THE BLUCHER CREEK WATERSHED Area ~ Archeology ~ Geology ~ Wildlife ~ Threats
The Blucher Creek watershed comprises 17 square miles, from Kennedy Road in the north to Blank Road in the south and from Burnside and Bloomfield Roads in the west to Gravenstein Hwy (at Todd Road) in the east, where it joins the Laguna de Santa Rosa. It is located a few miles south of Sebastopol, California. Blucher Creek forms the beginning of the Laguna, which flows into the Russian River and then finally into the Pacific Ocean at Jenner.
The watershed is outlined on the following map, where Sebastopol is just above the northern edge of the map. You can see in the northeast part where Blucher Creek flows into the Laguna.
Read below about the Area, Archeology, Geology, Wildlife, and Threats to the watershed! |
|
Area
The Blucher Creek Watershed encompasses approximately 17 square miles south west of Sebastopol in Sonoma County, California, and includes the hilltops, slopes, minor and major valleys, and smaller creeks that direct groundwater and surface rainwater runoff into Blucher Creek. The watershed is characterized by low hilltops that separate smaller Blucher Creek tributaries from those of other creeks.
Blucher Creek's watershed is an important part of the Russian River headwater system. The waters collected by Blucher Creek and its smaller tributaries flow to the Laguna de Santa Rosa and then to Mark West Creek, to join the Russian River north of the town of Forestville.
back to top
Archeology
Blucher Valley, the primary valley that comprises the watershed, has been host to many human inhabitants in its long history, including the Pomo Indians who lived near the headwater springs of Blucher Creek and traded with coastal Miwok tribes. There are significant, surveyed and numbered archeological sites in Blucher Valley, some of which are believed to be sacred.
back to top
Geology
Blucher Creek Watershed rocks are clay-rich sandstones (called Wilson Grove Formation by geologists) that accumulated on the shallow floor of a coastal sea. The lowest Wilson Grove rock is Roblar Tuff, erupted six million years ago probably from volcanoes near Santa Rosa. Other volcanic tuffs form thin layers throughout the sandstone pile. Some of these have altered over time to form slick clays that expand when wet, destabilizing hillslopes and sometimes causing landslides such as the infamous "Blucher Valley Crack." Crumbly soils developed on Wilson Grove sandstones are classed by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service as "erodible" to "highly erodible" on hillslopes. The Wilson Grove Formation that makes up the Blucher Creek Watershed area is an excellent collector and transmitter of ground water ("aquifer"). It overlies the much older Franciscan Formation that generally transmits water poorly. Groundwater trapped in lower Wilson Grove rocks can be tapped by wells. The other geological materials of the watershed are stream sediments. The deposits of Blucher Creek and its tributaries also serve as local aquifers, if thick enough.
back to top
Wildlife
In addition to the common inhabitants of the Blucher Creek Watershed such as mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, foxes, deer, raccoons, wild turkeys, quail, hawks, vultures, songbirds and myriad other birds of the Western Flyway, the Blucher Creek Watershed is habitat for three endangered species:
(Click on images to enlarge.)
Pitkin Marsh Lily |
California Freshwater Shrimp |
Steelhead |
|
|
|
Lilium pardalinum
ssp. pitkinense
|
Syncaris pacifica |
Oncorhynchus mykiss |
back to top
Threats to the Watershed
- Clearing of understory and native growth along creek and uplands reduces rainwater percolation and aquifer recharge
- Soil erosion on the slopes above the creek limits the percolation of water and reduces aquifer recharge
- Sedimentation of the creek damages the creeks capacity to support such creatures as freshwater shrimp and steelhead
- Littering and inappropriate management of pesticides, herbicides, and manure pollute the creek
- Lack of knowledge and understanding about the land around us that is our watershed
back to top
|
