January 05, 2013

below Alpine Dam, upper Lagunitas Creek, part 2 of 2


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photo by Donald Kinney

During Summer the flow reduces to a trickle, but in Winter the mighty Lagunitas Creek is a raging torrent. Ferns are really digging it right now.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

The reservoirs above and below this spot have blocked the traditional migration routes for spawning Coho Salmon. End result--very few Coho Salmon (aprox. 300) return to the lower Lagunitas to spawn, and the local water district has a finite resource which is usually never quite enough.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Each year, beginning in November, endangered coho salmon, and, in December, threatened steelhead trout return to Lagunitas Creek from the ocean to spawn, or lay eggs, before their own life cycle ends. The adult spawning runs coincide with the rainy season and continue for three to four months, sometimes longer. Lagunitas Creek, which originates on MMWD watershed land on the slopes of Mt. Tamalpais, is considered the home of one of the healthiest salmon populations in Central California.   source: M.M.W.D.

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney


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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

And I hope that they can continue to use the creek for their spawning decades to come.

JB

 
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