Sacramento–San Joaquin is a freshwater ecoregion in California. It includes the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems of California's Central Valley , which converge in the inland Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta . It also includes the mostly-closed Tulare Lake basin in the southern Central Valley, the rivers and streams that empty into San Francisco Bay , and the Pajaro and Salinas river systems of Central California which empty into Monterey Bay .
17-614: The ecoregion covers an area of 176,170 square kilometres (68,020 sq mi), which covers 45% of California. 99% of the ecoregion is in California, with a small portion – the Goose Lake basin – extending into southern Oregon . The Central Valley extends north and south, bounded on the east by the Sierra Nevada , and on the west by the Coast Ranges . The Sacramento River originates in
34-639: A gap in the Coast Ranges, and connects the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta to the Pacific Ocean . A number of smaller rivers and creeks empty into San Francisco bay from origins in the hills and mountains ringing the bay. The Salinas River originates in the coast ranges of Central California, and flows northwards through the Salinas Valley to empty into Monterey Bay. The ecoregion also includes
51-709: Is home to eight endemic species, in five endemic genera - Archoplites , Pogonichthys , Orthodon , Lavinia , and Mylopharodon . Fish species endemic to the ecoregion include the Sacramento perch ( Archoplites interruptus ), Delta smelt ( Hypomesus transpacificus ), Sacramento splittail ( Pogonichthys macrolepidotus ), rough sculpin ( Cottus asperrimus ), tule perch ( Hysterocarpus traskii ), Sacramento pikeminnow ( Ptychocheilus grandis ), Kern brook lamprey ( Lampetra hubbsi ), and hardhead ( Mylopharodon conocephalus ). The Central and Salinas valleys have mostly been converted to productive agricultural regions. Many of
68-657: Is now south of Goose Lake, and the lake's salinity is increasing, threatening fish populations. During rare high water levels, Goose Lake still spills into the Pit River. Ramsar Sites Ramsar sites are protected under by the Ramsar Convention , an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands , recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic , cultural , scientific , and recreational value. The convention establishes that "wetlands should be selected for
85-414: Is open mid-April to mid-October. It is habitat to many flora and fauna including western grebe , long-billed curlew , and a large herd of mule deer which spend much of the time in the 48-site campground. Recreational activities on or around the lake include kayaking, canoeing, and hunting, but not fishing. When the lake is full, it has a maximum depth of 24 feet (7.3 meters). The lake is located near
102-637: The Carrizo Plain , an endorheic basin in the Coast Ranges of Central California. The ecoregion is home to 40 species of fish. These include five species of salmonids – chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ), pink salmon ( O. gorbuscha ), chum salmon ( O. keta ), coho salmon ( O. kisutch ), and steelhead ( O. mykiss ). These species are typically anadromous , migrating to the sea from their birthplace streams, and returning as adults to their rivers of origin to spawn. This pattern of returning to ancestral streams has given rise to distinct populations of
119-692: The Great Basin , it is a pluvial lake that formed from precipitation and melting glaciers during the Pleistocene epoch. The north portion of the lake is in Lake County, Oregon , and the south portion is in Modoc County, California . The mountains at the north end of the lake are part of the Fremont National Forest , and the south end of the lake is adjacent to Modoc National Forest lands. Most of
136-534: The Kern River flowed into Buena Vista Lake . This basin was mostly endorheic or closed, and Tulare and Buena Vista lakes would seasonally expand with winter rains and spring runoff, and contract during the summer dry season. During periods of extreme flood the lakes would expand further and overtop the low divides separating them, and separating Tulare Lake from the San Joaquin River. San Francisco Bay occupies
153-612: The Pit River into California's Central Valley , while the Applegate Cut-Off went into southern Oregon along the Lost River . The lake completely dried up in the years 1851, 1852, 1926, 1929–1934, 1992, 2009, and 2013-2015. Goose Lake overflowed into the Pit River watershed in 1868. Formerly, Goose Lake was the regular source of the Pit River, but water diversion has caused the lake level to drop below its outlet. The Pit River's source
170-578: The 1970s and 1980s, the USGS defined Goose Lake as part of the Sacramento's watershed, but has redefined Goose Lake's watershed as a closed basin. Goose Lake is part of a geological trough which runs from Oregon southward past Death Valley , the Walker Lane . Goose Lake State Recreation Area includes a campground with various amenities. The park attracts wildlife watchers, campers, and boaters. The campground
187-517: The ecoregion's rivers have been dammed, and spring runoff is impounded and used for irrigation during the summer dry season. A portion of the Sacramento's flow is diverted to farms and cities in the southern Central Valley and Southern California. Many rivers and streams are contained in levees or have been channelized, and most of the ecoregion's floodplain wetlands, including Tulare Lake, and its riparian forests have been converted to farmland. Runoff from farms and livestock pastures carries pollutants into
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#1732868953659204-677: The historic Fandango Pass route that 19th century settlers used to enter California. In the mid-19th century, particularly during the California Gold Rush , the Applegate-Lassen Cut-Off of the California Trail left the main route of that Trail near present-day Rye Patch Reservoir , and crossed the Black Rock Desert , on the way to Goose Lake and the California gold fields. The Lassen Cut-Off continued down
221-679: The list on account of their international significance in terms of ecology , botany , zoology , limnology or hydrology ." Over the years, the Conference of the Contracting Parties has adopted more specific criteria interpreting the convention text. The Ramsar List organizes the Ramsar sites according to the contracting party that designated each to the list. Contracting parties are grouped into six "regions": Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin American and
238-568: The mountains ringing the northern Central Valley and flows southwards. The San Joaquin originates in the southern Sierra and flows northwards to meet the Sacramento in the inland Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta . Both are joined by tributaries flowing westward from the Sierra. In the southern Central Valley, the Kings and Kaweah River flowed from headwaters in southern Sierra to empty into shallow Tulare Lake , and
255-661: The rivers and streams. Ramsar Sites (wetlands of international importance) in the ecoregion include Elkhorn Slough on Monterey Bay, San Francisco Bay and Estuary , and Grassland Ecological Area in the San Joaquin Valley. Goose Lake (Oregon%E2%80%93California) Goose Lake is a large alkaline lake in the Goose Lake Valley on the Oregon – California border in the United States. Like many other lakes in
272-516: The valley property around the lake is privately owned agricultural land, though Goose Lake State Recreation Area is on the Oregon side of the lake. Goose Lake is the center of a semi-closed drainage basin . Its watershed is normally endorheic , but sometimes flows into the Pit River , part of the Sacramento River watershed, during periods of high water following heavy rainfall or snowmelt. During
289-579: The various species which have adaptations to their specific watersheds. Steelhead which are blocked from migrating to the sea are known as rainbow trout , and mature and breed in their native rivers. The ecoregion is also home to several distinct subspecies of rainbow trout, including the Little Kern golden trout ( O. m. whitei ), South Fork Kern golden trout ( O. m. aguabonita ), and Kern River rainbow trout ( O. m. gilberti ). Other anadromous native fishes include lampreys, sturgeon, and smelt. The ecoregion
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