Garcia River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Garcia River is a river on the northern coast of California, in southern Mendocino County. The river's watershed covers 144 square miles and its mainstem is 44 miles long. The watershed receives 45 inches of precipitation per year near the coast and 75 inches inland. The watershed's elevation ranges from sea level near the ocean to 2,470 feet in the Coast Range. The river empties into the Pacific Ocean a couple miles north of Point Arena.
Excessive erosion caused by logging, grazing and gravel mining is the most serious issue facing the river. Logging in the area began in the 1800s, but the most damage occurred in the decades after World War II. During this time, modern machinery was available, increasing production, but environmental regulations and industry good practices had not yet been developed. The river and its tributaries were often clogged with logging slash. In addition, skidding the logs over streams destroyed their protective vegetation. The streams were eventually cleared of this debris, naturally and through human efforts. Unfortunately, there is now a lack of large woody debris in the streams because of the extensive logging. This debris is needed for salmonid reproduction, to help prevent erosion and to create pool habitat for aquatic organisms.
About 80 percent of the land in the watershed is privately owned. Coast Forestlands is the largest landowner in the area, followed by Louisiana Pacific and Mailliard Ranch. There are several more large landowners that own the bulk of the rest. However, some land of the land consists of private residences and small ranches and farms. Public access to the river and the rest of the watershed is limited due to this private ownership.
