Tolay Creek
Map SatelliteTolay Creek, which lies on the western edge of the Sonoma Valley flood plain, is bordered by a salt marsh for a distance of 4 - 5 kilometers (2-3 miles) inland from its mouth on San Pablo Bay. This marsh varies from a meter or so to over 100 meters (300 feet) in width. Conspicuous vegetation includes Distichlis spicata, Salicornia virginica and Scirpus robustus.
A variety of animal life is found along the creek course, including relatively dense breeding concentrations of red-winged blackbirds, Agelaius phoeniceus.
Integrity: Siltation is reducing the size of the marsh, which is diked in several places, and portions are impacted by a parking area.
Use: Private
November 1977
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman