Tolay Lake is a shallow freshwater

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

in southern

Sonoma County Sonoma County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa. It is to the north of Marin County and the south of Mendocino ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

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 territori ...

. The

, nestled within the southern vestiges of the

Sonoma Mountains The Sonoma Mountains are a northwest–southeast trending mountain range of the Inner Coast Ranges in the California Coast Ranges System, located in Sonoma County, Northern California. Geography The Sonoma Mountains range is approximately long. ...

, is the site of significant Native American prehistoric seasonal settlement. In 2005, Sonoma County acquired the entirety of the lake and virtually its whole drainage basin from the Cardoza family for the sum of $18 million; the County's intention is to utilize the property as Tolay Lake Regional Park for

ecological Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

and archaeological preservation, as well as public use and enjoyment. Tolay Lake and its immediate drainage area is home to several nesting pairs of

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of ...

s, ''Aquila chrysaetos'', and a number of rare,

threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensa ...

or endangered species including the

California red-legged frog The California red-legged frog (''Rana draytonii'') is a species of frog found in California (USA) and northern Baja California (Mexico). It was formerly considered a subspecies of the northern red-legged frog (''Rana aurora''). The frog is an IU ...

, ''Rana draytonii'';

Western pond turtle The Western pond turtle (''Actinemys marmorata''), also known commonly as the Pacific pond turtle is a species of small to medium-sized turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is endemic to the western coast of the United States and Mexico, r ...

, ''Actinemys marmorata''; and Western burrowing owl, ''Athene cunicularia''. Tolay Lake was initially altered about 1850 by

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

settler A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settl ...

s who dynamited a natural earth dam on the lake's south side, in order to enable more intensive agricultural cultivation and

grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to roam around and consume wild vegetations in order to convert the otherwise indigestible (by human gut) cellulose within grass and other ...

of the basin; at times thereafter, the lake typically became almost dry in the summer months, when rainfall in this region is at its seasonal

nadir The nadir (, ; ar, نظير, naẓīr, counterpart) is the direction pointing directly ''below'' a particular location; that is, it is one of two vertical directions at a specified location, orthogonal to a horizontal flat surface. The direc ...

. Another modern alteration is the construction of an east-west earthen causeway that effectively bisects the lake, impeding thorough water circulation and fragmenting plant and animal

colonies In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...

of the lake.

History

Dating to at least 4,000 years, habitation of the original Tolay Lake perimeter occurred on a seasonal basis by the

Coast Miwok Coast Miwok are an indigenous people that was the second-largest group of Miwok people. Coast Miwok inhabited the general area of modern Marin County and southern Sonoma County in Northern California, from the Golden Gate north to Duncans Poi ...

Pomo The Pomo are an Indigenous people of California. Historical Pomo territory in Northern California was large, bordered by the Pacific Coast to the west, extending inland to Clear Lake, and mainly between Cleone and Duncans Point. One small ...

and other native Californians. It is known that this has been a regional gathering place for diverse tribes, probably associated with the beliefs that healing powers were derived from this lake. One of the main bases for this knowledge is the discovery of many prehistoric

charmstone A charmstone, charm-stone or charm stone is a stone or mineral artifact of various types associated with various traditional cultures, including those of Scotland and the native cultures of California and the American southwest. Typically they ...

s and numerous

arrowhead An arrowhead or point is the usually sharpened and hardened tip of an arrow, which contributes a majority of the projectile mass and is responsible for impacting and penetrating a target, as well as to fulfill some special purposes such as sign ...

s in the lake bed.''Tolay Lake Park: Natural and Cultural History''
Evidence suggests that these stones were brought from distant parts of

and as far away as

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

for a

ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized ...

in which the native threw the stone into Tolay Lake, with the belief that this act rid the thrower of affliction or

disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

or would invoke enhanced crop yields. Some of these artifacts are situated in a small museum on site, and a number of them are within the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Museum. These archaeological findings received such widespread attention that the lake was at one time alternatively known as Charmstone Lake.

Greg Sarris Gregory Michael Sarris (born February 12, 1952) is the Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria (since 1992), the Graton Rancheria Endowed Chair in Creative Writing and Native American Studies at Sonoma State University, where he t ...

, chairman of the

Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, formerly known as the Federated Coast Miwok, is a federally recognized American Indian tribe of Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo Indians. The tribe was officially restored to federal recognition in 2000 by th ...

descent said: "The lake and surrounding area was highly sacred and was considered one of three areas in all of northern California where Indian nomads from different tribes convened for sacred ceremonies and the exchange of ritual objects and songs for the purpose of healing."County of Sonoma Regional Parks Department: Tolay Lake Regional Park
August 20, 2007. He also said the 1000 charmstones discovered there, to date are: "the most significant discovery of cultural material for my people, but no doubt for all native people in California." José Altimíra, founder of

Mission San Francisco Solano Mission San Francisco Solano was the 21st, last, and northernmost mission in Alta California. It was named for Saint Francis Solanus. It was the only mission built in Alta California after Mexico gained independence from Spain. The difficulty o ...

described the lake in 1823, "We found on said hillock, a little further on, the large lake of Tolay--named after the chief of the Indian nomadic tribals "(Mr.Hukalaka Tolay), who in former times settled there. Its width at some parts is, with little difference, one hundred and fifty varas (), at others two hundred varas (), and at one point one-fourth of a

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

, which is also its length." In the mid-nineteenth century European settlers began to develop the Tolay Basin agriculturally along with the

Sonoma Valley Sonoma Valley is a valley located in southeastern Sonoma County, California, in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Known as the birthplace of the California wine industry, the valley is home to some of the earliest vineyards a ...

and Petaluma River Basin. Initially the Europeans compromised the natural earthen

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

that impeded outflow at the southern end of the lake, primarily by dynamite. This

hydrologic Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...

change reduced the lake size by approximately 50 percent and enabled more intensive

as well as growing of

crop A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydropon ...

s. The Tolay Lake basin's agricultural use expanded until about 1940 when the Cardoza family purchased the 1737 acre (7.03 km²) holding and called it the Cardoza Ranch. The Cardozas made further improvements to the ranch containing Tolay Lake and retained ownership until 2005. During the Cardoza tenure, numerous road and fence additions were made as well as well crafted

dry stone Dry stone, sometimes called drystack or, in Scotland, drystane, is a building method by which structures are constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together. Dry stone structures are stable because of their construction m ...

bridge and wall structures; these changes were introduced to facilitate the

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

grazing, pumpkin farming and other farming uses. In 2005 the Board of Supervisors of Sonoma County entered into an option purchase agreement of the entire property for somewhat below the appraised land value. The Cardozas retain ownership to the considerable collection of charmstones found prior to the date of this contract. Sonoma County exercised its option to purchase and to place this holding into the county's park system. After review of an Environmental Impact Report and creation of infrastructure, the park was fully opened to public access as of October 2018.

Hydrology

The Tolay Lake basin is a bowl shaped structure confined by two north-south running ridges of the southern Sonoma Mountains. Tolay Lake is fed by 18 separate springs distributed around the perimeter of the lake, some of which develop into intermittent streams. The largest such stream known as Cardoza Creek feeds Tolay Lake from the southeast. The winter maximum lake depth varies typically between four and eight feet (1 and 2 m) deep depending upon that season's rainfall. Tolay Lake functions more as a large freshwater marsh based upon extensive

aquatic vegetation Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments (saltwater or freshwater). They are also referred to as hydrophytes or macrophytes to distinguish them from algae and other microphytes. A macrophyte is a plant that g ...

and shallow depths. The lake surface level is at an altitude of approximately 150 feet (46 m) above mean sea level, while the highest point in the watershed is on Cougar Mountain on the eastern ridge, which attains an elevation of about 800 feet (240 m). At the southern end of the lake Tolay Creek provides a virtually perennial outlet; Tolay Creek thence flows in a southerly course to discharge into the

Napa Sonoma Marsh The Napa Sonoma Marsh is a wetland at the northern edge of San Pablo Bay, which is a northern arm of the San Francisco Bay in California, United States. This marsh has an area of 48,000 acres (194 km2), of which 13,000 acres (53 km2) are ...

adjoining

San Pablo Bay San Pablo Bay is a tidal estuary that forms the northern extension of San Francisco Bay in the East Bay and North Bay regions of the San Francisco Bay Area in northern California. Most of the Bay is shallow; however, there is a deep water c ...

, the northern arm of San Francisco Bay. There are several ponds within the Tolay Lake Basin, including two large artificial ponds clearly separate from the lake; these ponds serve as watering sources for cattle and are also habitat to some of the native species of amphibians and reptiles associated with Tolay Lake. Another modern alteration is the construction of an east-west earthen causeway that effectively bisects the lake, impeding thorough water circulation and fragmenting plant and animal

of the lake. Annual rainfall in the Tolay Lake Basin is approximately 29 inches (740 mm).

Architectural/cultural

Present in the Tolay Lake Basin are a number of well-preserved architectural features, most notably a set of

ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most ofte ...

buildings, many of which date from the first half of the twentieth century. Most of these structures were erected by the Cardoza family as integral elements of a working ranch. They represent an opportunity for preservation not only of an architectural style from this earlier era, but also as a complete collection of the building types involved in a broad function Sonoma County ranch, not dissimilar in function to its nineteenth-century predecessor. The county is analyzing alternative uses of some of the structures that not only offer preservation, but integration into the educational themes that are to embody the future Tolay Ranch Regional Park. The county is also actively consulting with representatives of Native American groups that are descendants of early

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...

s who used the site. These discussions are for the purpose of portraying the lives of prehistoric inhabitants in a faithful and sympathetic manner, and examining opportunities for cultural education. For example, this project offers an opportunity for the Native American community to cultivate and restore large tracts of purple needle grass, California's official state grass. This grass is the preferred material utilized by the California Indian basket weavers for teaching children the art of

basket weaving Basket weaving (also basketry or basket making) is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets ...

Flora and fauna

Considerable

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

is found in Tolay Lake and the surrounding hills of the

; historical habitats include the

lacustrine A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

or marsh environment;

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...

s and

California oak woodland California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico. Oak woodland is widespread at lower elevations in coastal ...

on higher elevations especially in the steep upland

ravine A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion.flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...

and

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is ''funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as ''Biota (ecology ...

, including several

and endangered species including the

, ''Rana draytonii'' and

western pond turtle The Western pond turtle (''Actinemys marmorata''), also known commonly as the Pacific pond turtle is a species of small to medium-sized turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is endemic to the western coast of the United States and Mexico, r ...

, ''Actinemys marmorata''. Because of the numerous natural fresh water seeps, wildlife is abundant in the Tolay watershed, including the upland areas. The valley harbors several significant

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

, including the

burrowing owl The burrowing owl (''Athene cunicularia''), also called the shoco, is a small, long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or an ...

, ''Athene cunicularia'';

, ''Aquila chrysaetos'';

white-tailed kite The white-tailed kite (''Elanus leucurus'') is a small raptor found in western North America and parts of South America. It replaces the related Old World black-winged kite in its native range. Taxonomy The white-tailed kite was described in ...

, ''Elanus leucurus'';

horned lark The horned lark or shore lark (''Eremophila alpestris'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found across the northern hemisphere. It is known as "horned lark" in North America and "shore lark" in Europe. Taxonomy, evolution and systema ...

, ''Eremophila alpestris''; and the endangered

tricolored blackbird The tricolored blackbird (''Agelaius tricolor'') is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae. Its range is limited to the coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of North America, from Northern California in the U.S. (with occasional st ...

, ''Agelaius tricolor''. Tolay Lake is also one of only two known locations in the Bay Area that produce a special "moist

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...

Habitat restoration

One of Sonoma County's primary purposes in acquiring the Tolay Lake watershed is the

ecological restoration Restoration ecology is the scientific study supporting the practice of ecological restoration, which is the practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human interrupt ...

of this area to its pre-European settlement condition. In that earlier era the lake would have been double its present size and native

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found a ...

es,

s and even some upland

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

ed areas would have been in greater evidence, prior to the destructive force of cattle

and other intensive agricultural practices. Sonoma County is accepting public comment as of February, 2007 to understand the views of scientists and the general public regarding the outcome restoration strategy and how that is balanced with some form of public access. For the lake itself, there is the prospect of greater size, depth and increased water circulation; additionally there is the potential of re-integration of the two lake segments, which are presently divided by the man-made earthen causeway. Breaching of this causeway would mitigate the effects of fragmented

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...

l and

l colonies and associated pressures of local colony

extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

. Tolay Lake restoration fits into a regional mosaic of open space, conservation

easement An easement is a nonpossessory right to use and/or enter onto the real property of another without possessing it. It is "best typified in the right of way which one landowner, A, may enjoy over the land of another, B". An easement is a propert ...

s and

wildlife Wildlife refers to undomesticated animal species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous to game: those birds and mammals that were hunted ...

areas in the process of being enhanced. These efforts all link to the wetlands and uplands adjoining the

marshes, which areas are known to comprise one half of all the wetlands capable of restoration in the entirety of San Francisco Bay. Ongoing vicinity acquisition efforts further expand the regional landscape of baylands restoration: Petaluma Marsh properties, Dickson Ranch, the New North Point former

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

site, and Skaggs Island. According to a non-profit environmental organization, Friends of Tolay Lake Park: The Tolay land acquisition is magnified by "this integrated effort to regain some of the connections and integrity of the area’s natural systems; together, their restoration will greatly improve the chances of survival for endangered marsh and upland species and will contribute to the overall health of San Francisco Bay". One drawback to the site

is the presence of a major noise generator,

Infineon Raceway Sonoma Raceway (originally known as Sears Point Raceway from 1967 to 1980 and 1982 to 2002, Golden State International Raceway in 1981 and Infineon Raceway from 2002 to 2012) is a road course and dragstrip located at Sears Point in the southern ...

, immediately to the southeast; the potential effects of raceway noise upon the future desired

enhancement has not been thoroughly investigated. Scientists know from studies in other areas that some animal

are sensitive to man-made noise and may limit their use of certain locales heavily impacted by noise.Charles S. Revelle and Penelope ReVelle, ''Sourcebook on the Environment: The Scientific Perspective'', Houghton Mifflin, 332 pages, (1974)

References

External links

{{commons category
County of Sonoma, Regional Parks Department: Tolay Lake Regional Park

Lakes of Sonoma County, California Parks in Sonoma County, California Sonoma Mountains Wetlands of the San Francisco Bay Area Grasslands of California Former Native American populated places in California Religious places of the indigenous peoples of North America Native American history of California