Salsipuedes Creek (Santa Ynez River tributary) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Salsipuedes Creek |
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|---|---|
| Other name(s) | Arrollo De Salsipuedes |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Santa Barbara |
| City | Lompoc |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | 1,000 ft (300 m) 34°31′37″N 120°23′06″W / 34.52694°N 120.38500°W |
| River mouth | Confluence with Santa Ynez River Southeast of Lompoc, California 115 ft (35 m) 34°37′54″N 120°24′46″W / 34.63167°N 120.41278°W |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries |
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Salsipuedes Creek is a stream in Santa Barbara County, California. It flows for about 9.9 miles (16 kilometers). The creek flows north to join the Santa Ynez River. This meeting point is just southeast of Lompoc. Salsipuedes Creek is very important. Along with its main branch, El Jaro Creek, it is the largest stream feeding the lower Santa Ynez River. This happens shortly before the Santa Ynez River reaches the Pacific Ocean.
What's in a Name?
The Spanish explorers first named this river Arollo del Jaro. Later, it became known as Salsipuedes Creek. In the Spanish language, "Salsipuedes" means "get out if you can." This name was often given to streams that flowed quickly through narrow canyons. It suggested that it might be hard to get out if you were caught in the water.
Where Does the Creek Flow?
The Salsipuedes Creek and El Jaro Creek area is called a watershed. This watershed covers about 47.1 square miles (122 square kilometers). The water flows roughly 25.1 miles (40.4 kilometers) from its start. It begins in the Santa Ynez Mountains near the coast. It ends where it meets the lower Santa Ynez River.
Salsipuedes Creek flows north from its source. It runs along Jalama Road. Then, it meets El Jaro Creek. El Jaro Creek is a 13-mile (21-kilometer) long stream that joins Salsipuedes Creek just south of U.S. Highway 1. After this, Salsipuedes Creek continues north along Highway 1. It flows until it reaches Santa Rosa Road. Here, the creek joins the Santa Ynez River. El Jaro Creek also has two smaller streams that flow sometimes. These are Los Amoles Creek, which is 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers) long, and Ytias Creek, which is 4.2 miles (6.8 kilometers) long.
Animals of the Creek
The upper parts of Salsipuedes Creek and El Jaro Creek have water flowing all year. This makes them good homes for steelhead trout. Steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are a type of fish. They are also called anadromous fish. This means they live in the ocean but swim up rivers to lay their eggs.
Southern steelhead trout were listed as an endangered species in 1997. This means they are at risk of disappearing. The National Marine Fisheries Service said that the areas below Bradbury Dam on the Santa Ynez River were very important for these fish.
North American beaver (Castor canadensis) also live in Salsipuedes Creek. Beavers build dams, which create deeper pools of water. These pools are great places for young salmon and trout to grow. The presence of beavers helps improve the homes for these fish. In fact, Salsipuedes Creek has some of the best trout habitats in the whole Santa Ynez River watershed.
