Cedar Creek (Pacheco Creek)
Cedar Creek is a 6.25 mi (10 km)[4] south flowing stream which heads on the eastern flank of Burra Burra Peak in the Diablo Range, and is tributary to Pacheco Creek, in Santa Clara County, California.[5]
| Cedar Creek | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | Santa Clara County, California |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Confluence of Cedar Creek with Pacheco Creek |
| • location | The eastern flank of Burra Burra Peak[1] in the Diablo Range |
| • coordinates | 37°06′24″N 121°21′19″W[2] |
| • elevation | 1,730 ft (530 m) |
| Mouth | |
• location | 6.5 mi (10 km) west of Pacheco Pass |
• coordinates | 37°01′45″N 121°19′32″W[2] |
• elevation | 325 ft (99 m) |
| Length | 6.25 miles |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • right | Cañada de la Dormida[3] |
History
Cedar Creek is likely named for California juniper (Juniperus californica), a small tree similar to Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) that is native to California, southern Nevada, and western Arizona.[6][7]
Watershed
The Cedar Creek mainstem begins at 1,730 ft (530 m) on the eastern flank of Burra Burra Peak,[1] located about 0.4 mi (1 km) south of the Dowdy Ranch Visitor's Center of Henry Coe State Park. It flows south for 2.0 mi (3 km) where it is joined on the right by its 5.5 mi (9 km) long Cañada de la Dormida tributary[3].[5] (Cañada de la Dormida is Spanish for "valley of the sleeping woman".)[6] From there it continues south where it is joined on the right by an unnamed tributary in Hageman Canyon, and from there continues south into Hurricane Canyon,[8] after which it ends at its confluence with Pacheco Creek. This confluence is 0.67 mi (1 km) west of the Kaiser-Aetna Road exit at Bell Station on Pacheco Pass Highway (California State Route 152) and 6.5 mi (10 km) west of Pacheco Pass.
Ecology
Professor Jerry Smith of San Jose State University reported that although Cedar Creek is generally intermittent in summer, it was used by steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) at least through the 1970's.[9]
The Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency has identified the Cedar Creek undercrossing below Pacheco Pass Highway (California State Route 152) as a wildlife linkage enabling smaller animals to safely cross beneath this high-speed road at the border of Santa Clara County and San Benito County. A 2020 report by Pathways for Wildlife established significant wildlife usage of this 177 ft (54 m) long by 164 ft (50 m) wide bridge over Cedar Creek, and suggested modifications to improve it.[10]
See also
References
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Burra Burra Peak
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Cedar Creek
- "Cañada de la Dormida". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed February 6, 2016
- David L. Durham (2000). Durham's Place Names of the San Francisco Bay Area. Clovis, California: Word Dancer Press. p. 36. ISBN 1884995357.
- Erwin G. Gudde; William Bright (2010). California Place Names. The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 72. ISBN 9780520266193.
- "California Juniper (Juniperus californica)". Calscape, the California Native Plant Society. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- "Hurricane Canyon". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- Jerry J. Smith (1998). Steelhead and Other Fish Resources of Western Mt. Hamilton Streams (SJSU) (PDF) (Report). San Jose State University. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- Tonya Diamond; Ahiga Snyder (February 1, 2020). Wildlife Permeability and Hazards across Highway 152 Pacheco Pass: Establishing a Baseline to Inform Infrastructure and Restoration (Report). Retrieved September 10, 2022.