- Yulupa Creek
Geobox|River
name = Yulupa Creek
native_name =
other_name =
category =perennial stream
etymology =
nickname =
image_caption = Headwaters area of Yulupa Creek in the northernSonoma Mountains with distant view ofMayacamas Mountains .
country =United States
state =California
region = Sonoma County
district =
municipality =
parent =
tributary_right =
tributary_left =
city =Santa Rosa, California
landmark =
river =
source =Bennett Mountain
source_location = convert|3|mi|km|0|lk=on|abbr=on west ofKenwood, California
source_region = | source_country =
source_elevation_imperial = 1080
source_elevation_note =
source_lat_d = 38 | source_lat_m = 23 | source_lat_s = 59 | source_lat_NS = N
source_long_d = 122 | source_long_m = 35 | source_long_s = 39 | source_long_EW = W
source_coordinates_note = Gnis|238301|Yulupa Creek]
source1 =
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mouth =Sonoma Creek
mouth_location = convert|2|mi|km|0|abbr=on northwest ofGlen Ellen, California
mouth_region = | mouth_country =
mouth_elevation_imperial = 295
mouth_elevation_note =
mouth_lat_d = 38 | mouth_lat_m = 22 | mouth_lat_s = 45 | mouth_lat_NS = N
mouth_long_d = 122 | mouth_long_m = 33 | mouth_long_s = 10 | mouth_long_EW = W
mouth_coordinates_note =
length_imperial = 4
length_note =
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watershed_imperial = 5
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footnotes =Yulupa Creek (Latitude: 38.37917 : Longitude: -122.55167) is a southeast-flowing
perennial stream that rises on the southeastern flanks of the northernSonoma Mountains inSonoma County, California ,United States . ["Santa Rosa Quadrangle", Fifteen minute series,USGS Quadrangle Map, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC (1958)] This creek, which drains the eastern slopes ofBennett Mountain , istributary toSonoma Creek , which in turn discharges toSan Pablo Bay .Course
Yulupa Creek rises in the Sonoma Mountains, on the southwestern edge of
Annadel State Park near Bennett Ridge Road. It descends initially to the southeast. After about convert|2|mi|km|0|lk=on it meets Bennett Valley Road, which it follows eastward to Warm Springs Road, where it discharges into Sonoma Creek.Watershed
The Yulupa Creek watershed comprises an area of approximately five square miles, and is considered a viable
steelhead , "Oncorhynchus mykiss", spawninghabitat ; stream surveys conducted from 1966 to 1986 indicated significant, but decliningpopulation s ofanadromous fish . [Leidy, R.A, G.S. Becker and B.N. Harvey, " [http://www.cemar.org/pdf/wholedoc2.pdf Historical distribution and current status of steelhead/rainbow trout ("Oncorhynchus mykiss") in streams of the San Francisco Estuary] ", Center for Ecosystem Management, Oakland, Ca. (2005)] NOAA fisheries has designated the Yulupa Creek watershed as "Critical Habitat" for "Oncorhychus mykiss" as well as "O. tshawytscha" (Chinook Salmon ) as of 2004. ["Endangered and Threatened Species; Designation of Critical Habitat for Seven Evolutionarily Significant Units of Pacific Salmon ("Oncorhynchus tshawytscha") and Steelhead (O. mykiss) in California", United States of America Federal Register: December 10, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 237, pp. 71929-71978]Land use in this watershed consists ofAnnadel State Park usage and very low density rural single family residential development, much of which isupmarket housing stock. From the higher headwater elevations, there are expansive views ofHood Mountain and the southernMayacamas Mountains can be seen to the north;Sonoma Valley and distantlySan Francisco to the south; andSonoma Mountain to the southwest. The area designation of most of this watershed isKenwood, California , an unincorporated area known for itsviticulture , although only a small fraction of the Yulupa Creek watershed is planted togrape s.Flora and fauna
In addition to known spawning area for "O. mykiss", Yulupa Creek has been designated as a high quality
riparian zone and an identified habitat of freshwater shrimp. [ [http://www.krisweb.com/biblio/marinsonoma_cdfg_cox_2000_streamsofsonoma.pdf Sonoma County stream characterizations] ] Moreover, the upland watershed area is aCalifornia oak woodland , much of which is a relatively undisturbed ecosystem with considerablebiodiversity . These forested areas have been characterized as some of the best examples of such woodlands. [ [http://www.parks.sonoma.net/Annadel.html Annadel State Park facts] ] An unusual characteristic of these forests is the high content of undisturbed prehistoric bunch grass understory, testifying to the absence of historicgrazing or otheragriculture .Besides the
riparian habitat, plant communities includeCalifornia oak woodland ,Douglas fir forest ,chaparral ,grassland andmarsh . The dominant plant community is the oak woodland, which has a canopy ofcoast live oak ,Garry oak ,Black oak ,Pacific Madrone ,Bigleaf maple andCalifornia laurel . Occasionally in the vicinity of drainageswale s and creeks,Canyon live oak is found. In the oak woodlands, the dominantunderstory plants are nativebunch grass ,toyon ,blackberry ,western poison-oak and in drier patchescoyote brush . Common animals observed includeBlack-tailed Deer ,gray squirrel ,raccoon ,skunk andopossum . Less frequentlybobcat andmountain lion are seen. There is abundantbird life including thescrub jay ,Steller's jay ,Acorn woodpecker ,Black Phoebe andjunco . A number ofamphibian s occur near the creek and its tributary elements, including theRough skinned newt , "Taricha granulosa".Geology
Many of Yulupa Creek's high headwater tributaries are dry in the summer, since rainfall is highly seasonal, with most of the approximately convert|30|in|cm|lk=on|abbr=on of annual precipitation occurring between the months of October and April: however, Ledson Marsh retains some smaller pools of water throughout most of the year. Ledson Marsh has a southern outlet to the north fork of Yulupa Creek.
The Yulupa Creek watershed was below the
Pacific Ocean floor as recently as theMiocene era, around which time massive uplift and volcanic action formed themassif which comprises the headwaters higher elevations of the watershed of today. Elevations within the drainage basin of Yulupa Creek range from about 430 to 1800 feet (130 to 550 meters) above sea level.Sandstone is the dominant rock type, as a remnant of the ancient sea floor. Slopes within the headwaters area commonly range from 15 to 30 percent, and lower reaches have gradients of two to five percent. One of the major soil associations within the upper elevation riparian zone is Goulding cobblyclay loam , which contains roughly 25 percentcobblestone s, as well as somebasalt ic exposures, betraying the volcanic past of theSonoma Mountains formation. ["Soil Survey, Sonoma County, California",U.S. Department of Agriculture ,Soil Conservation Service , Government Printing Office, Washington DC, May 1972] Typical soil depths in the headwater area range from 14 to 20 inches (35 to 50 centimeters). Much of the soil type in the Yulupa Creekriparian zone consists of Laniger loam, withrhyolite outcrops, another relic of theigneous history.Bridges
There are two significant public
roadway bridge s across Yulupa Creek. The lowermost traverses the creek on Warm Springs Road, 11.15 miles (17.94 km) north of State Route 116; this seven meter span was constructed in the year 1930 with a concrete culvert design using frame culvert construction. A second crossing farther upstream is the traversal of Bennett Valley Road at a point 0.6 miles (1 km) west of Warm Springs Road; this year 1970 bridge is of concrete slab construction, with a span of 33 feet (10.1 meters). [ [http://massroads.com/nbi_result.php?StateCode=06&FeatureIntersected=YULUPA+CREEK Recorded bridges of Yulupa Creek] ]ee also
*
Annadel State Park
*Graham Creek
*List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area
*Pomo people
*Taylor MountainReferences
External links
* [http://www.satelliteviews.net/cgi-bin/g.cgi?sdb=Go&fid=238301&state=CA&ftype=stream&exm=on Aerial photo of Yulupa Creek watershed]
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