Pine Gulch Creek is a
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
accessed March 9, 2011 south-flowing
stream
A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...
in western
Marin County, California
Marin County is a County (United States), county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
which empties into
Bolinas Lagoon
Bolinas Lagoon is a tidal estuary, approximately in area, located in the West Marin region of Marin County, California, United States, adjacent to the town of Bolinas. It is a part of the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. In 1974, ...
.
Course
The creek parallels
State Route 1.
Copper Mine Gulch Copper Mine Gulch is a valley in Marin County, California, United States, which is associated with a small stream.
The stream descends the western slope of the Bolinas Ridge, passing the mine from which it receives its name, and flows through the t ...
enters from the east, then McCormick Creek enters from the west at Pablo Point. After crossing under Olema-Bolinas Road, it feeds into the west side of Bolinas Lagoon just north of the town of
Bolinas
Bolinas is an unincorporated coastal community and census-designated place in Marin County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 1,483. It is located on the California coast, approximately (straight line dist ...
.
History
Pine Gulch Creek was used for generations by the Coastal Miwok Native American tribe that inhabited the areas of western Marin County for hundreds of years. Artifacts of the tribe can still be found along Pine Gulch Creek.
The Creek was home to many fish species such as Rainbow Trout and Coho Salmon, but these species disappeared mostly from the waterway after irrigation from the Creek lowered water levels. A small comeback was made by these species in 2001 and their populations have continued to grow. This is partially thanks to a campaign from the Marin County Resource Conservation District, to limit the amount of water drawn from the Creek, thus raising water levels to a safer level to foster fish life in the waterway. Local farmers have undertaken this initiative by constructing a series of ponds to irrigate their fields instead of using Pine Gulch Creek as a source of water.
Ecology
Pine Gulch Creek once supported both
steelhead trout
Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and N ...
(''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') and
Coho salmon
The coho salmon (''Oncorhynchus kisutch;'' Karuk: achvuun) is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family and one of the five Pacific salmon species. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". The scientific species name i ...
(''Oncorhynchus kisutch''). The salmon run, made vulnerable by overfishing, disappeared after 1968, but reappeared in 2001 and since the population started growing again, helped by new restrictions on water use from the creek.
Also coho died out again by 2010, continued restoration of creek flows has led to the return of coho salmon even in 2021, after multiple drought years. Many farmers in area have switched to using rain-filled ponds to irrigate their crops, helping fish populations to rise in the waterway. These ponds also raise the water table, supporting creek flows in dry summers. The most notable of these farmers include, Dennis and Sandy Dierks of Paradise Valley Produce, Peter Martinelli of Fresh Run Farm and Warren Webber of Star Route Farms.
Bridges
The only notable crossing of Pine Gulch Creek is the concrete slab at the Olema-Bolinas Road crossing, located 1.3 miles south of State Route 1. It was built in 1986.
See also
*
List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area
These watercourses (rivers, creeks, sloughs, etc.) in the San Francisco Bay Area are grouped according to the bodies of water they flow into. Tributaries are listed under the watercourses they feed, sorted by the elevation of the confluence so tha ...
*
Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes National Seashore is a park preserve located on the Point Reyes Peninsula in Marin County, California. As a national seashore, it is maintained by the US National Park Service as an important nature preserve. Some existing agricult ...
References
{{reflist
Rivers of Marin County, California
Rivers of Northern California