Lagunitas Creek report

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

I have a mountain and I have a creek, and an ocean and a large orange bridge too, but today we're going to take a muted look at my creek, the Lagunitas. And it's mighty now -- with all this rain we've been having, but it will be back to it's bubbling and slower self in the months to come.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Oh Lord, have mercy on the Marin Municipal Water District. Brave ones who have attempted to intervene with the forces of nature. But nature as we know, always wins. For instance, a few years ago the Water District placed dozens of large logs in the creek, lashing them in place with cables as best they could. The logs were supposed to provide shelter for salmon hatchlings, but most of the logs were ripped from their anchors by storms the following winter.

But you won't find a more heavily studied creek than the Lagunitas. The Water District has a staff of scientists to keep an eye on creek conditions and trends. Seems like they're always trying to measure the size and flow-rate of the creek in various spots. I don't want to spoil your day so I won't even mention how they use electroshock to immobilize fish in fenced-off sections of the stream to count the elusive critters.

Anyway, the Federal Government contributes money to keep an eye on the Lagunitas Creek, and the net result of all this studying by the Water District is the realization that the numbers of Coho Salmon who return to the Lagunitas to spawn have declined over the past several years.   Read article.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Anyway, I'll continue with my own little less-than-scientific studies by staring into it's occasionaly still waters.   Kind of pretty, isn't it?


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