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Map Satellite Above the confluence of Ash Creek and the Pit River in Big Valley, the Creek fans out and creates a large freshwater marsh. The dominant plant in the marsh is the cattail, Typha latifolia, with some Carex spp. and Juncus spp. present.
Along the sloughs there are willow, Salix sp., white alder, Alnus rhombifolia, and a few cottonwood, Populus fremontii.
This area is an important nesting and resting site for numerous birds, particularly waterfowl. Among the species breeding here are Canada goose, Branta canadensis, redhead, Aythya, mallard, Anas platyrhynchos, willet, Catoptrophorus semipalmatus, and American widgeon, Anas americana. Other birds utilizing the area include sandhill crane, Grus canadensis, black tern, Chlidonias niger, Forster's tern, Sterna forsteri, and yellow-headed blackbird, Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus.
Integrity: Portions of the area bordering the marsh are heavily grazed.
Use: Private
June 1982
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
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