Taylor Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed September 30, 2012 northward-flowing stream originating in the Fallen Leaf Lake and culminating at Baldwin Beach at Lake Tahoe, about west of Camp Richardson in El Dorado County, California.

History

To the

Washoe people The Washoe or Wašišiw ("people from here", or transliterated in older literature as ''Wa She Shu'') are a Great Basin tribe of Native Americans, living near Lake Tahoe at the border between California and Nevada. The name "Washoe" or "Washo ...

, Taylor Creek was known as Dawgašašíwa It was a significant Washoe Indian camping and fishing site. Taylor Creek is probably named for Elijah W. Taylor, who homesteaded 160 acres near the creek in 1864.

Watershed and course

Taylor Creek is the only outflow for Fallen Leaf Lake, and begins at a spillway on the Fallen Leaf Lake dam on the north side of the lake. From here it winds its way northwards, entering the Tallac & Taylor Creek wetland before entering Lake Tahoe.

Habitat and wildlife

Taylor and Tallack Creeks form an important wetland complex separate from Lake Tahoe by Baldwin Beach. Historically, these two wetland complexes provided approximately 400 acres of wetland and meadow habitat. The valley between Taylor and Tallac creeks is dissected by a series of east-west historic lagoons (or swales) that created wetland habitat for a variety of native animal and plant species. From historic aerial photos, it appears that these swales may have hydrologically connected Taylor and Tallac creeks and follow topographic features such as historic beaches/lake levels. In addition to man-made alterations, such as an access road that runs north-south in the middle of the wetland, the influx of aquatic invasive species, such as Eurasian watermilfoil (''Myriophyllum spicatum''), bull frogs and warm-water fishes have invaded both Tallac and Taylor creeks, which now compete with native species such as Lahontan tui chub (''Gila bicolor pectinifer''), Lahontan redside shiner (''Richardsonius egregius''), Tahoe sucker (''Catostomus tahoensis'') and Tahoe yellowcress (''Rorippa subumbellata''). The wetland is also historic habitat for Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog, as well as

Lahontan cutthroat trout Lahontan cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi'') is the largest subspecies of cutthroat trout, and the state fish of Nevada. It is one of three subspecies of cutthroat trout that are listed as federally threatened. Natural history ...

(''Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi''), a threatened species listed on the Endangered Species Act.

(LCT) is the only trout species native to Fallen Leaf Lake, Lake Tahoe and the Truckee River Basin but were extirpated by introduction of predatory non-native

lake trout The lake trout (''Salvelinus namaycush'') is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, namaycush, lake char (or charr), touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, it can also ...

(''Salvelinus namaycush''), other competing non-native salmonids, and overfishing. Re-introduction into Fallen Leaf Lake of the Pilot Peak strain of Lahontan cutthroat trout (LCT), established as the LCT strain native to the watershed, began in 2006. Each autumn, from late September through mid-October, mature

kokanee salmon The kokanee salmon (''Oncorhynchus nerka''), also known as the kokanee trout, little redfish, silver trout, kikanning, Kennerly's salmon, Kennerly's trout, or Walla, is the non-anadromous form of the sockeye salmon (meaning that they do not migrat ...

(''Oncorhyncus nerka''), transform from silver-blue color to a fiery vermilion, and run up Taylor Creek, near South Lake Tahoe. As spawning season approaches the fish acquire a humpback and protuberant jaw. After spawning they die and their carcasses provide a feast for gatherings of mink (''Neovison vison''),

black bear Black bear or Blackbear may refer to: Animals * American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species * Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species Music * Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations group ...

s (''Ursus americanus''), and bald eagles (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus''). These non-native salmon were translocated from the

North Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

to Lake Tahoe in 1944, and Taylor Creek is their primary spawning stream in the Tahoe basin. Kokanee appear to compete for forage with the recently established threatened

in Fallen Leaf Lake. All of the beaver dams in Taylor Creek, which flows from Fallen Leaf Lake to Lake Tahoe, are destroyed annually each fall by the U. S. Forest Service in order for

Kokanee salmon The kokanee salmon (''Oncorhynchus nerka''), also known as the kokanee trout, little redfish, silver trout, kikanning, Kennerly's salmon, Kennerly's trout, or Walla, is the non-anadromous form of the sockeye salmon (meaning that they do not migrat ...

(''Oncorhynchus nerka'') to spawn. A recent study of Taylor Creek showed that the beaver dam removal decreased wetland habitat, increased stream flow, and increased total phosphorus pollutants entering Lake Tahoe - all factors which negatively impact the clarity of the lake's water. In addition, beaver dams located in Ward Creek, located on the west shore of Lake Tahoe, were also shown to decrease nutrients and sediments traveling downstream. Recently novel physical evidence has demonstrated that beaver were native to the Sierra until at least the mid-nineteenth century, via radiocarbon dating of buried beaver dam wood uncovered by deep channel incision in the

Feather River The Feather River is the principal tributary of the Sacramento River, in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California. The river's main stem is about long. Its length to its most distant headwater tributary is just over . The main stem Feather ...

watershed. That report was supported by a summary of indirect evidence of beaver including reliable observer accounts of beaver in multiple watersheds from the northern to the southern Sierra Nevada, including its eastern slope. Deep water created by beaver dams may provide critical refugia from winter ice for native cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarki''). Importantly a 2013 study showed that cutthroat trout move easily across beaver dams in both directions. File:Taylor Creek with beaver dam 2012-09-23.jpg , Beaver dam and pond on Taylor Creek taken September 23, 2012. File:Taylor Creek with beaver dam mostly removed AFTER 2012-09-28.jpg , Beaver dam removed in anticipation of Kokanee salmon run by Forest Service on September 28, 2012. File:Sockeye salmon jumping over beaver dam Lake Aleknagik, AK Kristina Ramstad 1997.jpg ,

Salmon Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus ''Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Oncorhy ...

(''

Oncorhynchus nerka The sockeye salmon (''Oncorhynchus nerka''), also called red salmon, kokanee salmon, blueback salmon, or simply sockeye, is an anadromous species of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it. This species is a P ...

''), the same species as Kokanee salmon, jumping beaver dam in Alaska. File:Taylor Creek Beaver Dam, 11-25-13.JPG ,

North American beaver The North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') is one of two extant beaver species, along with the Eurasian beaver (''Castor fiber''). It is native to North America and introduced in South America ( Patagonia) and Europe (primarily Finland ...

(''Castor canadensis'') dam re-built at same site on Taylor Creek, tributary to Lake Tahoe, in winter November 25, 2013. File:Taylor Creek Beaver Dam, 12-11-13.JPG , Beaver dams provide critical deep water refugia for native cutthroat trout beneath winter ice December 11, 2013. File:Taylor Creek Dam site, 12-12-13.JPG , Beaver dam site after removal by US Forest Service on December 12, 2013.

Recreation

From Memorial Day weekend through October, the Stream Profile Chamber at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center is an opportunity to see the trout and Kokanee salmon of Lake Tahoe up close. It is located on Highway 89 west of Camp Richardson on the south shore of Lake Tahoe.

References

External links