our rivers and creeks with plenty of clear clean water going into summer. Many of CCWI’s water monitors have noted that local rivers and creeks have more water and are more beautiful than they have been in the past several years. This is a very promising start to the summer season, but we should not let our guard down just yet. Several years of drought have left us with a shortage of water in many reservoirs so we must still be conscious of how we use and protect this precious resource. CCWI has a new program Director! Art Hasson joined the Community Clean Water Institute in 2008 as an intern and volunteer water monitor. Art has a business degree from the State University of New York, which he has put to good use as our new program director. He has updated our water quality database engaged in field work, performed flow studies and bacterial analysis for the past two years. Art is focused on protecting our public health through the preservation of our waterways. CCWI would like to thank outgoing program director Terrance Fleming for his hard work and valuable contributions to protect water resources. We wish him the very best in his future endeavors. CCWI would like to thank our donors for their support in building our online database interactive database. It contains nine years of data that CCWI volunteer water monitors have collected on local creeks and streams in and around Sonoma County. -
MAJOR STREAMS in SONOMA COUNTY March 1, 2000
MAJOR STREAMS IN SONOMA COUNTY March 1, 2000 Bill Cox District Fishery Biologist Sonoma / Marin Gualala River 234 North Fork Gualala River 34 Big Pepperwood Creek 34 Rockpile Creek 34 Buckeye Creek 34 Francini Creek 23 Soda Springs Creek 34 Little Creek North Fork Buckeye Creek Osser Creek 3 Roy Creek 3 Flatridge Creek 3 South Fork Gualala River 32 Marshall Creek 234 Sproul Creek 34 Wild Cattle Canyon Creek 34 McKenzie Creek 34 Wheatfield Fork Gualala River 3 Fuller Creek 234 Boyd Creek 3 Sullivan Creek 3 North Fork Fuller Creek 23 South Fork Fuller Creek 23 Haupt Creek 234 Tobacco Creek 3 Elk Creek House Creek 34 Soda Spring Creek Allen Creek Pepperwood Creek 34 Danfield Creek 34 Cow Creek Jim Creek 34 Grasshopper Creek Britain Creek 3 Cedar Creek 3 Wolf Creek 3 Tombs Creek 3 Sugar Loaf Creek 3 Deadman Gulch Cannon Gulch Chinese Gulch Phillips Gulch Miller Creek 3 Warren Creek Wildcat Creek Stockhoff Creek 3 Timber Cove Creek Kohlmer Gulch 3 Fort Ross Creek 234 Russian Gulch 234 East Branch Russian Gulch 234 Middle Branch Russian Gulch 234 West Branch Russian Gulch 34 Russian River 31 Jenner Creek 3 Willow Creek 134 Sheephouse Creek 13 Orrs Creek Freezeout Creek 23 Austin Creek 235 Kohute Gulch 23 Kidd Creek 23 East Austin Creek 235 Black Rock Creek 3 Gilliam Creek 23 Schoolhouse Creek 3 Thompson Creek 3 Gray Creek 3 Lawhead Creek Devils Creek 3 Conshea Creek 3 Tiny Creek Sulphur Creek 3 Ward Creek 13 Big Oat Creek 3 Blue Jay 3 Pole Mountain Creek 3 Bear Pen Creek 3 Red Slide Creek 23 Dutch Bill Creek 234 Lancel Creek 3 N.F. -
Meanderings Spring 2021.Indd
Meanderings Restore, Conserve & Inspire: Nurturing a Healthy Laguna Spring 2021 THE WONDERFUL, INDISPENSABLE WORLD OF WETLANDS! BY ANNE MORKILL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Laguna Celebrates Its 10 Year Anniversary as a Wetland of International Importance Weighing in at approximately 4.4 ounces and 490 pounds, respectively, a California tiger salamander and a Royal Bengal tiger seemingly have little if anything in common. The former lives in the Santa Rosa Plain’s vernal pools in the Laguna de Santa Rosa watershed and the latter in the largest remaining contiguous mangrove forest in the world, the Great Sundarbans in India; but, their fate is intertwined. For both of these endangered species, survival is dependent on wetlands. Of the 19,500 threatened species worldwide, 25% are found in wetlands. Here in the United States, a whopping 43% of all endangered species are dependent on wetlands. Today, natural wetlands are threatened ecological communities. Worldwide, wetlands are disappearing three times faster than forested areas. To save the most valuable and vulnerable, an intergovernmental treaty known as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was created in 1971. This is the only global treaty to focus on a single ecosystem. The Laguna and Great Sundurbans are just two examples of the more than 2,300 sites across 170 countries recognized by the treaty as Wetlands of International Importance for their This delicate and globally significant ecosystem is also home many and varied ecological benefits. to the majority of Sonoma County’s human population, which relies upon the Laguna for water quality, flood control, Thanks to you, we’re celebrating the tenth anniversary of the scenic beauty, cultural heritage, and recreation. -
2020 Annual Report
2020 Environmentally Ready Our well-being is intimately tied to the health of our planet. The last few years have shown us the consequences of placing too much pressure on the natural world. To build the healthy future we want, we need rapid transformational change. This report shows how the Center is turning education into concrete action. We envision a North Bay working together to find sustainable solutions. Get environmentally ready with us! Taking Action Climate change is top of mind for all of us. We need to take action. Universities play a unique role in sparking innovation and change through open discourse, research and workforce training. The Center focuses academic resources on North Bay environmental challenges. We: • Engage and activate • Build a diverse the community. workforce to champion the Partner with • environment. agencies and businesses to find • Collaborate on a practical solutions. global scale to share expertise. Americans dying from excessive heat 2012-2050 Animal and plant species threatened with extinction worldwide Structures damaged or destroyed in CA wildfi res 2017-2019 Californians a ected by power shutdowns 2017-2019 Californians at risk of fl ooding today Active Leaders Elias Lopez entered our Naturalist Training program as a timid student and emerged as a highly competent leader. In 2018, he co-founded “Crecer ConCiencia,” a non-profit that teaches Spanish-speaking families the value of getting involved in environmental projects. We need leaders like Elias. Historically, Latinx - 39% of California’s population - have not been fully engaged in climate planning. Elias is leading the way. “ e Center inspired me to mobilize my community to action.” - Elias Lopez Practical Solutions The Center connects public and private sectors with academic expertise to find practical solutions to real-world problems. -
MEMORANDUM DATE: August 31
MEMORANDUM DATE: August 31, 2017 Project No.: 592-10-16-05 SENT VIA: EMAIL TO: Harish Bagha, Grant Manager State Water Board Division of Financial Assistance Kari Holzgang, Program Analyst State Water Board Division of Financial Assistance FROM: Millicent Cowley-Crawford, Russian River Watershed Association Jarod Thiele, Grant Contact, City of Ukiah REVIEWED BY: Elizabeth Drayer, PE, RCE #46872 SUBJECT: Task 4.3 Description of Approach to Addressing Water Quality The Russian River Watershed Association (RRWA) has prepared this memorandum to provide a description of the approach to address water quality requirements in the Russian River Storm Water Resource Plan (SWRP). The approach identifies activities generating or contributing to polluted runoff or that impair beneficial uses of storm water and dry weather runoff and outlines potential strategies to address these issues. In addition, the consistency of the SWRP with applicable water quality regulatory requirements is outlined. STORM WATER RESOURCE PLANNING AREA The Planning Area of the Russian River SWRP has been determined in the Task 3.2 Planning Area and Watershed Descriptions memorandum dated June 9, 2017. As a brief overview, for the purposes of the SWRP, the Russian River watershed includes three divisions with nine U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS) Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) 10 watersheds, and 43 HUC 12 subwatersheds. With twenty major tributaries and covering an area of 950,360 acres, the Russian River runs a length of 110 miles and is susceptible to water quality threats both in its tributaries and mainstem. The Russian River Watershed Association complies with ADA requirements and will attempt to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities upon request. -
Laguna Historical Hydrology Pilot Report FINAL
Laguna de Santa Rosa Historical Hydrology Project Headwaters Pilot Study FINAL REPORT Arthur Dawson, Historical Ecologist Sonoma Ecology Center Christina Sloop, Conservation Science Program Director Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation August 2010 This study was generously funded by: San Francisco Bay Joint Venture & Sonoma County Water Agency Special thanks to: Jenny Blaker, Cotati Creek Critters & Hattie Brown, Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation 2 CONTENTS PURPOSE 5 OVERVIEW 5 METHODS 6 RESULTS 8 DISCUSSION 16 IMPLICATIONS FOR MANAGEMENT 19 REFERENCES 20 FIGURES Figure 1. Estimated Historical Surface Hydrology, Laguna de 10 Santa Rosa Headwaters (topo background) Figure 2. Estimated Historical Surface Hydrology, Laguna de 11 Santa Rosa Headwaters (contour background) Figure 3. General Land Office Survey Observations, 1853 -1865 12 Figure 4. Spring-fed lake, Las Casitas de Sonoma Mobile Home 13 Park, Rohnert Park Figure 5. Changes in Surface Hydrology, Laguna de Santa Rosa 15 Headwaters. As mapped, 1867 – 1980 Figure 6. Diseño del Rancho Llano de Santa Rosa: Calif 27 Figure 7. Diseño del Rancho Cotate: Sonoma Co., Calif. 28 Figure 8. “Plat of Road Survey from Santa Rosa to Petaluma” 29 Figure 9. “Map of Sonoma County, California.” 30 TABLES Table 1. Certainty Level Standards 7 Table 2. Wetland Designations Used in this study 17 3 APPENDICES 23 Appendix A: Background and Techniques Used for 24 Historical Data Sets Appendix B: Selected Historical Maps 27 Appendix C: Selected Historical Quotes 31 Appendix D: Sources Relating to the Presence of Seasonal 32 and Perennial Marsh in the Study Area * * * 4 PURPOSE The primary purpose of this study was to create a detailed map and document surface hydrology conditions in the southern headwaters of the Laguna de Santa Rosa at the time of European-style settlement in the mid-19th century. -
A Guide to Common Native Flowers of Sonoma County
wild about wildflowers A Guide to Common Native Flowers of Sonoma County Wildflowers are one of the telling signs that spring has arrived — and, in California, we’re lucky to be home to such a wide variety of native flowers, including many rare and endemic species. In fact, Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties are home to 358 species of wildflowers alone! This is a short, handy guide to just some of the beautiful and unusual flowers of Sonoma County, many of which can be found on Sonoma Land Trust’s protected preserves. For more resources on native California wildflowers, head over to theresources section at the end of this guide! #SonomaCountyWildflowers #HealthyLands #HealthyCommunities #NoticeNature contents Grassland Woodlands Butter and Eggs (Oak, Redwood) Tidy Tips Diogenes’ Lantern Blue-Eyed Grass Pacific Trillium Johnny Jump-Up Checker Lily Checker Mallow Fetid Adder’s Tongue Sky Lupine Douglas Iris Riparian Rare (Streamside) Sonoma Sunshine Narrowleaf Milkweed Coast Lily Seep-Spring Monkey Flower Bitter Root California Wild Rose California Mugwort Best spots for wildflower viewing butter and eggs Triphysaria eriantha Petaluma is famous for its Butter Grassland and Eggs festival — which can only be named after this adorable little Peak Season: flower, right? This annual herb is characterized by its hairy purple Jan Feb Mar Apr stem, purple leaves and wide m ay jun jul aug lower lip divided into three white- and-yellow pouches, inspiring its sep oct nov dec common name. More Info tidy tips Layia platyglossa In addition to being adorably named, Grassland this annual flower, distinguished by its yellow petals with white tips, attracts Peak Season: many species, especially butterflies, and is an important nectar plant Jan Feb Mar Apr for the threatened Checkerspot m ay jun jul aug butterfly.