District Size: 134,000 acres Year Formed: 1941 Projects: The primary watersheds within the District include Green Valley Creek, Dutch Bill Creek, Salmon Creek, Willow Creek, Laguna de Santa Rosa, Estero Americano, and the Russian River.
Gold Ridge RCD has extensive descriptions of projects relating to these watersheds in the Long Range Plan. Target projects include: Green Valley and Dutch Bill Creek Watershed Enhancement Program, Green Valley Creek Pool Habitat Improvement Project, Dutch Bill Creek Fish Habitat Improvement Project, Green Valley Creek Fish Passage Improvement Project, and the Salmon Creek Watershed Enhancement Program. Overview: The district has a nice historical section in the Long Range Plan
The beautiful 134,000-acre GRRCD is bordered by Marin County to the south, the Russian River to the north, the Pacific coastline to the west, and the Laguna de Santa Rosa to the east. The Gold Ridge District has an impressive history as its agricultural, timber, and marine resources have been used for many centuries. Distinctive cultures, including the Native Miwok Indians, the Russian fur trappers, and the Spanish with their Ranchos, have left their imprints in the fertile Gold Ridge District.
The climate is mild but somewhat damp climate includes summer fog and abundant winter rainfall. Yearly rainfall averages are 30 inches in the southern portion of the District and 75 inches or more in the northwest section. Temperatures normally range from below freezing to just below 100 degrees.
Land uses are mostly agricultural and include apples, blueberries, wine grapes, walnuts, corn, hay and green crop forage, pasture, fruit and ornamental nursery stock, Christmas trees, timber, dairies, sheep, veal, beef, honey, and poultry. Industries related to the District's agricultural production includes sawmills along the Russian River, apple processing plants in the Sebastopol-Graton area, dairy and poultry processing, wineries, and quarries. Bodega Harbor, at the north end of Bodega Bay, is the primary fishing port for Sonoma County.
Shoreline, bays, and estuaries provide many different ecosystems and resources within the RCD. The shoreline extends from the Estero Americano to the Russian River (the length of the District). Off-shore rocks, tide pools, coves, beaches, sand bars, rugged cliffs and dunes dot the coastline. The seashore, bays mud flats, marshes and estuaries provide environments for marine plants and mammals as well as terrestrial animals. Commercial fishing activities occur in the District's bay region whose shallow waters provide harbors for boats.
Three main estuaries in the GRRCD district are the Russian River, Salmon Creek, and. the Estero Americano. Estuaries are formed where fresh water carried from rivers and streams meet the oceans tide.
WATERSHED INVENTORIES
Estero Americano Watershed
This is a watershed that empties into a tide water estuary. The resources consist of rangeland, dairies, and a small amount of forage plantings.
Past conservation projects completed include upland erosion control through bank stabilization, sediment dams, along with rock and bio-technical structures, fencing along riparian corridors.
The priorities for future projects include the organization of watershed groups, habitat typing and stream surveys, continued riparian corridor enhancement, as well as stabilizing upland erosion through enhanced management practices and implementing new structures.
Salmon Creek Watershed
This watershed consists of 34 square miles and empties into a tide water estuary just North of Bodega Bay. Salmon Creek and its tributaries support steelhead, and in the past have had runs of coho salmon. The land use in this watershed includes grazing land, timberland, dairies, vineyards and some forage production (hay). In the upper reach of the watershed there are many ranchettes, 5 to 10 acre parcels of land.
Past projects include gully erosion repairs, pond structures for manure management on dairies and riparian fencing.
The priorities for future projects include in-stream habitat work, habitat typing and stream surveys, development of watershed groups, riparian development, land management workshops and continued projects to reduce sedimentation.
Willow Creek Watershed
This watershed consists mostly of large stands of fir and redwood timber, with some livestock grazing included. This watershed empties into the lower reach of the Russian River.
Past projects include riparian exclusionary fencing of livestock, tree planting, biotechnical erosion control structures.
The priorities for the future include continued sediment reduction and improved road maintenance.
Dutch Bill Creek Watershed
The headwaters of Dutch Bill Creek starts near the town of Occidental and the creek empties into the Russian River near Monte Rio. The main resources are timber, grazing and vineyards.
Projects completed have been to enhance in-stream habitat restoration, and a watershed group has been established to work with landowners on education and awareness of the watershed.
The priorities for the future include a watershed management plan, in-stream habitat structures, supporting Dutch Bill Creek Watershed Group and reducing sedimentation through uplands erosion control.
Green Valley Creek Watershed
The Green Valley - Atascadero Creek Watershed consists of 55 square miles. This watershed is very diverse with many acres of land planted for orchards and vineyards. There is also grazing, timber, vegetables and rural residential parcels. The streams have steelhead, coho salmon, freshwater shrimp and other sources of aquatic life.
Past projects include in-stream habitat enhancement, fencing, sediment control, and landowner education.
The priorities for future projects include continued in-stream enhancement, upland restoration and sediment reduction, organizing watershed groups, educating landowners through on- going land use management plans.
Laguna de Santa Rosa Watershed
The Laguna de Santa Rosa is a tributary to the Russian River. During floods, the Laguna de Santa Rosa has served as a 7,000-acre storm retention basin in the Russian River. It is suspected that the laguna's ability to function as a significant flood retention basin has been reduced over the last 10 years due to siltation.
Past projects included State Water Quality Control Board 319(h) to develop technologies for dairy waste management and implement those technologies. Demonstration sites were set up for data gathering and educational purposes.
The priorities for the future are to become more involved with local partners in identifying agricultural producers in the Laguna area interested in the applying conservation practices to reduce sedimentation in the Laguna and assisting the development of watershed groups.
Russian River Watershed
The Gold Ridge RCD borders the lower reach of the Russian River, many tributaries within the District flow towards the Russian River. There is a Russian River Watershed Council that addresses the needs of the main stem of the Russian River and how it relates to its tributaries. The Gold Ridge RCD is a voting member of the Council. In this District concentration is on the tributaries of the Russian River.
Past projects include in-stream restoration, fencing, erosion control, point source and non point source pollution. Educating landowners to encourage stewardship of their watersheds.
The priorities for the future will consist of continuing with many of the same types of projects, as well as developing new programs.
