Griff Creek
Encyclopedia
Griff Creek is a southward-flowing stream
originating on Martis Peak in Placer County, California
, United States
. It culminates in north Lake Tahoe
at Kings Beach, California
.
s such as "Beaver Deceivers" are often used to control water heights in beaver ponds instead of killing beavers, as the latter is typically only a temporary remedy, for beavers recolonize prime habitat quickly. In fact, in October 2010 Placer County officials again killed the new beaver family at King's Beach only to have schoolchildren protest and suggest more contemporary management solutions. According to Placer County officials there were four beavers who built three dams on Griff Creek, and they were killed by sharpshooters licensed by the county in a night operation. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
stated that "removing beavers is not uncommon at Lake Tahoe" but "the county could have 'easily' removed the beaver dam in a more conscientious manner, thus preventing sediment naturally filtered by the dam from reaching Lake Tahoe". Cheryl Millham, executive director of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, argued that the culverts on Griff Creek could easily be protected from damming with fencing and that "municipalities all over the United States have learned to peacefully co-exist with these animals". Depredation is likely a temporary solution as the County has had to kill beaver families two years in a row and Peter Kraatz, deputy director of the Placer County Department of Public Works, conceded that the area is "perfect habitat for beavers".
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
originating on Martis Peak in Placer County, California
Placer County, California
Placer County is a county located in both the Sacramento Valley and Sierra Nevada regions of the U.S. state of California, in what is known as the Gold Country. It stretches from the suburbs of Sacramento to Lake Tahoe and the Nevada border. Because of the expansion of the Greater Sacramento,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It culminates in north Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
at Kings Beach, California
Kings Beach, California
Kings Beach is a census-designated place in Placer County, California, United States on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,796 at the 2010 census, down from 4,037 at the 2000 census.The...
.
History
The Washo used the meadow where Griff Creek enters Lake Tahoe "as a resting spot, but not a full-fledged campsite". The name Griff may derive from Griffin's Mill, a sawmill where a creek entered the Lake near Agate Bay.Beaver Controversy
In November, 2009 a California Golden beaver family was caught in snares underwater and drowned in Griff Creek, a stream in King's Beach, California when Placer County Department of Public Works ordered their removal for fear that the beaver would cause flooding. Recent studies of two other Lake Tahoe tributaries, Taylor Creek and Ward Creek, showed that beaver dam removal decreased wetland habitat, increased stream flow, and increased total phosphorus pollutants entering Lake Tahoe - all factors which negatively impact the clarity of the lake's water.(United States Geologic Survey 2002) Beavers develop wetland areas which trap sediments and improve water quality. Flow deviceFlow device
Flow devices are man-made solutions to beaver-related flooding problems. Traditional solutions have been focused on the trapping and removal of all the beavers in the area...
s such as "Beaver Deceivers" are often used to control water heights in beaver ponds instead of killing beavers, as the latter is typically only a temporary remedy, for beavers recolonize prime habitat quickly. In fact, in October 2010 Placer County officials again killed the new beaver family at King's Beach only to have schoolchildren protest and suggest more contemporary management solutions. According to Placer County officials there were four beavers who built three dams on Griff Creek, and they were killed by sharpshooters licensed by the county in a night operation. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency was formed in 1969 through a bi-state compact between California and Nevada which was ratified by the U.S. Congress...
stated that "removing beavers is not uncommon at Lake Tahoe" but "the county could have 'easily' removed the beaver dam in a more conscientious manner, thus preventing sediment naturally filtered by the dam from reaching Lake Tahoe". Cheryl Millham, executive director of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, argued that the culverts on Griff Creek could easily be protected from damming with fencing and that "municipalities all over the United States have learned to peacefully co-exist with these animals". Depredation is likely a temporary solution as the County has had to kill beaver families two years in a row and Peter Kraatz, deputy director of the Placer County Department of Public Works, conceded that the area is "perfect habitat for beavers".
See also
- Kings Beach, CaliforniaKings Beach, CaliforniaKings Beach is a census-designated place in Placer County, California, United States on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,796 at the 2010 census, down from 4,037 at the 2000 census.The...
- Beaver in the Sierra NevadaBeaver in the Sierra NevadaThe North American beaver had a historic range that overlapped the Sierra Nevada in California. Before the European colonization of the Americas, beaver were distributed from the arctic tundra to the deserts of northern Mexico...
- North American beaver