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Exploring the beautiful nature of California


California Nature:  Salinas River


The Salinas River is the largest river of the central coast of California, running 170 miles and draining 4,160 square miles. It flows north-northwest and drains the Salinas Valley that slices through the Coast Range south from Monterey Bay. The Salinas is a wildlife corridor, and provides the principal source of water from its reservoirs and tributaries for the farms and vineyards of the valley.

The Arroyo Seco River is the only Salinas River tributary which remains undammed, explaining why it supports the most persistent remnants of the threatened Central Coast Steelhead trout that spawn in the Salinas River watershed. It is also an important middle link for salmon migrating from the Salinas River to Tassajara Creek and other tributaries. A 2001 assessment of steelhead habitat of the Arroyo Seco River and its Piney Creek tributary found high potential for steelhead population restoration.
painting of the beautiful salinas river in California nature The use of the river for irrigation in the Salinas Valley makes it one of the most productive agricultural regions in California. It is especially known as one of the principal regions for lettuce and artichokes in the United States. The river is shallow above ground, periodically dry, with much of its flow underground.

The underground flow results from numerous aquifers, which are recharged by water from the Salinas, especially from the Nacimiento and San Antonio lakes during the dry months. In the 18th century, the river valley provided the route of El Camino Real, the principal overland route from southern to northern California, used by early Spanish explorers and missionaries.

The Salinas River is a shallow river with most of its water flow running underground. The river is the longest underground river in America. The Salinas river does not run directly into the Monterey bay instead the river feeds a large lagoon and from this lagoon it flows into the bay with the help of two man made channels.
The Salinas River is the largest waterway in the Central Coast Region of California and a vital public resource used for recreation, agriculture and residential water use along with being a vital waterway for the survival of fishes and animals that live in the adjacent riparian corridor. 

Riparian corridors not only provide vital habitat for flora and fauna, including endangered species like the California Red-Legged Frog, but also provide a very important vegetative buffer filtering runoff, both urban and agricultural coming from our cities and farms. Recently, the river’s riparian corridor has been under attack by agricultural interests in the name of flood control and food “safety,” with a plan of removing as much vegetation from the river corridor as possible. There are vast areas of the river that have already been scoured by heavy equipment losing important habit for Central Coast Steelhead, California Red Legged Frog and many other native species that call this habitat home. 
The salinas river feeds both plants and wildlife in California nature Flooding of agricultural lands within the Salinas Valley, adjacent to the river, may occur during conditions when in-channel sandbars and riparian vegetation impede high flows. Historically, the Salinas River was dry during the summer months and prone to flooding during extreme winter and spring storm events.

Flooding of the lands adjacent to the river can occur when inchannel sandbars and riparian vegetation impede high flow events. The severe floods of March 1995 devastated Monterey County and its agricultural base. The floods destroyed approximately one-fourth of the Salinas Valley projected crop value.

More than 30,000 acres of Salinas Valley farmland were damaged, and flood-related agricultural losses, not including the permanent loss of farmland, were estimated at $240 million. The flooding altered the course of the Salinas River in many areas, resulting in the permanent loss of over 1,100 acres of prime farmland to erosion. Virtually all flood control levees along the Salinas River were destroyed or severely damaged by the March 1995 flood.
 
The Salinas River National Refuge is great spot for birding, and is located adjacent to the Salinas River State Beach near Moss Landing. At just 367 acres, the Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge boasts a colorful mosaic of coastal dunes, beaches, salt marshes, saline ponds, grasslands, and riparian habitats.

During the spring and fall migrations, thousands of birds traveling along the Pacific Flyway flock to the refuge, seeking shelter and food in one of the few remaining wetlands along the central California coast. Established in 1973, Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge protects several threatened and endangered species, including western snowy plover, California brown pelican, Smith’s blue butterfly, and Monterey spineflower. It was established for the conservation and management of fish, wildlife and plant resources for the benefit of present and future generations.
 
 
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