Coyote Creek is a stream in the Richardson Bay watershed, draining

Tamalpais-Homestead Valley, California Tamalpais-Homestead Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Marin County, California, United States. The population was 11,492 at the 2020 census. Geography Tamalpais-Homestead Valley is located at . It is bordered by Mill Valley to the no ...

(Tam Valley) eastward into

Richardson Bay Richardson Bay (originally Richardson's Bay) is a shallow, ecology, ecologically rich arm of San Francisco Bay, managed under by the Richardson Bay Regional Agency, created under a joint powers agreement by the County of Marin, Town of Tiburon, C ...

Marin County Marin County ( ) is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is ac ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States. The stream originates on Coyote Ridge and flows to the bay at the south end of Bothin Marsh. Coyote Creek is surrounded by a walking/biking path that stretches all the way until the creek reaches the bay (see photo on right, path located around the Creek).

History

The Richardson Bay watershed is located on the aboriginal lands of the

Coast Miwok The Coast Miwok are an Indigenous people of California that were the second-largest tribe of the Miwok people. Coast Miwok inhabited the general area of present-day Marin County and southern Sonoma County in Northern California, from the Golde ...

. The Coast Miwok Tribe came to California before the European Settlers. They significantly impacted and inhabited the areas of Marin County and Southern Sonoma County. Spanish colonization began in neighboring

Sausalito, California Sausalito ( Spanish for "small willow grove") is a city in Marin County, California, United States, located southeast of Marin City, south-southeast of San Rafael, and about north of San Francisco from the Golden Gate Bridge. Sausalito's ...

, in 1775, when

Juan de Ayala Juan Manuel de Ayala y Aranza (28 December 1745 – 30 December 1797) was a Spanish Navy officer who played a significant role in the European exploration of California, as he and the crew of his ship ''San Carlos'' were the first Europeans kn ...

sailed the first ship (the ''San Carlos'') into

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...

. These explorers named the area Saucelito (“little willows”) after the vegetation spotted from shipboard. When the

Mission San Rafael Arcángel Mission (, ) is a replica Spanish mission in San Rafael, California. The original mission was founded in 1817 as an '' asistencia'' of Mission San Francisco de Asís to serve as a hospital to treat sick and injured indigenous people, making ...

, established in 1817, was secularized by the Mexican government in 1834, the mission lands were granted to prominent

Californios Californios (singular Californio) are Californians of Spaniards, Spanish descent, especially those descended from settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries before California was annexed by the United States. California's Spanish language in C ...

as ranchos. The

Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio was a Mexican land grant in present day Marin County, California given in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa to John (Juan) Reed. Corte Madera del Presidio means the "lumber mill of the Presidio". The grant enc ...

(literally, “place where wood is cut for the Presidio”) included a sawmill for processing redwood trees, cattle and horse ranches, a brickyard, and a stone quarry. Sausalito became an important ferry port, connecting Marin to San Francisco. The railroad brought supplies from the north to be shipped across San Francisco Bay.

Habitat and ecology

Historically, Coyote Creek hosted

California golden beaver The North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') is one of two extant beaver species, along with the Eurasian beaver (''Castor fiber''). It is native to North America and has been introduced in South America (Patagonia) and Europe (primarily Fi ...

(''Castor canadensis subauratus'') whose beaver dams likely played a role in removing sediment and improving over-summering habitat for

steelhead Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the Fish migration#Classification, anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or Columbia River redband trout (''O. m. gairdneri'', also called redband steelhead). Steelhead are native to cold-wa ...

and salmon smolt. Other than the beavers, there are many other wild animals that call Coyote Creek home. More specifically, Coyote Creek is located in a neighborhood surrounded by a neighborhood in Mill Valley, CA nicknamed “Bird Land.” Surrounding and in the creek, there are all different species of birds found- from Scrub Blue Jays to Egrets to ducks. These birds are seen around and swimming in the creek.

Habitat and ecology- Photo Library

As stated above, the wildlife seen at the creek is quite remarkable. Check out this to see photos of some of the bids that frequent Coyote Creek: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10oW9GlLx2S1xPlkUu-oFwo9VZqG1g_IkAIy24EoTD-s/edit?usp=sharing

Flood Zone #3

Coyote Creek is located in Flood Zone #3 which includes areas in Southern Marin that drain into Richardson Bay. In order to reduce flood risks, Marin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District has implemented different flood control devices. The District operates and maintains several stormwater pump stations that protects the residents in neighborhoods around Coyote Creek. If there is a flooding risk, these pumps can remove water from the creek/affected areas to others channels that aren’t experiencing over abundance of water.

References

External links

*
Richardson Bay Watershed Map

{{San Francisco Bay watershed Rivers of Marin County, California Rivers of Northern California Tributaries of San Francisco Bay