Copeland Creek with basalt armor in channel, Fairfield Osborn Preserve

The Fairfield Osborn Preserve is a 411 acre nature reserve situated on the northwest flank of Sonoma Mountain in Sonoma County, California. There are eight plant communities within the property, oak woodland being the dominant type^[1]. Other communities include chaparral, Douglas fir woodland, native Bunch grass, freshwater marsh, vernal pool, pond and riparian woodland. The flora is extremely diverse including many native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, lichens and mosses. A diverse fauna inhabits this area including black-tailed deer, coyote, bobcat and an occasional mountain lion; moreover, there are abundant avifauna (including some neotropical migrants), amphibians, reptiles and insects. Basalt Columnar basalt at Sheepeater Cliff in Yellowstone Basalt (IPA: ) is a common gray to black volcanic rock. ... A nature reserve (natural reserve, nature preserve, natural preserve) is an area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research. ... Sonoma Mountain is a prominent landform within the Sonoma Mountains of southern Sonoma County, California. ... Sonoma County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, north of Marin County and the San Francisco Bay Area. ... Chaparral is a shrubland biome found primarily in California, USA, that is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild, wet winters and hot dry summers) and wildfire. ... Species See text. ... Limber Pine woodland, Toiyabe Range, central Nevada Biologically, a woodland is differentiated from a forest. ... Any grass of the poaceae family that grows in clumps or tufts may be called bunch grass. ... For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Freshwater, Isle of Wight. ... Freshwater marsh in Florida In geography, a marsh is a type of wetland, featuring grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, cat tails, and other herbaceous plants (possibly with low-growing woody plants) in a context of shallow water. ... A typical vernal pool in the western U.S. A vernal pool is usually a shallow depression in level ground with no permanent above-ground outlet. ... A pond is a body of water smaller than a lake. ... A well maintained Riparian strip on a tributary to Lake Erie. ... Simplified schematic of an islands flora - all its plant species, highlighted in boxes. ... A broom shrub in flower A shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 6 m tall. ... Five wildflower species Penstemon strictus A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. ... An area of grass-like plants Grass generally describes a monocotyledonous green plant in the family Poaceae, botanically regarded as true grasses. ... Lichenes from Ernst Haeckels Artforms of Nature, 1904 Crustose and foliose lichens on a wall A foliose lichen on basalt. ... Fauna is a collective term for animal life of any particular region or time. ... Trinomial name Odocoileus hemionus columbianus Richardson, 1829 Like all deer, black-tailed deer are herbivores. ... Binomial name Canis latrans Say, 1823 The coyote (Canis latrans, meaning barking dog) also prairie wolf [2]) is a of the ghostCanidae (dog) family and a relative of the domestic dog. ... Binomial name Lynx rufus Schreber, 1777 The Bobcat (Lynx rufus, or commonly felis rufus) is a wild cat native to North America. ... Binomial name Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771) The puma (Puma concolor) is a type of large cat found in North, Central and South America. ... For other meanings of bird, see bird (disambiguation). ... Neotropical or Neotropic relates to a biogeographical region in the New World, bordered in the north by the dry areas in Mexico and the southern states of the USA. in the south by southern Patagonia. ... Subclasses and Orders Order Temnospondyli- extinct Subclass Lepospondyli- extinct Subclass Lissamphibia   Anura   Caudata   Gymnophiona Amphibians (class Amphibia) are a taxon of animals that include all tetrapods (four-legged vertebrates) that do not have amniotic eggs. ... Orders Procolophonia (extinct) Testudines Araeoscelidia (extinct) Avicephala (extinct) Younginiformes (extinct) Sauropterygia Ichthyosauria (extinct) Placodontia (extinct) Nothosauria (extinct) Plesiosauria (extinct) Sphenodontia Squamata Prolacertiformes (extinct) Archosauria Crurotarsi Order Aetosauria Order Phytosauria Order Rauisuchia Order Crocodilia Ornithodira Pterosauria (extinct) Marasuchus (extinct) Dinosauria (extinct) Order Saurischia Order Ornithischia Reptiles are tetrapods and amniotes, animals... Classes & Orders See taxonomy Insects are invertebrate animals of the Class Insecta, the largest and (on land) most widely-distributed taxon within the phylum Arthropoda. ...

Copeland Creek and its tributaries drain the Preserve as they wend their way down steep ravines toward eventual discharge to the Laguna de Santa Rosa. The property was originally a Spanish Land Grant holding, devolving to private ownership and eventually gifted to The Nature Conservancy; the preserve is now owned and managed by Sonoma State University as a research and education site. An understated natural trail system weaves through the property to provide access to creek canyons, ridges and marshy areas. The preserve is situated at elevations 1350 to 2300 feet above sea level^[2] and features a landscape riddled with basalt exposures that betray the volcanic prehistory of Sonoma County. Grand Canyon, Arizona A canyon, or gorge, is a valley walled by cliffs. ... A land grant is a gift of land made by the government for projects such as roads, railroads, or especially academic institutions. ... The Nature Conservancy is a land trust founded in 1951 in the United States. ... Sonoma State University is a campus of the California State University system located in Rohnert Park, California (about seven miles south of Santa Rosa and fifty miles north of San Francisco, as well as Oakland). ... A country trail, formed by wheels of vehicles. ... Creek can be: A native American tribe, see Creek (people) The language of that tribe, see Creek language In US and Australian usage, a waterflow, smaller than a river, see Creek (stream) In UK usage, a tidal watercourse, usually drying to little or no flow at low tide, see Creek... Grand Canyon, Arizona A canyon or gorge is a deep sonoma often carved from the Earth by a river. ... A ridge is a geological feature that features a continuous elevational crest for some distance. ... Freshwater marsh in Florida In geography, a marsh is a type of wetland, featuring grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, cat tails, and other herbaceous plants (possibly with low-growing woody plants) in a context of shallow water. ... Basalt Columnar basalt at Sheepeater Cliff in Yellowstone Basalt (IPA: ) is a common gray to black volcanic rock. ... Volcano 1. ... Stonehenge, England, erected by Neolithic peoples ca. ... Sonoma County is a county located on Californias Pacific coast north of the San Francisco Bay Area. ...

Geology

Northwest flank of Sonoma Mountain with Fairfield Osborn Preserve at upper left of image.

Until twelve million years ago, this site was part of the seabed of the Pacific Ocean. In the Miocene era, precipitated by the combination of tectonic movement and the presence of magma just below the earth's surface, a massive period of uplift ensued and moved north across California, forming volcanoes in the Petaluma area approximately eight million years ago. Though these volcanoes have long eroded away, the widespread occurrence of basalt and rhyolite on Sonoma Mountain testifies to their existence. Sonoma Mountain itself is not a volcano but a block fault mountain estimated to be uplifting at a rate of .5 milllimeter per year along the Rodgers Creek Fault. The presence of the active Rodgers Creek Fault also attests to this prehistoric tectonic movement. Sonoma Mountain is a prominent landform within the Sonoma Mountains of southern Sonoma County, California. ... The seabed is the bottom of the ocean. ... The Miocene epoch is a period of time that extends from about 23 to 5. ... ... Magma is molten rock located beneath the surface of the Earth (or any other rocky planet), and which often collects in a magma chamber. ... Look up uplift in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Volcano 1. ... Basalt Columnar basalt at Sheepeater Cliff in Yellowstone Basalt (IPA: ) is a common gray to black volcanic rock. ... Rhyolite This page is about a volcanic rock. ... Sonoma Mountain is a prominent landform within the Sonoma Mountains of southern Sonoma County, California. ... Prehistory (Greek words προ = before and ιστορία = history) is the period of human history prior to the advent of writing (which marks the beginning of recorded history). ... ...

The steep slopes of Copeland Creek have a predominant occurrence of Goulding clay loam soils, with a typical soil depth of only 16 to 20 inches^[3]. These are generally areas of 15 to 45 percent slopes that support dense mixed oak woodland, with large percentages of California laurel and Bigleaf maple. On the higher drier slopes there are terraces of Raynor clay, which are associated with seeps and higher moisture retention known to the Turtle Pond and Cattail Marsh areas of the Preserve. Both soil types are known to support grazing when woodlands are cleared. In the late 1800s the site was used for sheep and cattle grazing and the woodlands were cut for firewood, which was taken by wagonload down the mountain to Petaluma. The Gay Head cliffs in Marthas Vineyard are made almost entirely of clay. ... Loam is soil composed of a relatively even mixture of three mineral particle size groups: sand, silt, and clay. ... Loess field in Germany Soil horizons are formed by combined biological, chemical and physical alterations. ... Binomial name Umbellularia californica Umbellularia californica is an evergreen tree of the Lauraceae family. ... Binomial name Acer macrophyllum Pursh The Bigleaf Maple or Oregon Maple (Acer macrophyllum) is a large deciduous tree to 35 m tall. ... Grazing is the regular consumption of part of one organism without killing it by another organism. ... gfdjhgkhfDeforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forest land use such as arable land, urban use, logged area or wasteland. ... Species See text. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle (often called cows in vernacular and contemporary usage, or kye as the Scots plural of cou) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... Wood burning is the largest current use of biomass derived energy. ...

Hydrology

Partially submerged Pacific Giant Salamander larva, Copeland Creek.

Copeland Creek and its tributaries drain this property; moreover, all of these streams rise on Sonoma Mountain and eventually discharge to the Laguna de Santa Rosa, which discharges to the Russian River. The Copeland Creek watershed is the southernmost drainage in the Russian River drainage basin. All creeks south of Copeland, beginning with Lichau Creek, are part of the San Francisco Bay watershed. Rainfall within the Copeland Creek watershed is considered moderate within the state of California; in fact, the maximum intensity for an historic one hour rainfall is classified as below average (at about 1.90 inches per hour).^[4] Since many of these upper reaches of Copeland Creek involve steep slopes, often above 50 percent, the momentum of streamflow in winter months is high. Even though soils in the watershed are moderately erosive, the extensive basaltic armoring of Copeland Creek minimizes sedimentation and produces an outcome of stream waters lacking in significant turbidity. Species Dicamptodon aterrimus Dicamptodon copei Dicamptodon ensatus Dicamptodon tenebrosus The Pacific giant salamanders (Dicamptodontidae) are a family of large salamanders. ... A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ... Sonoma Mountain is a prominent landform within the Sonoma Mountains of southern Sonoma County, California. ... Russian River may refer to the following rivers; Russian River (California), in California Russian River (Alaska), in Alaska Rivers of Russia, in Russia This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... In meteorology, precipitation is any kind of water that falls from the sky as part of the weather. ... Watershed has more than one meaning: Look up watershed in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. Erosion is the displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock and other particles) by the agents of wind, water or ice, by downward or down-slope movement in response to gravity or by living organisms (in the case of... Basalt Columnar basalt at Sheepeater Cliff in Yellowstone Basalt (IPA: ) is a common gray to black volcanic rock. ... Sediment is any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow and which eventually is deposited as a layer of solid particles on the bed or bottom of a body of water or other liquid. ... A running stream. ... Turbidity standards of 10, 100, and 1000 NTU Turbidity is a cloudiness or haziness of water (or other liquid) caused by individual particles that are too small to be seen without magnification, thus being much like smoke in air. ...

Ecology

Turtle Pond with surface duckweed, Fairfield Osborn Preserve

Principal plant communities within the Preserve include the dominant California oak woodland savannah, and also consist of chaparral, marsh, native Bunch grass, douglas-fir woodland and riparian woodland. Within the oak woodland the main tree species are Coast live oak, Oregon oak, California black oak and California bay laurel. The woodland understory exhibits toyon, coffeeberry, poison oak and, in the higher exposed areas with ecotones to chaparral, containing chiefly coyote brush. This community sometimes gradates to small grassland savannahs between the oak groves, which are rich with grasses and annual wildflowers. Example plants in this community are the Yellow Hayfield Tarweed, Hemizonia congesta spp. congesta and the Hayfield Tarweed, Hemizonia congesta spp. luzulifolia, which are seen blooming in the late autumn.^[5] Genera Landoltia Lemna Spirodela Wolffia Wolffiella Lemnaceae, or the Duckweed family, is a family of monocot flowering plants containing the duckweeds (also known as water lentils). ... Savannah may refer to: Four cities in the United States: Savannah, Georgia, the city known for its historic district Savannah River, which flows past the Georgia city Savannah River Site, a nuclear facility near Augusta, Georgia, upriver from Savannah Savannah, Missouri Savannah, New York Savannah, Tennessee Other: An alternate spelling... Chaparral is a shrubland biome found primarily in California, USA, that is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild, wet winters and hot dry summers) and wildfire. ... Freshwater marsh in Florida In geography, a marsh is a type of wetland, featuring grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, cat tails, and other herbaceous plants (possibly with low-growing woody plants) in a context of shallow water. ... Any grass of the poaceae family that grows in clumps or tufts may be called bunch grass. ... Species See text. ... Limber Pine woodland, Toiyabe Range, central Nevada Biologically, a woodland is differentiated from a forest. ... Atlantic coastal salt marsh A Riparian forest is a forested area of land adjacent to a body of water such as a river, stream, ponds, lakes, marshlands, estuary, canals, playas, and reservoirs. ... Binomial name Quercus agrifolia The Coast live oak, Quercus agrifolia, also called the California live oak, is an evergeen oak, highly variable and often shrubby, found in the coastal regions of southwestern North America from Mendocino County, California south to northern Baja California in Mexico. ... Binomial name Quercus kelloggii Newb. ... Binomial name Umbellularia californica Umbellularia californica is an evergreen tree of the Lauraceae family. ... Understory (or understorey) is the term for the area of a forest which grows in the shade of the overstory or canopy. ... Binomial name Heteromeles arbutifolia (Lindl. ... Binomial name Rhamnus californica Eschsch. ... Binomial name Toxicodendron diversilobum Western poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum or, previously, Rhus diversiloba) is found only on the Pacific Coast of the United States and of Canada. ... Binomial name Baccharis pilularis DC. Baccharis pilularis, called Coyote brush, Chaparral Broom, and Bush Baccharis, is a shrub in the Asteraceae that grows in California, Oregon, and Baja California. ...

The freshwater marsh was formed by massive land movement along the Rodgers Creek Fault. The two ponds on the property are manmade, having been created in the early 1900s. These wetland communities are important habitat for many species including sora and Virginia rails, western pond turtles, and the federally-listed endangered Red-legged Frog. Moreover, natural seeps feed these locations and the outcome is climax vegetation that has stabilized. Turtle Pond has a layer of duckweed on the water surface that is consumed by a number of fauna. Riparian zones of Copeland Creek have a very high percentage population of California bay laurel, but also provide habitat for a rich variety of amphibians, newts and other fauna. The Pacific Giant Salamander, one of the largest known species of salamander is observed hunting for prey in Copeland Creek. Other amphibians seen in the riparian include the Pacific treefrog, Hyla regilla, Rough skinned newt, Taricha granulosa, and California slender salamander, Batrachoseps attenuatus. A number of plants are particular to the deeply shaded riparian zone including snowberry and the uncommon California Ginseng, Aralia californica. Freshwater marsh in Florida In geography, a marsh is a type of wetland, featuring grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, cat tails, and other herbaceous plants (possibly with low-growing woody plants) in a context of shallow water. ... Look up habitat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Binomial name Porzana carolina (Linnaeus, 1758) The Sora (Porzana carolina) is a small waterbird, of the family Rallidae. ... Binomial name Rallus limicola (Vieillot, 1819) The Virginia Rail, Rallus limicola, is a small waterbird, of the family Rallidae. ... An endangered species is a species whose population is so small that it is in danger of becoming extinct. ... Binomial name Rana aurora The California red-legged frog (Rana aurora) is a moderate to large (4. ... Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants, and is, by far, the most abundant biotic element of the biosphere. ... Genera Landoltia Lemna Spirodela Wolffia Wolffiella Lemnaceae, or the Duckweed family, is a family of monocot flowering plants containing the duckweeds (also known as water lentils). ... Fauna is a collective term for animal life of any particular region or time. ... Subclasses and Orders Order Temnospondyli- extinct Subclass Lepospondyli- extinct Subclass Lissamphibia   Anura   Caudata   Gymnophiona Amphibians (class Amphibia) are a taxon of animals that include all tetrapods (four-legged vertebrates) that do not have amniotic eggs. ... This article is about the animal called newt. ... Species Dicamptodon aterrimus Dicamptodon copei Dicamptodon ensatus Dicamptodon tenebrosus The Pacific giant salamanders (Dicamptodontidae) are a family of large salamanders. ... In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biodiversity. ... Suborders Cryptobranchoidea Salamandroidea Sirenoidea Salamander is the common name applied to approximately 500 amphibians with slender bodies, short legs, and long tails. ... Species About 15 species including: - Common Snowberry - Mexican Snowberry - Littleleaf Snowberry - Creeping Snowberry - Wolfberry - Coralberry - Mountain Snowberry - Roundleaf Snowberry - Chinese Coralberry Symphoricarpos is a small genus of about 15 species of deciduous shrubs in the family Caprifoliaceae. ... Species Panax ginseng - Chinese Ginseng Panax japonicus - Japanese Ginseng Panax pseudoginseng Panax quinquefolius - American Ginseng Panax vietnamensis Panax is a genus of about five or six species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, in the family Araliaceae. ...

History

The California Ginseng plant growing above Copeland Creek.

Archeological surface surveys indicate that the site was used as a seasonal hunting and gathering ground by Pomo, Miwok, and Wappo people, who traveled extensively to forage and barter. The earliest historical records show the property was within a Spanish Land Grant in the 1860s. By the 1890s the land was a working sheep and cattle ranch held by the Duerson family. In the 1950's, the land was purchased by William Matson Roth for use as a summer family retreat. In 1971 the Roth family gifted 211 acres to The Nature Conservancy. In the year 1997, ownership was transferred to Sonoma State University, though The Nature Conservancy holds a conservation easement of the property dictating the way in which it will be managed. In the year 2004, 190 adjacent acres were added by gift of William and Joan Roth. The director of the Fairfield Osborn Preserve is Nathan Rank, and the site manager is Julia Clothier. Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... Pomo girl photographed by Edward S. Curtis in 1924. ... Miwok—also spelled Miwuk or Me-Wuk—refers to native Californians who lived in what is now Northern California. ... The Wappo were a group of Native Americans who lived in the Napa and Russian River areas of Northern California. ... History is often used as a generic term for information about the past, such as in geologic history of the Earth. When used as the name of a field of study, history refers to the study and interpretation of the record of human societies. ... A land grant is a gift of land made by the government for projects such as roads, railroads, or especially academic institutions. ... William M. Roth was a shipping executive, special ambassador for trade, member of the ACLU executive committee, and Regent for the University of California. ... Sonoma State University is a campus of the California State University system located in Rohnert Park, California (about seven miles south of Santa Rosa and fifty miles north of San Francisco, as well as Oakland). ...

Practical aspects

The Preserve is open for research and educational programs, and public visitation is permitted by guided tour only. Tours are offered at 10 am on Saturdays during the Fall and Spring. The Preserve lies between Petaluma and Santa Rosa, California; access may be achieved from Petaluma Hill Road, and thence to Roberts Road and Lichau Road. Petaluma is a city located in Sonoma County, California. ... The Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center Luther Burbank Gardens, part of California Historical Landmark No. ...

References

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. ... The U.S. Department of Agriculture, also called the Agriculture Department, or USDA, is a Cabinet department of the United States Federal Government. ... The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) was founded in 1935 at the urging of Hugh Bennett, who also served as the agencys first chief. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, and the Golden Gate The San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining of approximately forty percent of California, flowing in Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean. ...

See also

• Basalt
• California Coast Ranges

Basalt Columnar basalt at Sheepeater Cliff in Yellowstone Basalt (IPA: ) is a common gray to black volcanic rock. ... The Coast Ranges of California constitute one of the eleven traditional geomorphic provinces of California. ...

External Links

• Fairfield Osborn Reserve official site
• Nature Conservancy official site