About the Laguna
History of the Laguna
At one time the Laguna de Santa Rosa consisted of wide expanses of oak woodland, deep riparian forests, lakes, perennial and seasonal freshwater wetlands. Herds of elk and pronghorn antelope were hunted by Native Americans, mountain lions and grizzly bears. Tens of thousands of migratory birds relied on the Laguna flood waters in the winter and its rich food and shelter resources for breeding and nesting in the summer.
Native Americans, Past to Present
The Southern Pomo were the first inhabitants of the Laguna and today many still live within their ancestral territory. As nomadic seasonal gatherers, they lived on roots, nuts, berries, fish, coastal shellfish, waterfowl, and game. Anthropological sources clearly show that, in recent times, the Indians of the area constructed tule-canoes and tule-huts; and weaved fine, water-tight baskets from native sedge roots. The Southern Pomo are well known for their baskets.
Now established as the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, the current tribe consists of both Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo people. Their tribal ancestors existed for thousands of years before us with territorial lands which include all of Marin and southern Sonoma counties.
Alterations to the Laguna
The first Mexican land grant in the Laguna was established in 1833 and was the beginning of ranching and farming in the area. In the 1870s the railroad began the first significant channelization of tributaries of the Laguna. In the 100 years that followed, the Laguna was dramatically changed. Early American settlers cleared the oak woodlands to make way for grain, row crops, orchards and hops. Hunters supplied San Francisco's markets with ducks from the Laguna. In 1892, a single market hunter killed 6,200 ducks (more than the entire current population of waterfowl).Resorts were built along the western edge of the Laguna and in the 1940s, Ballard and Jonive Lakes were drained or lowered.
During the 1950s, 60s, and 70s residential development continued on land in and around the Laguna. Seven miles of the Laguna were channelized for flood control and much of the riparian forests removed. By the mid-1960s, 75% of the riparian forests were destroyed and the riparian-dependent bird, the yellow-billed cuckoo, had disappeared. By 1990, 92% of the Laguna's riparian area was gone. Agricultural use of the land intensified, as did residential and commercial development in the watershed that feeds the Laguna.
The Laguna de Santa Rosa Today
The Laguna watershed, or drainage basin, is defined in the east by the Mayacamas and Sonoma Mountains. Rain on these slopes enters fast-flowing creeks that speed the water to the valley floor. Much of this water and the sediment it carries are captured by a network of flood control channels designed to move flow quickly through the urban areas and reduce the chance of flooding.
Where once swales and marshes formed and rainfall slowed and ponded in vernal pools throughout the valley, water now rushes in concentrated flow to the Laguna where it is joined by runoff from the western hills. Although the natural drainage system is now confined to the western third of the valley, it remains an impressive 14-mile-long waterway, with a floodplain of more than 7500 acres.
The floodplain and adjacent uplands contain many distinctive natural features, including braided channels, pools, springs, seasonal and perennial wetlands, and riparian and oak woodland. In the summer these features are separate and distinct, but in the winter they can appear as one vast lake. The Laguna watershed comprises approximately ten percent of the entire Russian River drainage; and when the river floods, the Laguna can act as a huge natural reservoir, storing up to 80,000 acre-feet of water. For the residents of Guerneville, this can result in a 14-foot reduction in the height of the 100-year flood.