Bollinger Canyon Creek

Last updated
Bollinger Canyon Creek
Bollinger Creek
Horseshoe bend in Bollinger Canyon Creek.jpg
Upper Bollinger Canyon Creek shaded by mature California Bay and Coast live oak in Las Trampas Regional Wilderness (December 19th, 2021)
Location
CountryUnited States
State California
Region Bay Area
District Contra Costa County
Physical characteristics
Mouth San Ramon Creek
 • coordinates
 37°46′15″N121°59′24″W / 37.77085°N 121.98988°W / 37.77085; -121.98988
Length6.72 miles [1]
Basin features
River system Walnut Creek (California)
Cities San Ramon, CA

Bollinger Canyon Creek is an approximately 6.72-mile-long (10.8 km) [2] [3] stream in Contra Costa County, California [4] in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a tributary of San Ramon Creek which is part of the Walnut Creek watershed. The creek derives its name from the surname of a family who settled in the area in the 19th century.

Contents

Course

Bollinger Canyon Creek begins as a number of ephemeral streams emitting from a horst valley, Bollinger Canyon, in the highest reaches of the Berkeley Hills, in California's Inner Coast Ranges. [5]

The highest point in the drainage is around 2,000 feet above sea level. [3] From a low divide which separates it with Las Trampas Creek, it runs southward through Bollinger Canyon, gradually descending in altitude until turning sharply to the east near Crow Canyon Road in San Ramon, California. It is joined by its only named tributary, San Catanio Creek. Shortly after, it is confined to concrete channels and it joins with San Ramon Creek near the city's downtown. [6]

Geography

Bollinger Creek exhibits a character similar to many other streams in Central California. It is vegetated with California mixed evergreen forest, chaparral and open grasslands, habitats typical of the East Bay region. Many of its tributaries only carry water during storms.

One of the many small tributaries flowing out of the walls of Bollinger Canyon into Bollinger Creek. (December 19th, 2021) Bollinger Canyon Creek Tributary.jpg
One of the many small tributaries flowing out of the walls of Bollinger Canyon into Bollinger Creek. (December 19th, 2021)

The region surrounding the creek has a cool-summer mediterranean climate which generally keeps temperatures mild. [7] Due to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the creek and its watershed are often inundated with fog.

Virtually the entirety of the creek's course upstream from San Ramon, California is undeveloped, with ranching and open space making up the majority of land use. [3]

Bollinger Creek's headwaters lie in EBRPD's Las Trampas Regional Wilderness, which is a popular area among locals for hiking, biking, birding and geology. The park features a number of hiking and biking paths that traverse Bollinger Canyon, Rocky Ridge and Las Trampas Ridge.

The porous formations of Briones Sandstone that comprise the canyon walls trap rainfall and aid the formation of the numerous springs that feed the creek. [5]

Ecology

A fog bank creeping up to the divide between Las Trampas Creek and Bollinger Creek, with Rocky Ridge in the background (December, 19th, 2021) Fog moves up Bollinger Canyon.png
A fog bank creeping up to the divide between Las Trampas Creek and Bollinger Creek, with Rocky Ridge in the background (December, 19th, 2021)
Late spring in Bollinger Canyon from Rocky Ridge; Bollinger Creek runs through a belt of oak and laurel trees with Las Trampas Ridge and Mount Diablo in the background. (May 24th, 2022) Bollinger Canyon and Bollinger Creek with Mt. Diablo in the background.jpg
Late spring in Bollinger Canyon from Rocky Ridge; Bollinger Creek runs through a belt of oak and laurel trees with Las Trampas Ridge and Mount Diablo in the background. (May 24th, 2022)

Because much of its course is undeveloped, Bollinger Creek is an important habitat for local wildlife. Much of the land in the watershed is forested and rugged, providing habitat for a variety of wildlife species. Black-tailed deer, Coyote and boar are seen regularly. [8]

A wide variety of raptors, among them Red-shouldered hawks and Great horned owls reside in the watershed, particularly on the steep rock outcrops on Las Trampas Ridge, as well as turkey vultures. [8]

Trout Population

Bollinger Canyon Creek is unique in that it retains a population of Coastal rainbow trout which have been extirpated from much of the San Francisco Bay watershed through development and the installation of migration barriers like dams. [2] It is speculated that this population is of hatchery origin and escaped from a stocked pond during a flood event. [6] Regardless of their origin, the most recent survey of trout distribution in the region showed that rainbow trout were successfully reproducing in Bollinger Creek. [6] The lack of development in Bollinger Canyon and the quality of the habitat found in the area has likely aided the trouts' establishment in the creek. The total population is unknown, and it is unclear how the trout fared during the severe droughts between 2012 and 2020.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coyote Creek (Santa Clara County)</span> Creek in California, United States

Coyote Creek is a river that flows through the Santa Clara Valley in Northern California. Its source is on Mount Sizer, in the mountains east of Morgan Hill. It eventually flows into Anderson Lake in Morgan Hill and then northwards through Coyote Valley to San Jose, where it empties into San Francisco Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alameda Creek</span> River in California, United States

Alameda Creek is a large perennial stream in the San Francisco Bay Area. The creek runs for 45 miles (72 km) from a lake northeast of Packard Ridge to the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay by way of Niles Canyon and a flood control channel. Along its course, Alameda Creek provides wildlife habitat, water supply, a conduit for flood waters, opportunities for recreation, and a host of aesthetic and environmental values. The creek and three major reservoirs in the watershed are used as water supply by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Alameda County Water District and Zone 7 Water Agency. Within the watershed can be found some of the highest peaks and tallest waterfall in the East Bay, over a dozen regional parks, and notable natural landmarks such as the cascades at Little Yosemite and the wildflower-strewn grasslands and oak savannahs of the Sunol Regional Wilderness. After an absence of half a century, ocean-run steelhead trout are able to return to Alameda Creek to mingle with remnant rainbow trout populations. Completion of a series of dam removal and fish passage projects, along with improved stream flows for cold-water fish and planned habitat restoration, enable steelhead trout and Chinook salmon to access up to 20 miles (32 km) of spawning and rearing habitat in Alameda Creek and its tributaries. The first juvenile trout migrating downstream from the upper watershed through lower Alameda Creek toward San Francisco Bay was detected and documented in April 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Leandro Creek</span> River in California, United States

San Leandro Creek is a 21.7-mile-long (34.9 km) year-round natural stream in the hills above Oakland in Alameda County and Contra Costa County of the East Bay in northern California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Las Trampas Regional Wilderness</span>

Las Trampas Regional Wilderness is a 5,342-acre (21.62 km2) regional park located in Alameda and Contra Costa counties in Northern California. The nearest city is Danville, California. Las Trampas is Spanish for the traps, or the snares. The park belongs to the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildcat Creek (California)</span> River in California, United States

Wildcat Creek is a 13.4-mile-long (21.6 km) creek which flows through Wildcat Canyon situated between the Berkeley Hills and the San Pablo Ridge, emptying into San Pablo Bay in Contra Costa County, northern California.

Rodeo Creek is an 8.3-mile-long (13.4 km) intermittent stream in western Contra Costa County, California running through the town of Rodeo to San Pablo Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinole Creek</span> River in California, United States

Pinole Creek is a stream in western Contra Costa County, in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marsh Creek (California)</span> River in California, United States

Marsh Creek is a stream in east Contra Costa County, California in Northern California which rises on the eastern side of Mount Diablo and flows 30 miles (48 km) to the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta at Oakley, California, near Big Break Regional Shoreline. The creek flows through Marsh Creek State Park (California), where water is impounded to form Marsh Creek Reservoir, then through the city of Brentwood, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saratoga Creek</span> River in California, United States

Saratoga Creek is a north-northeast flowing creek in Santa Clara County, California.

San Felipe Creek is a 14 miles (23 km) stream that originates in the western Diablo Range in Santa Clara County, California. It flows south by southeast through two historic ranchos, Rancho Los Huecos and Rancho Cañada de San Felipe y Las Animas before it joins Las Animas Creek just above Anderson Reservoir. One of the nine major tributaries of Coyote Creek, the creek's waters pass through the Santa Clara Valley and San Jose on the way to San Francisco Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walnut Creek (California)</span> Stream in Contra Costa County

The Walnut Creek mainstem is a 12.3-mile-long (19.8-kilometer) northward-flowing stream in northern California. The Walnut Creek watershed lies in central Contra Costa County, California and drains the west side of Mount Diablo and the east side of the East Bay Hills. The Walnut Creek mainstem is now mostly a concrete or earthen flood control channel until it reaches Pacheco Creek on its way to Suisun Bay. Walnut Creek was named for the abundant native Northern California walnut trees which lined its banks historically. The city of Walnut Creek, California was named for the creek when its post office was established in the 1860s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Las Trampas Creek</span> River in California, United States

Las Trampas Creek is a 12.37 mile long north-east flowing stream in Contra Costa County, California. Its watershed comprises an area of 17,238 acres. It's mean daily flow is approximately 15.4 cfs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grizzly Creek, Contra Costa County</span> Stream in California, US

Grizzly Creek is a 3.2-mile-long northwest-flowing perennial stream in Contra Costa County, California. It is a major tributary of Las Trampas Creek, which is part of the larger Walnut Creek watershed, which in turn drains into Suisun Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Bay Redwoods</span> Isolated population of coast redwoods

The East Bay Redwoods are an isolated population of coast redwoods that exist a considerable distance inland from the coast in the Berkeley Hills in western Contra Costa County, California. Stands of Sequoia sempervirens, the Coast Redwood, occur on the west coast from Big Sur to extreme southwestern Oregon. Their preferred habitat is the temperate and perennially foggy western slopes of the California Coast Ranges; a reliance on marine climates generally restricts their range to a narrow band along the central and northern coasts of California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Las Trampas Peak</span> Mountain in SF Bay Area Coast Ranges

Las Trampas Peak is a 1,827 ft (557 m) peak in the Inner Coast Ranges in western Contra Costa County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocky Ridge (California)</span> Mountain in SF Bay Area

Rocky Ridge is a 2,020 ft (620 m) ridge in the Inner Coast Ranges in western Contra Costa County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Being the second-highest mountain in the county, it is visible from much of the surrounding area. The ridge is a very prominent feature in the geography of the towns of Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lafayette Creek (California)</span> Stream in Contra Costa County


Lafayette Creek is a 3.78 mi (6.08 km) long creek in Contra Costa County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a tributary of Las Trampas Creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tice Creek</span> River

Tice Creek is a minor creek in Contra Costa County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is approximately 4.1 miles (6.6 km) long. It is a tributary of Las Trampas Creek, which itself is a major tributary to Walnut Creek which in turn drains into Suisun Bay. The name comes from the surname of a settler family who settled in the Tice valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckhorn Creek (California)</span> Creek in Central California

Buckhorn Creek is a 2.1 mile long creek in Contra Costa County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It gets its name from the Buckhorn family who settled on the creek in the late 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Las Trampas Ridge</span>

Las Trampas Ridge is an 1,827 ft ridge in western Contra Costa County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It comprises the western side of the San Ramon Valley.

References

  1. ↑ "Contra Costa County Creeks Inventory" (PDF). www.cccleanwater.org. 2004.
  2. 1 2 "Contra Costa County Creeks Inventory" (PDF). www.cccleanwater.org. 2004.
  3. 1 2 3 "Contra Costa County Watershed Atlas" (PDF). www.cccleanwater.org. Contra Costa County Public Works Department. 2004.
  4. ↑ "Bollinger Canyon Creek". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Knight, Walter (1978). "The Story of Las Trampas" (PDF). www.ebparks.org.
  6. 1 2 3 Leidy, Robert A. (2005). "Historical Distribution and Current Status of Steelhead/Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Streams of the San Francisco Estuary, California" (PDF).
  7. ↑ "Mean Seasonal Isohyets compiled from precipitation records". www.contracosta.ca.gov. 1977.
  8. 1 2 "Las Trampas Wilderness Regional Preserve". East Bay Parks. 2024-01-28. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.