San Anselmo Creek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids San Anselmo Creek |
|
|---|---|
Elliott Preserve, San Anselmo Creek in Fairfax, CA, courtesy Charles Kennard, Friends of Corte Madera Creek
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | Marin County |
| Cities | Ross, San Anselmo, Fairfax |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Eastern flank of Pine Mountain, Marin Hills 1,200 ft (370 m) 37°58′56″N 122°38′33″W / 37.98222°N 122.64250°W |
| River mouth | Corte Madera Creek (Marin County, California) Ross, California 36 ft (11 m) 37°57′58″N 122°33′31″W / 37.96611°N 122.55861°W |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries |
|
San Anselmo Creek is a stream that flows east in Marin County, California. It starts high up on Pine Mountain in the Marin Hills. This creek joins with Ross Creek to form a bigger stream called Corte Madera Creek.
Contents
History of San Anselmo Creek
The name of San Anselmo Creek comes from an old land grant called Punta de Quintin. This grant described the valley as "Canada del Anselmo," meaning "Valley of Anselm." Anselm was the name of a Native American person who lived in the area long ago.
In 1839, a large piece of land called Canada de Herrera was given to Domingo Sais. This land included areas that are now Fairfax, Sleepy Hollow, and part of San Anselmo. The Sais family used this land for farming. They grew crops and raised animals like sheep, horses, and cattle. They also fished in San Anselmo Creek for salmon.
Animals and Plants of the Creek
San Anselmo Creek is very important for fish. It helps feed the bigger Corte Madera Creek watershed. A watershed is an area of land where all the water drains into one main river or stream.
Fish in the Creek
San Anselmo Creek and its smaller streams, Sleepy Hollow and Cascade Creek, are home to many fish. They are especially important for steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Steelhead trout are a type of rainbow trout that live in the ocean and come back to freshwater to lay their eggs.
Even though Cascade Creek can get low on water in late summer, it has the best places for trout to live and grow. In 1999, scientists found five different kinds of fish in San Anselmo Creek. The most common were rainbow/steelhead trout. Other fish included threespine stickleback, California roach, sculpin, and Sacramento sucker.
Long ago, the Corte Madera Creek watershed also had coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). Coho salmon are another type of salmon that live in the ocean. People saw coho salmon in the area in the 1920s, 1960s, and 1980s. The last time coho salmon were seen was in 1984. In 1936, a scientist named Fry specifically saw coho salmon in San Anselmo Creek. More recently, in 2003, two Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) were seen laying eggs in San Anselmo.
Other Wildlife
Besides fish, other animals live around San Anselmo Creek. In 2007, river otters (Lontra canadensis) were seen and photographed on the creek. This was exciting because people didn't think otters lived in Marin County back in 1937.
The San Anselmo Creek Watershed
The San Anselmo Creek watershed includes several smaller streams that flow into it. These are called tributaries. From where San Anselmo Creek starts to where it joins Corte Madera Creek, its tributaries are:
- Cascade Creek
- Carey Camp Creek
- Deer Park Creek
- Fairfax Creek
- Sleepy Hollow Creek
- Ross Creek
Helping Fish Move Upstream
Sometimes, things built by humans can make it hard for fish to swim upstream. In 2012, a problem spot was fixed in San Anselmo. This was a culvert, which is like a large pipe or tunnel, under Center Boulevard. It was hard for fish to pass through.
To help the fish, a "fish ladder" was added. A fish ladder is a series of pools and small waterfalls that fish can jump up. Concrete baffles were also put in. These are like small walls that create resting spots for migrating fish. This helps salmon and trout swim through the culvert even when the water is flowing very fast.
