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Aptos Creek is a southward flowing creek that begins on Santa Rosalia Mountain on the southwestern slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains in Santa Cruz County,
The Aptos Creek watershed drains beginning on the southwestern slope of tall Santa Rosalia Mountain in the western Santa Cruz Mountains. Over 60% of the watershed of the Aptos Creek mainstem lies within and is protected by 
The middle and upper watershed is in a second growth redwood (''Sequoia sempervirens'') forest that was clearcut over a forty-year period from 1883 to 1923.
The Nature Conservancy California Salmon Snapshots
The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park website
Rivers of Santa Cruz County, California Rivers of Northern California Drainage basins of Monterey Bay
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
and enters Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean located on the coast of the U.S. state of California, south of the San Francisco Bay Area and its major city at the south of the bay, San Jose. San Francisco itself is further north along the coast, by ...
, at Seacliff State Beach
Seacliff State Beach is a state beach park on Monterey Bay, in the town of Aptos, Santa Cruz County, California. It is located off Highway 1 on State Park Drive, about 5 miles (8 km) south of Santa Cruz, . The beach is most known for the ...
in Aptos, California.
History
The earliest record of "Outos" or "Aptos" is Arroyo de Outos in 1796, thought to be pronunciations of an Ohlone (Sp. Costanoan) village at the junction of Aptos and Valencia Creeks. Rancho de Aptos was a sheep ranch of Mission Santa Cruz shown on documents dating to July 5, 1807.Rancho Aptos
Rancho Aptos was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Cruz County, California given in 1833 by Governor José Figueroa to Rafael Castro. The grant on the Monterey Bay was immediately downcoast of his sister, Martina Castro's Rancho Soque ...
was a Mexican land grant
The Spanish and Mexican governments made many concessions and land grants in Alta California (now known as California) and Baja California from 1775 to 1846. The Spanish Concessions of land were made to retired soldiers as an inducement for ...
in present-day Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County (), officially the County of Santa Cruz, is a county on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 270,861. The county seat is Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz County comprises the San ...
, given in 1833 by Governor José Figueroa
José Figueroa (1792 – 29 September 1835), was a General and the Mexican Governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835. He wrote the first book to be published in California.
Background and governorship
Figueroa was a Mestizo of Spanish ...
to Rafael Castro.
Watershed and course
The Aptos Creek watershed drains beginning on the southwestern slope of tall Santa Rosalia Mountain in the western Santa Cruz Mountains. Over 60% of the watershed of the Aptos Creek mainstem lies within and is protected by The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park is a state park of California, United States, protecting a secondary forest in the watershed of Aptos Creek and Soquel Creek within the Santa Cruz Mountains. It is located outside Aptos, California and conta ...
. The major tributaries are (from top to bottom) Bridge Creek, Mangels Gulch, and then Valencia Creek (shortly after the latter receives its Trout Gulch tributary).
Ecology
The middle and upper watershed is in a second growth redwood (''Sequoia sempervirens'') forest that was clearcut over a forty-year period from 1883 to 1923. Coho salmon
The coho salmon (''Oncorhynchus kisutch;'' Karuk: achvuun) is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family (biology), family and one of the five Pacific salmon species. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". The scientif ...
(''Oncorhynchus kisutch'') and steelhead trout
Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and ...
(''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') in Central Coast streams are federally listed as endangered and threatened species, respectively.
See also
*The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park is a state park of California, United States, protecting a secondary forest in the watershed of Aptos Creek and Soquel Creek within the Santa Cruz Mountains. It is located outside Aptos, California and conta ...
*Rivers of California
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of California, grouped by region. Major lakes and reservoirs, if applicable, are indicated in italics.
North Coast (north of Humboldt Bay)
Rivers and streams between the Oregon border and Humboldt Bay t ...
References
{{reflistExternal links
The Nature Conservancy California Salmon Snapshots
The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park website
Rivers of Santa Cruz County, California Rivers of Northern California Drainage basins of Monterey Bay