When I drive across a river or creek, I often wonder where the stream originates and what kind of journey it makes on its way to my observation point.
After crossing California Creek on Drayton Harbor Road many times, I was curious to follow the channel to its origin. By examining maps and aerial photographs, and by observing the channel where it passes under roads, I tracked the route of the main branch of California Creek to the place where it is just a roadside ditch.
This ditch is alongside Portal Way, just south of the gas station/convenience store at the intersection of Portal Way and Grandview Road. In the first half of its 8.6-mile route to Drayton Harbor, California Creek has been modified by human impacts. In some stretches, it has been straightened and ditched as it runs through a commercial/industrial area and agricultural parcels. It also flows under several roadways including Bruce and Arnie roads.
About halfway to Drayton Harbor, California Creek enters a dense forest and generally has a natural meandering path. The shade provided by the overhanging vegetation of the streamside forest helps keep the stream cool, which is beneficial to fish populations. In addition, the forest serves as a protective buffer between surrounding developed land and the sensitive stream habitat. When California Creek flows out of the forested area, it still has about 2.4 miles to go before it reaches Drayton Harbor. The water level in this final stream segment rises and falls with the tides.
Fish are common in California Creek. Documented observations show that the stream is home to a variety of species including chum and coho salmon, winter steelhead, coastal cutthroat trout and bull trout. In recent years, several agencies and organizations have increased efforts to restore, enhance and protect fish habitat in the California Creek watershed.
Jonathan Hall resides in Birch Bay. He is a retired biologist who has worked in many regions of the U.S. while employed with the State of New York, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, several environmental consulting firms and the Tulalip Tribes of Washington.
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Beaugy
Thank you Jonathan for your recent articles on the natural history of our area. As a member of the Drayton Harbor Shellfish Protection District Advisory Committee and the Whatcom Marine Resource Committee, I appreciate any help we can get to inform our fellow residents about water quality and marine resources. We are in a struggle to preserve and protect our freshwater and marine habitat and water quality. Your regular columns can do a lot to help.
If you or anyone would like to learn more about what the County is doing to monitor the water quality of California and Dakota Creeks and Drayton Harbor, check out this interactive map.
https://www.whatcomcounty.us/2618/Interactive-Water-Quality-Maps
Rick Beauregard
Blaine
Thursday, March 2, 2023 Report this
Jonvhall
Rick: Thank you for your comment. I will likely do an article on water quality or at least highlight the importance of good water quality when addressing topics such as shellfish.
Jonathan Hall
Saturday, March 4, 2023 Report this