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program has joined with a monitoring program of the
Environmental Protection Agency, started in 1998, to track and identify sources of pollution in the creek. A year 2000 comprehensive study, in cooperation with the San Francisco State University Masters program reviewed the in-stream chemical, physical and biological qualities of the creek. A key finding of the study was that fecal bacteria levels in the North Fork and Main Stem of San Pedro Creek significantly exceeded the acceptable levels of exposure for recreation per the State of California and the EPA. The recreation use level is pertinent due to beach closures for recreational uses, including surfing, near the creek's mouth on the Pacific Ocean.
427:. These and other plants such as Wake robins, Coast and Giant trillium, and slender false Solomon's seal blossom between clustered stems of shrubs and clumps of sword fern. Fetid adder's tongue—with its mottled green leaves, brown-purple striped flowers, and odor of rotting flesh—is particularly abundant. The fact that these species normally grow in the shady understory of redwood and Douglas fir forests, has led to speculation that prior to the 5,000 year occupation of the
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bio-geographic unit dubbed the "Franciscan
Landscape" which is primarily Coastal Scrub dominated by Coyote Brush and also sheltering unique endemic species found nowhere else. The Hazelnut Trail in San Pedro Valley County Park is a good place to see these unusual species which include Giant Golden Chinaquapin,
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In light of the historical problem of flooding, with large damaging floods occurring in 1962, 1972 and 1982 the City of
Pacifica completed a five million dollar five year reconstruction project for the lower segment of San Pedro Creek in May 2005. This San Pedro Creek Flood Control Project which, in
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In 2005, the City of
Pacifica completed a Capistrano Fish Passage restoration of the 1,300 feet (400 m) of stream bed, including the restructuring of the Capistrano Bridge culvert. The improved culvert, in addition to a system of weirs and pools restored the ability of juvenile fish to travel
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Creek
Dogwood, Arroyo Willow, Watercress, and several species of ferns are common in the middle and lower creeks. In the springtime, the meadows of the Middle Valley show off an array of wildflowers: California Poppies, Suncups, Buttercups, Wild Radish and Wild Mustard. Wildlife is abundant at San
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In 1999, a group
Pacifica residents formed the nonprofit San Pedro Creek Watershed Coalition, with the goal of protecting and enhancing the health of the San Pedro Creek and watershed. Their activities include monitoring, restoration, adaptive management, and education programs. The monitoring
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to the immediate south. The early
Spanish settlers described the ridges of the headwaters as without tall trees. The only tall trees were planted recently and include eucalyptus, Monterey pine and Monterey cypress. The area from Montara Mountain north to the Golden Gate represent a unique
362:. Draining a watershed of 8.2 square miles (21 km), the lower portions of the stream were modified according to the local land uses, initially agriculture, and in the 1950s, suburban development. This involved straightening of the stream and elimination of wetlands and the
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a 1,150-acre (4.7 km) park which has three perennial creeks, the south and middle forks of San Pedro Creek, and Brooks Creek. During the rainy, winter months, a special attraction is the beautiful Brooks Falls, which has a drop of 175 feet (53 m) in three tiers.
374:. These changes, coupled with an increase of impermeable surface in the watershed has caused an increase in peak runoff levels, flooding and erosion of deeply incised channels up to 16 feet (4.9 m) deep. Most of the upper watershed is protected by
451:, and garter snakes. Those observed less frequently include deer, bobcats, grey foxes, raccoons, rabbits and gopher snakes. The three forks of the San Pedro and its Brooks Creek tributary provide critical spawning areas for steelhead trout (
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Fog drip is a key to the rich diversity of species in the San Pedro Valley, most likely providing up to one-third of the annual available moisture in this ecosystem and keeping the cool, clear forks of San Pedro Creek running all year.
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traced to avian sources, but also significant association with dogs, human, horse, raccoon and deer. During the dry season the ratio of sources still was primarily avian, but raccoons and dogs become more dominant.
322:, operated by John Gay, until 1962, when storm rains washed out the entire operation. Today the south fork is a seasonal water source for the City of Pacifica. San Pedro Creek is also notable as the only major
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334:, supporting fish of up to two feet in length. More recently, the Middle Valley has been used for grazing on its hillsides and commercial farming in the meadows, with crops of
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Indians, who likely burned off the area to promote the growth of natural food sources, that the upper San Pedro watershed may have been host to primordial conifer forests.
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The highest pollution levels were found during the wet season and were located at downstream sites during the highest during runoff events. The dominated pollution was
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San Pedro Creek, photo of segment of the
Capistrano Fish Passage stream bed restoration project
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695:"Pacifica Tribune Online — Tracking the source of San Pedro Creek's pollution"
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604:"Of Hazelnuts and Adder's Tongue-The Intriguing Coastal Scrub of Montara Mountain"
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U.S. Geological Survey
Geographic Names Information System: San Pedro Creek
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of the
Pacific Ocean The stream is notable as the 1769 campsite for
654:"Rangewide tidewater goby occupancy survey using environmental DNA"
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Kelsey McDonalds San Pedro Creek Flood Control Project Thesis
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The river has eight sources and three major tributaries, the
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conjunction with the renovation adjacent stretches of the
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upstream through this portion of the creek in 2005.
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652:Sutter, Michael; Kinziger, Andrew P. (2019-06-01).
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768:Website of the San Pedro Creek Watershed Coalition
507:List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area
435:Pedro Valley. Park inhabitants often seen include
495:American Shore and Beach Preservation Association
311:before he ascended Sweeney Ridge and discovered
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318:The south fork of San Pedro Creek became a
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326:habitat for 25 miles (40 km) between
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275:) is a perennial stream in the City of
1364:Rivers of San Mateo County, California
493:, won the top national award from the
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1174:The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
720:"San Pedro Creek Watershed Coalition"
7:
412:Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
293:Golden Gate National Recreation Area
16:River in California, United States
14:
1144:Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
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739:HunterDate, Chris (2005-05-25).
27:
370:at the lower western zone with
287:whose tributaries originate on
602:Michael Vasey (Apr–Jun 2001).
184: • coordinates
99: • coordinates
1:
1369:Rivers of Northern California
1164:San Bruno Mountain State Park
1129:Big Basin Redwoods State Park
414:) typical of the rest of the
398:are not cloaked in the dense
74:Physical characteristics
376:San Pedro Valley County Park
281:San Mateo County, California
223: • elevation
138: • elevation
1154:Portola Redwoods State Park
522:South Fork, San Pedro Creek
517:North Fork, San Pedro Creek
423:, fetid adders-tongue, and
164: • location
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778:San Pedro Valley Park page
670:10.1007/s10592-019-01161-9
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512:Mid Fork, San Pedro Creek
346:San Pedro Creek Watershed
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1338:Santa Cruz Mountains AVA
1228:El Corte de Madera Creek
1205:Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail
973:El Corte de Madera Creek
256: • right
1277:Purisima Creek Redwoods
1179:Uvas Canyon County Park
629:"ECOS: Species Profile"
565:"Flood Control project"
457:Northern tidewater goby
246: • left
227:26 ft (7.9 m)
142:140 ft (43 m)
1149:McNee Ranch State Park
1139:Castle Rock State Park
1063:San Francisquito Creek
983:Guadalupe Valley Creek
285:San Francisco Bay Area
206:37.59639°N 122.50583°W
121:37.57972°N 122.47306°W
658:Conservation Genetics
449:California scrub jays
1359:Pacifica, California
1214:Open Space Preserves
1195:Bay Area Ridge Trail
1008:Little Boulder Creek
814:Santa Cruz Mountains
491:Pacifica State Beach
480:Restoration Projects
416:Santa Cruz Mountains
404:Sequoia sempervirens
301:Santa Cruz Mountains
211:37.59639; -122.50583
169:Pacifica, California
126:37.57972; -122.47306
1221:Bear Creek Redwoods
1200:Devil's Slide Trail
1169:Sanborn County Park
497:for the year 2005.
425:California hazelnut
232:Basin features
202: /
117: /
1282:Rancho San Antonio
1068:San Gregorio Creek
883:Santa Teresa Hills
878:San Bruno Mountain
453:Oncorhyncus mykiss
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1307:St. Joseph's Hill
1134:Butano State Park
1083:San Vicente Creek
1073:San Lorenzo River
943:Branciforte Creek
906:Rivers and creeks
421:Montara manzanita
408:Coast Douglas-fir
313:San Francisco Bay
309:Gaspar de Portolà
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1053:Pilarcitos Creek
1038:Permanente Creek
993:Harrington Creek
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848:Montara Mountain
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745:Pacifica Tribune
741:"Search Results"
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437:red-tailed hawks
392:Montara Mountain
297:Montara Mountain
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577:on 2011-01-14
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400:Coast Redwood
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396:Sweeney Ridge
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368:Lake Mathilda
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271:(Spanish for
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1295:Saratoga Gap
1272:Pulgas Ridge
1077:
1048:Peters Creek
1033:Naples Creek
1013:Llagas Creek
1003:Laguna Creek
963:Coyote Creek
948:Butano Creek
933:Bogess Creek
923:Alpine Creek
868:Mount Thayer
833:Crystal Peak
748:. Retrieved
744:
734:
723:. Retrieved
714:
703:. Retrieved
699:the original
661:
657:
647:
636:. Retrieved
633:ecos.fws.gov
632:
623:
611:. Retrieved
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579:. Retrieved
572:the original
559:
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473:E. coli
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305:Shelter Cove
272:
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250:Brooks Creek
1313:Teague Hill
1300:Sierra Azul
1262:Monte Bello
1257:Los Trancos
1018:Loch Lomond
958:Clear Creek
913:Adobe Creek
858:Mount Chual
838:Loma Prieta
364:reclamation
237:Tributaries
209: /
197:122°30′21″W
124: /
112:122°28′23″W
1353:Categories
1322:Windy Hill
1317:Thornewood
1286:Ravenswood
1252:Long Ridge
1225:Coal Creek
1098:Uvas Creek
1028:Love Creek
988:Hale Creek
968:Deer Creek
928:Bean Creek
888:Twin Peaks
843:Long Ridge
750:2007-12-28
725:2007-12-28
705:2007-12-27
638:2022-05-11
608:Bay Nature
581:2007-12-28
554:, 09-19-07
528:References
360:South Fork
356:North Fork
340:artichokes
320:trout farm
261:North Fork
194:37°35′47″N
109:37°34′47″N
92:South Fork
83:2nd source
58:California
1237:Foothills
1232:El Sereno
678:1572-9737
463:Pollution
283:, in the
273:St. Peter
501:See also
372:landfill
352:Mid Fork
336:pumpkins
277:Pacifica
88:Mid Fork
39:Location
613:Feb 15,
383:Ecology
299:in the
291:in the
44:Country
676:
429:Ohlone
406:) and
240:
64:Region
1331:Other
1122:Parks
821:Peaks
575:(PDF)
568:(PDF)
152:Mouth
54:State
674:ISSN
615:2010
552:USGS
394:and
358:and
338:and
330:and
295:and
90:and
666:doi
459:.
1355::
743:.
686:^
672:.
662:20
660:.
656:.
631:.
606:.
590:^
447:,
443:,
439:,
354:,
342:.
315:.
279:,
175:,
171:,
806:e
799:t
792:v
753:.
728:.
708:.
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