Salt Creek (Dumont) ACEC
Map SatelliteThe riparian vegetation zone in this Area of Critical Environmental Concern is one of the largest in the California desert. It is approximately 1.8 kilometers (1 mile) long and up to 60 meters (200 feet) wide. Salt cedar, Tamarix sp., is present.
Along the main stream course of Salt Creek, which here flows above ground, the vegetation consists of dense stands of honey mesquite, Prosopis glandulosa var. torreyana, intermixed with pockets of common reed, Phragmites communis. In the salt-crusted soil on the adjacent flats, iodine bush, Allenrolfea occidentalis, several species of saltbush, Atriplex canescens, Atriplex lentiformis, Atriplex polycarpa, and salt grass, Distichlis spicata, as well as scattered honey mesquite are found.
Animals are abundant and include some 82 species of birds. Among them are Cooper's hawk, Accipiter cooperii, sharp-shinned hawk, Accipiter striatus, marsh hawk, Circus cyaneus, mourning dove, Zenaidura macroura, and Lucy's warbler, Vermivora luciae. The latter is probably at the northern limit of its range here.
Integrity: Flash floods have created a deep, steep-sided arroyo which has facilitated the replacement of honey mesquite with the invasive salt cedar along the creek. In portions, the salt cedar is now the dominant species. Off-road-vehicle damage has furthered the spread of the salt cedar. There are also various camping sites, with assorted debris, in the area.
Use: Research, educational, observational.
April 1982
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
