Orestimba Creek
Map SatelliteAlong this 6-kilometer (4-mile) stretch of creek are two communities uncommon in this section of the county, riparian and freshwater marsh. Though intermittent, this creek is the recipient of a fairly large drainage area and remains a source of running water far longer than other creeks in the area, becoming a chain of pools and marshes in the late summer.
The riparian includes sycamore, Platanus racemosa, cottonwood, Populus fremontii, dogwood, Cornus sp., buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis var. californicus, and Ribes sp. Cattails, Typha sp., tules, Scirpus sp., sedge, Carex sp., and Ranunculus spp. are found in the marshes and ponds. The riparian is located in the upper portion of the area; this gives way to the marshes downstream and, further downstream, to the ponds.
As an important water source in the area, the creek supports a variety of wildlife, including coots, Fulica americana.
Integrity: Downstream, the creek traverses cultivated fields; upstream, in the bordering grasslands and oak savannah, there is grazing. Interstate 5 crosses the creek.
Use: Private
January 1977
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
