San Geronimo Creek

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San Geronimo Creek
Arroyo De San Geronimo [1]
Arroyo Nicasio [1]
San Geronimo Creek, California.jpg
San Geronimo Creek, Marin County, California. View is looking downstream (westward) from the Creamery Road bridge in San Geronimo.
San Geronimo Creek
Etymology Spanish language
Location
Country United States
State California
Region Marin County
District West Marin
Cities Forest Knolls, Lagunitas, San Geronimo, Woodacre
Physical characteristics
Source California Coast Ranges
  location3 mi (5 km) west of Lucas Valley
  coordinates 37°59′42″N122°38′22″W / 37.99500°N 122.63944°W / 37.99500; -122.63944 [1]
Mouth Lagunitas Creek
The Inkwells
  coordinates
38°0′17″N122°42′32″W / 38.00472°N 122.70889°W / 38.00472; -122.70889 [1]
  elevation
161 ft (49 m) [1]
Discharge 
  location inkwells

San Geronimo Creek is a stream in Marin County, California, United States, which feeds into Lagunitas Creek below Kent Lake. [2]

Contents

Course

The creek rises in the hills west of the town of Fairfax. It descends northward to Woodacre, where it turns westward and parallels Sir Francis Drake Boulevard through the villages of San Geronimo, Forest Knolls, and Lagunitas. It then turns southwestward and joins Lagunitas Creek at the eastern edge of the Samuel P. Taylor State Park.

Ecology

The 6000 acre San Geronimo Creek watershed is within the 60,000 acre Lagunitas Creek Watershed, which is home to the largest-remaining wild run of coho salmon in central California. These coho are part of the "Central California Coast Evolutionarily Significant Unit," or CCC ESU, and are listed as "endangered" at both the state and federal level.

Efforts are also being made to protect and restore streams and habitat in the San Geronimo Valley, where upwards of 20% of the Lagunitas salmon spawn each year and where as much as 1/5 of the juvenile salmon (or fry) spend their entire freshwater lives.[ citation needed ]

Spawning salmon and trout may be viewed at Roy's Pools, located about 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Fairfax. There are jump pools and a fish ladder. They may also be viewed at the Leo T. Cronin Fish Viewing Area, located in Lagunitas along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. [3]

Bridges

At least seven bridges span San Geronimo Creek: [4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: San Geronimo Creek
  2. TopoQuest map, USGS, retrieved July 6, 2008
  3. "Where to see Salmon in Marin County" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 28, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  4. "National Bridge Inventory Database". Archived from the original on 2015-12-12. Retrieved 2010-08-12.