Chileno Creek

Chileno Creek is a stream in western Marin County, California, United States. It originates west of Petaluma, California at 220-acre Laguna Lake which straddles Marin and Sonoma Counties, from which it flows west 6.25 kilometres (3.88 mi) before joining Walker Creek, a tributary of Tomales Bay.[1]

Chileno Creek
Location of the mouth of Chileno Creek in California
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionMarin County
DistrictWest Marin
Physical characteristics
SourceLaguna Lake
 • coordinates38°12′28″N 122°45′53″W[1]
 • elevation226 ft (69 m)
MouthConfluence with Walker Creek
 • coordinates
38°12′44″N 122°51′35″W[1]
 • elevation
62 ft (19 m)
Length6.25 mi (10.06 km)[1]

History

Chileno Creek is named for Chilean immigrants who settled the Chileno Valley, with encouragement from Adrian Godoy.[2][3][4]

Chileno Valley Ranch was purchased by Carlo Martinoiya, an immigrant from Cevio, Switzerland from Henry Halleck in 1862.[5] Henry Halleck served as General-in-Chief of all Union armies during the American Civil War and also served as President Abraham Lincoln's Chief of Staff. Carlo Martinoiya anglicized his name to Charles Martin and his great-great-granddaughter Sally Gale and her husband now run one of the ranches in the Chileno Valley.[6] Several of the ranches in the watershed are maintained as agricultural land by the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT).

Watershed and course

The Chileno Creek watershed drains 20.25 square miles (52.4 km2). The creek originates at Laguna Lake, a shallow natural lake at the head of the Chileno Valley. Although Laguna Lake is officially classified as a vernal pool, it retains some water year round.[7] The Chileno Creek watershed ranges from 1,379 feet (420 m) to 62 feet (19 m) at Chileno Creek's confluence with Walker Creek.[8][1]

A study of Chileno Creek geohydromorphology found that 30% of the sediment in the watershed is blocked by small stockpond dams, and that lack of sediment causes downstream erosion and slows riparian recovery. Most of its tributaries have one or more dams as well as the mainstem such that dam density, or number of dams per drainage area, is 0.76 square kilometres (0.29 sq mi).[9]

Ecology

In the early 1900s, coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) were abundant in Walker Creek, but were nearly extirpated apparently due to severe erosion and siltation secondary to overgrazing and logging operations.[10] In 1975 D. W. Kelley performed a comprehensive investigation of steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and coho salmon populations. He found small numbers of steelhead young-of-the-year in all viable habitat areas in the watershed, but only eight coho near the confluence of Chileno and Walker Creek.[11] In addition, the Soulajule Reservoir dam blocked all anadromous salmonid fish migration to Arroyo Sausal. California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) began planting coho salmon from Olema Creek into Walker Creek in 2003 with modest success.[12] In 2008 and again in 2013 coho returned to Walker Creek, Salmon Creek and Frink Canyon.[13]

Laguna Lake is used extensively by migrating and breeding waterfowl, including whistling swans (Cygnus columbianus) in winter.[7]

See also

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Chileno Creek
  2. David L. Durham (2001). Durham's Place Names of the San Francisco Bay Area: Includes Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Alameda, Solano & Santa Clara Counties. Word Dancer Press. p. 190. ISBN 9781884995354.
  3. Jack Mason, Helen Van Cleaver Park (1976). Early Marin, 2nd Edition. North Shore Books. p. 153.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  4. Erwin G. Gudde (10 February 2010). California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names. University of California Press. pp. 77–. ISBN 978-0-520-26619-3. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  5. Elliott Almond (November 24, 2015). "Swiss immigrants, offspring leave imprint on Marin County". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  6. Rob Rogers (October 15, 2010). "Historian finds county's past in West Marin's ranches". Marin Independent Journal. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  7. "Tomales Bay Watershed - History and Habitat". Marin County Watershed Program. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  8. Walker Creek Watershed Stream Habitat Assessment Reports - Chileno Creek (Report). California Department of Fish and Game. March 2009. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  9. Jerome V. De Graff, James E. Evans (January 1, 2013). The Challenges of Dam Removal and River Restoration. 21. Geological Society of America. doi:10.1130/REG21. ISBN 9780813758213.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  10. Lauren Hammack, Prunuske Chatham, Inc. (August 10, 2005). Geomorphology of the Walker Creek Watershed: Projects for Habitat Enhancement and Sediment Management (PDF) (Report). Marin Resource Conservation District. p. 16. Retrieved 2015-08-09.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. D. W. Kelley (April 1, 1976). The Possibility oRestoring Salmon and Steelhead Runs in Walker Creek, Marin County (PDF) (Report). Marin Municipal Water District. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  12. Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD), Garcia and Associates (GANDA) (March 2010). Walker Creek Salmon Monitoring Program Final Compilation Report (Report). California Department of Fish and Game. Retrieved December 26, 2017.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  13. Mark Prado (October 22, 2013). "Young, endangered coho salmon seen in Walker Creek for the first time in five years". Marin Independent Journal. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
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