I'm once again trapped at home, behind miles of impassible mud and a running stream at the bottom of the drive. As much as I should be annoyed by the atmospheric river wreaking havoc on my plans, I'm reassured that the seasonal storm is rejuvenating our local Nacitone watershed.
The name Nacimiento River, or Rio Nacimiento as it was named by Father Juan Crespi in 1769, roughly translates to 'birth of the river'. That birthplace is a spring in the Ventana Wilderness of Los Padres National Forest. From there, the river flows down a remote canyon, across Fort Hunter Liggett, then on through the eastern foothills of the Santa Lucia Range. Soon after passing from Monterey County into San Luis Obispo County, it empties into the lake created by Nacimiento Dam.
The Nacimiento dam was constructed in 1957 to provide irrigation, groundwater recharge, drought protection, and recreation. While providing much needed human resources, the dam comes at a cost to the ecosystem. Among the losses were Steelhead trout which used to abound in the river. Since the dam was built without fish passage, the trout's historical spawning grounds became inaccessible and the trout disappeared.
Above the lake, much of the river is dry in summer and fall. Winter flooding provides the important inundation necessary to promote a biodiverse ecosystem along the riverbank. The riparian area skirting the Nacimiento River is transitional, encompassing not only the streambanks but also the floodplains and intermittent streams running into it. Much of the bordering plant life requires moist soils to thrive. The vegetation skirting the river stabilizes banks and protects the aquatic environment from polluted surface runoff.
The Nacimiento River offers not only water but also shade, shelter, and food for a diverse community of wildlife. Beyond our familiar tenants like elk, deer, red-tailed hawk, and bald eagle, some elusive inhabitants make the area their home. One of these, the American Badger, is nocturnal and spends most of its time underground so sightings are rare. Conversion of native scrub to farmland and rodent poisoning have contributed to making badgers a species of special conservation concern.
The Western Pond Turtle occurs in both permanent and vernal waters. When intermittent ponds dry up over the summer, pond turtles can spend up to 200 days out of water. Still, due to habitat destruction, the species is currently considered vulnerable.
The California red-legged frog is a federally listed threatened species you may encounter at the river. This is the frog featured in Mark Twain's, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". If you visit the river in late spring, you'll find the tadpoles swimming in rapidly evaporating pools. I've often wondered what happens to them after the pools disappear.
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