Upper Mark West Watershed Management Plan - Sonoma Resource ...

Sonoma Resource Conservation District

DRAFT

Maacama and Upper Mark West Creek Integrated Watershed Management Plan

March 2015

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Funding for this plan was provided by:

California Department of Fish and Wildlife: Fisheries Restoration Grant Program, Agreement # P1030410

Sonoma Resource Conservation District

Prepared By:

Sonoma Resource Conservation District

Kara Heckert, Executive Director Playalina Bojanowski, Resource Planner Anya Starovoytov, Resource Planner Kevin Cullinen, Project Manager

This Plan follows the US EPA's nine elements of an effective watershed plan. Its compilations consisted of data gathering and general watershed scoping that occurred as part of the previous watershed planning efforts, performed in the Maacama Creek watershed in 2004 and the Upper Mark West watershed in 2008 (Marcus/Sotoyome RCD, 2004; Sotoyome RCD, 2008) as well as inclusion of reports and studies that were completed after the time of these plans and assessments, and data collected from many scientific field surveys and monitoring efforts.

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Acknowledgements

The Sonoma Resource Conservation District (SRCD) gratefully acknowledges the dedication and hard work of SRCD staff members and stakeholders who contributed toward the completion of the Draft Maacama and Upper Mark West Creek Integrated Watershed Management Plan (WMP). Contributors and reviewers include Sarah Nossaman, and Steven Swain, University California Cooperative Extension, Matt Deitch, Center for Ecosystem Management and Restoration, Drew Loganbill, Natural Resources Conservation Services, Sierra Cantor, Gold Ridge RCD, Derek Acomb, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Wendy Eliot and John McCaull, Sonoma Land Trust, and Lisa Micheli, Pepperwood Preserve. The WMP could not have been completed without the long term involvement and participation of many rural and agricultural landowners who have allowed access to their properties for monitoring and stream assessments, and other surveys, which provided valuable information for current on-the ground conditions as well as important historical perspectives on the land use and natural resources in the watersheds. The WMP is a living document and the RCD will continue to seek ongoing input from the landowner community and our many partners to create common goals for watershed health and multiple lands use.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................... 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................ 2 ACRONYMS ................................................................................................................................. 5

SECTION 1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ........................................................................ 7 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 8

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLAN .............................. 8 WATERSHED GOALS ................................................................................................................... 9 STAKEHOLDER GROUPS ............................................................................................................ 12 CHAPTER 2. WATERSHED BACKGROUND.............................................................................. 14 REGIONAL SETTING .................................................................................................................. 14 CULTURAL RESOURCES............................................................................................................. 19 HISTORY .................................................................................................................................... 20 LAND USE ................................................................................................................................. 23 GEOLOGY .................................................................................................................................. 27 SOILS.......................................................................................................................................... 31 FISH AND WILDLIFE .................................................................................................................. 33 WATER RESOURCES .................................................................................................................. 37 WATER QUALITY ...................................................................................................................... 43 INSTREAM AND RIPARIAN HABITAT ........................................................................................ 49 SEDIMENT SOURCES .................................................................................................................. 49 FORESTRY AND VEGETATION RESOURCES ............................................................................... 51 CLIMATE VARIABILITY ............................................................................................................... 55 SECTION 2. MANAGEMENT AND RECOMMENDATIONS............................................................. 57 CHAPTER 3. WATER RESOURCES ........................................................................................... 58 CHAPTER 4. WATER QUALITY ............................................................................................. 66 WATER QUALITY CONCERNS ................................................................................................... 66 CONSERVATION AND ENHANCEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................. 72

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CHAPTER 5. INSTREAM AND RIPARIAN HABITAT .................................................... 76 FISH MONITORING AND SURVEYS ............................................................................................ 76 FOCAL SPECIES AND HABITAT.................................................................................................. 78 RIPARIAN CORRIDOR ORDINANCE .......................................................................................... 79 FISH PASSAGE ........................................................................................................................... 80 SURVEYED STREAM HABITAT CONDITIONS AND CONCERNS ................................................. 82 RECOMMENDED ACTIONS ........................................................................................................ 90

CHAPTER 6. SEDIMENT SOURCES AND IMPACTS ...................................................... 93 EROSION PROCESSES IN MAACAMA AND MARK WEST WATERSHEDS ................................... 93 ROAD ASSESSMENTS AND IMPLEMENTATION TECHNIQUES ................................................... 98 ROAD RELATED SEDIMENT SOURCE ASSESSMENTS ................................................................. 99 COMPLETED ROAD ASSESSMENTS AND IMPLEMENTATION................................................... 100 RECOMMENDED ACTIONS ...................................................................................................... 103

CHAPTER 7. AGRICULTURAL AND RURAL LAND PRESERVATION ................... 105 AGRICULTURAL BACKGROUND.............................................................................................. 105 AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY ........................................................................................... 105 CONSERVATION PLANNING ................................................................................................... 106 CONSERVATION EASEMENTS .................................................................................................. 107 THE WILLIAMSON ACT........................................................................................................... 108 RURAL RESIDENTIAL............................................................................................................... 108 RECOMMENDED ACTIONS............................................................................................. 109

CHAPTER 8. FOREST LAND PRESERVATION .............................................................. 111 BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................................... 111 CONDITIONS AND CONCERNS ................................................................................................ 111 RECOMMENDED ACTIONS ...................................................................................................... 116

CHAPTER 9. CLIMATE VULNERABILITY AND ADAPTATION ............................... 118 CLIMATE VARIABILITY IMPACTS ............................................................................................ 118 CLIMATE PREDICTIONS AND CONCERNS ............................................................................... 122 3

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