Santa Monica Mountain Watershed - Research Paper Example

Santa Monica Mountain Watershed Introduction: The Santa Monica Mountain (S.M.M) is one of the famous Mountains situated in the city of California. The area is garlanded with variety of Oak Wood Land and scrub plants community. Among these plants, some of them are very precious and are facing serious threat to their species. Some of these plants are also used as ornamental plants in the house. And also The Santa Monica Mountain Watersheds are the one of the Transverse position in Southern region of the California alongside the shore of the Pacific Ocean in the U S. This particular range extends around 40 mi (64 km) from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles east-west region to Point Mugu in Venture State. The southern tons (mountain) form a fence among the Los Angles Basin and San Fernando Basin.The Santa Monica Mountains in the United State are parallel to the Mountain Santa Susana which is mainly situated straightly to the north side of the mountains crossways the San Fernando Valley. A great amount of tourists come here every year for viewing and feel the beauty of the fresh air at the mountains, valley, rivers and forest in the Mountains. The mountain range is situated in the banks of Pacific Ocean. So it can provide a fantastic beach for the tourist in the evening. The UC natural set aside Scheme that plays an enabling position in the main research project that are of worldwide importance. By offering sheltered, landscape-scale locales, in addition to support services devoted to research there sites catch the attention of experts in a large variety of fields ranging from engineering, environmental science and marine environmental science to computer science, forestry sciences and geology. The Santa Monica Mountain Watersheds features and channel morphology are the main purpose of geologic and atmosphere controls. In the San Monica Mountain the geology was discovered to be a one of the significant aspect in developing the presence of summer low flow habitation which is possibly the one of the main limiting aspects in California streams. Some of the places aquifers are present and also the water in the ground area is forced to the surface area due to the presence of sheer mistakes, springs and seeps are more general. The appearances of rocks by way of low hydraulic conductivity and a non-existence of faulting presence to show the way little or no base flow. On a regional level the eastern area of the Santa Monica Mountain likely provides a superior prospective for summer season low flow on the reason of the favorable geology. “Escondido and Little Sycamore also had potential in terms of providing low flow habitat with approximately 49 and 40 percent of the channel being wet during the dry months, respectively. Further comparison and ranking of the quality of fish habitat among basins will be elucidated through analysis of the existing field data” (Harrison et al. 13). Target audience of the Santa Monica Mountain Watersheds are, the K-12, University student, teacher, general public and Non-Formal Educator. More than 90,000 peoples are lives in the regions of the Los Angles state call this watershed house as do innumerable animals and plant species. Protection of watershed is the one of the extremely significant aspects not only the quality of life of the residents of the country but also to guarantee the long-term healthiness of the ecosystem. On the other hand enhanced urbanization has resulted in the quality of water and quantity matters in addition to the loss of grave habitat. Various association and organizations is gather various data’s and information in the watershed, a number of them are going back healthy more than 20 years. Information relating to the quality of water is of particular significance due to its consequence on plant, person, and animal and on the whole system health. “The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, Heal the Bay, the Resource Conservation District, the City of Calabasas and many other agencies has collected data in the watershed over the years. Current watershed-wide efforts can be tracked via the Monitoring Table. In 1999, the Monitoring Subcommittee of the Malibu Creek Watershed Council, recognizing the potential for overlap and duplication, created the Draft Malibu Creek watershed-wide monitoring program” (Available Watershed Data par. 1). The program describes for synchronized, consistent water quality assessment at sites all the way through the watershed. Subsequent to one year of baseline assessment and examination, testing will be give attention at "hot spots" of constantly big levels of pollution. Hot spot testing will assist segregate bases of pollution and will finally effect in plan and program ideas intended at dropping non-point source pollution. The aim is create the most excellent use of limited pollution avoidance funds to reinstate and guard streams, the coastal waters and ponds of the Malibu Creek watershed. Research and reinstatement division builds up programs to execute on-the-ground protection events inside watersheds. This consists of examination of resource, alleviation and maintenance easements, watershed organization, superiority of water and protection, fire protection fuels organization and habitat reinstatement. In environment and species reinstatement projects, give attention upon exclusion and avoidance of invasive species and the revival of habitation for southern steelhead trout and further inhabitant aquatic species. Natural and environmental features of the topography, river, lake, general geology /soil Characteristics, climate /water and vegetation. The natural environment includes all non-living and living things happening in nature on Earth or some area thereof. It is surroundings that include the relations of all living species. The natural surroundings can be distinguished by components are mainly includes topography, lake, river, soil Characteristics/ general geology, water/ climate and vegetation. The natural surroundings are compared with the built environment, which contains the components and areas that are powerfully affected by humans. A biological area is regarded as a natural environment. Topography: Topography is the “Study and depiction (such as charts or maps) of the distribution, relative positions, and elevations of natural and man-made features of a particular landscape, such as mountains, rivers, valleys, and human settlements, railway lines, and roads” (Topography par. 1). It specially contains the recording of land or relief, the three-dimensional value of the surface, and the recognition of particular landforms. This is also identified as geomorphometry. In current usage, this contains generation of altitude data in electronic form. Topography is disturbed with local detail on the whole, comprising not only relief but also human-made and vegetative features, and even culture and local history. River: A river is a normal waterway, typically freshwater, flowing in the direction of an ocean, a sea, a lake or a further river. In some cases, a river merely flows into the earth or dries up totally before reaching a different body of water. Little rivers can also be termed by a number of other names, containing stream, brook and creek. In the US a river is normally categorized as a waterway above 60 feet wide. The water in a waterway is regularly in a channel, invented of a watercourse bed among banks. In bigger rivers there is too a wider floodplain formed by over flow of waters the canal. Flood plains can be very broad in relation to the range of the river canal. Rivers are a component of the hydrological series. Water inside a river is normally composed from rainfall through surface overflow, springs, groundwater recharge and the release of water stored in snow packs and glaciers. Lakes: Lakes are tremendously different in terms of origin, size, occurrence, shape, water chemistry, depth and other characteristics. Lakes can be merely a few hectares in plane area, or they contain thousands of square kilometers. Their regular depth is capable of range from a little meter to more than a thousand meters. The lakes can be about uniformly rounded, or they can be erratically shaped. Their water is very acidic, almost neutral, or highly alkaline. Lakes can be low in nutrients, fairly enriched, or highly enriched. Lakes get jointly with both the surroundings and the basic material of their earthly basins and connect with everyone. The topography and model of the lake base and the nature of the bottom resources be different considerably. They are of sufficient significance to most lake procedures to warrant recognition as essential lake characteristics. Geology: The Santa Monica Mountains are situated along the eastern coast of the city of California which is about 1000 meters of area. When even moved to the west wards it moves to the Santa Barbara channel and to the Channel Islands. There is a uplift in the top of the mountains. It is said to be because of the blind thrust fault, which formed long far behind. This fault is also named as Malibu Coastal Fault (MCF). The Santa Monica Mountains is divided into eastern and western portion by the east-west faulting zone. A variety of soil is found in this area, it includes the most common rocks and the volcanic rocks evolved after volcanic eruption, is found in the western portion while in the eastern portion we could see uncommon sedimentary rocks, this includes shales, sandstones and conglomerates are found making the geology in this part more complex. The existence of MCF in the mountains makes the eastern part different from the west. The Santa Monica Mountains is having incomparable beauty which gives a scenic view to our eye. The geological view of the mountains is shown in the picture. Santa Monica Mountains is prone to earthquake, as there are earthquake epicenters in the region. The earthquakes usually cause damages to the region. This earthquake can also be the reason for tsunami as they are situated near the Pacific Ocean. The sedimentary rocks situated here are high low stable. They gets broken and fractured very soon compared to other rocks fig showing units 2,3,4,6,7 and 9 comes under this rocks. These rocks lead to land sliding in the slopes. It is also found that there are high stable rocks structures evolved from volcanic eruption which are found to be stable during earth quake up to certain extent. In the figure unit 8 comes under this rocks. In the period of heavy earthquake these rocks also faces heavy landslides. Soil erosion is another important factor concerning the area. More than 80% of the land faces soil erosion in Santa Monica mountain region. The area is in need of extreme vegetation. If there is vegetation in barren land it could hold on the soil even in the heavy rainy season. Flood is common in the Santa Monica Mountains. The reason for flood is development in the watershed which leads to storm there by lead to flood. Fire hazards also increases flood as they deposit debris along its path. So development should be controlled along watershed. Climate: Santa Monica Mountain watersheds in California have a Mediterranean climate characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Winter season covers eighty five percent of rainfall which is in the months of November to March. The eastern arm of the subtropical high-pressure system migrating from the northeast to the southwest in the eastern Pacific influences the climate in the southern California. “The clockwise circulation of the high pressure system also brings cool, moist air from the Pacific inland, creating a coastal fog common in the Santa Monica Mountains during the summer” (Levy & Korkosz II -2). Preceding the winter season, hot strong winds with velocities of 70 miles per hour or more accompanies which are called as Santa Ana winds which comes from desert areas with high pressure. The fuel moisture is lowered by these winds which lead to dangerous fire conditions. Coming near the end of summer, Santa Ana winds continue to dry vegetation and, combined with little or no precipitation, contribute to high fire hazards as fall approaches. Vegetation: The vegetation in the Santa Monica Mountains ranges from great pacific- Santa Monica Coast to the beautiful Santa Clara River. The effects of Pacific Ocean influence the vegetation of the Santa Monica Mountains. The Mediterranean climate also influences the vegetation of the Santa Monica Mountain. Shrubs are the major components of Chaparral forests which grow only to a height of 4-10 feet, are the dominant sub-type of vegetation of the Santa Monica Mountains. These shrubs are thick and dense which make it difficult to penetrate unless subjected to fire or other disturbances. Sage scrub is another type of vegetation which contains fewer stout, woody shrubs, and more openings with fine, delicate plants. Coast live oak, Fremont's cottonwood, California sycamore, and various willows are the most common riparian (stream-related) woodland species in the Conservancy zone. There are also rare species which were leftovers of ice age, it also includes white alder, big leaf maple, and black cottonwood. The evergreen coast oaks which are common in the Conservancy zone provide food and shelter for numerous species of wildlife. The deciduous valleys oak which are found in the deeper soiled areas are also found in the Santa Monica Mountains. California black walnut is the widely spread tree in the Santa Monica Mountains. Vegetation is one of the main reasons for all wildlife. In Santa Monica Mountains a wide variety of diverse wildlife is supported. The mainly slopes growing plant such as chaparral and sage cover a larger area of the mountains. The next piece of vegetation is covered by riparian and oak woodlands. Riparian is plant which can be found in the river beds in which water will be flowing around the year. Oak woodlands consist of variety of plants, trees, ferns, herbs and shrubs. Vegetation is too dry during the summer season which can lead to instantaneous forest fire. Forest fire very harshly affects the habitat. (Santa Monica Mountains Comprehensive Plan 11). Grasslands build up the next form of vegetation in the Santa Monica Mountains. They provide habitat for rodents which are the main food for birds of prey. As birds need open for preying, grasslands provide it for them. The rest of the vegetation is filled with unusual plant communities which are found only in excepted areas. It includes plant such as dogwood which was formed in the early Pleistocene age. Water: The presence of several major faults provides baseflow for several streams in the eastern part of the Santa Monica Mountains which have low flow in the summer season. There is a lower base flow of under water, which is the main reason for water in the summer. These most of times flow is determined by the underground water table, but in cases we could see that many small rivers joining to the main rivers. Faults and landslides play an important role in providing point-source small rivers for base flow. The processes of faults are of varying type and play the major role in the water sources of the Santa Monica Mountains. The main attraction of the river is the formation of the dam, formed there after by natural mixing of crushed rock with clay which then provides varying types of Faults juxtaposes rocks. If water containing rock build are faulted by some means then the water is forced to come to the surface which then forms the base flow. Baseflow is yielded by landslides because they generally are more porous than the bedrock they slide from and they also perform the function of storing the water and these are then flowed into rivers during summer. Wildlife: There are a lot of diverse wild lives present in the Santa Monica Mountains. The main members are mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects and fishes. Mountain lion, golden eagle, steelhead, bobcat, raccoon and coyote are some of them. The main activities that people prefer include bird watching, fishing and some hunting. Wildlife has become one of the most extensive parts of scientific research. The animals may stay outside from the area shown in the map. There by those area also should be considered as wildlife habitat regarding animal life. Air Sources: Santa Monica Mountains is situated in the banks of the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean enables the region to have fresh air. These are one of the main reasons for the extensive growth of some kinds of plants and animals in that region. Therefore it is point out that if any pollution sources are built in near to around the area can cause great danger to the habitat. Planning Method: All relevant information was considered and a most suitable plan was mull over. There had been so many government authority level conflicts which gradually lead to this plan. This composite plan eventually developed after hearing ideas and suggestions of the common man from all over the country as each of them have their own ideas and views. This could perpetuate us to build a fine plan. In accordance with this the planning commission has also tied hands different universities for studying the feasibility study of the land capability. The Universities have done a great job in finding the public opinion which has earned us local support for this plan. Different maps have been put forward in order to understand detailed view of the mountain region which include used land spaces, parks and open spaces. (Santa Monica Mountains Comprehensive Plan 32). There is also other human use full land uses which include guided tours with special authority intended for guidance for the visitors. The major objective would be to conserve natural habitat and not to destroy natural habitat by throwing their wastages in the area. Plastic is strictly prohibited in these areas. For these, paper bags are distributed at the entrance of the park. People can irrigate up to a specific intended region and also graze their animals including cattle and horses. There places for picnic, golf playing, trekking etc. there are enough area for parking there valued vehicles and other facilities for resting and sporting activities. There should hospitals and health care units for the dwellers. This is to enrich the health of the local people and also the travelers. The factors affecting the habitat are rock fall, landslides tsunami and liquefaction. The area is very responsive to forest fire. There is also high amount of soil erodability in the top of the mountains because of the loose soil. The travelers are intended for strict study about the nature of the habitat because of the following reasons. The first one would be directness of the danger. The length of the warning time would be very short, this avoids visitors from rescue. Also the number of people who lost their life has been too high. The availability of rescue services also makes it hazardous. How to state the exact use of land in Santa Monica Mountains. The main goal of this study is to find the effective option of using the land by least affecting the natural environment. 1. Open spaces should be kept as itself. No implementations should be made so that it reaches to destroy the natural environment. 2. Parks and facilities should be provided in order to encourage recreational opportunities for the local people. 3. They should provide extensive use of land for open spaces and they should be kept away from urban spread out. 4. Development in these areas should give stress to the environment. 5. Man made hazard in the case of air and water quality should be strictly diminished. 6. Roads and rail that are to be constructed should not affect the basic life of nature. It should be mentioned that pollutants should be kept away from the region. 7. Citizens group should be allowed to state their opinion in planning and development. 8. There is plan to establish a weather station to fore cast the climatic condition for the travelers to continue their journey or not. 9. There is program to include S.M.M in university curriculum in the courses biology, archeology, social sciences, ecology, biogeography and other. “Stream ecology; ecophysiology of chaparral shrubs; post-fire successional processes in chaparral plant and animal communities; effects of slope and vegetation on post-fire erosion; fire modeling using remote-sensing digital imagery from NASA; ant distribution and interaction; scrub jay communication and caching behavior; signal variation and categorization by wrentits; division of labor and reproductive skew among paper wasp foundresses” (Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve par. 5). There is a need for eco helpers in the mountain area. The main work of these workers would be removing hoe from the natural environment of the mountains. These helpers include high school students who will be trained by park biologists and teachers. This service will be free of cost. Thus students could know well about their surrounding natural world. This will be in accordance with the academic curriculum. These help students to assemble their graduation. The total cost estimated for this program will be $173.398. Most of the today used rodenticides are affecting the natural habitat of mountains. The animals in the jungle who feed dead rodents after killed using rodenticide, in the house hold, get affected too. This can trouble the natural wildlife food chain. Projects are built to find the sources of these toxins and to take adequate measures at right time. It is estimated that this project may cost about $60,000. Through these projects scientists could find the animal affecting poisons and avoid it to get into wildlife. These projects were kept forward by Western National Parks Association and UC Davis Santa Monica Mountains. (Santa Monica Mountains Comprehensive Plan). Presently there is no such building or construction harming the natural vegetation of Santa Monica Mountains, which includes its vegetation and its natural life. Then what is the need for preserving the mountains, in a hurry, which may cause heaps of funds lose. The answer is “prevention is better than cure”. Today loads of stories are daily heard regarding the case when a mountain or hill is cut or devastated, the hazards caused to the natural environment was very shocking. The people can take part of the waste land from the government and do jobs such as cultivation of crops, growing of different plants and trees, which contain medicinal quality. They may be supposed to use only ‘nature caring fertilizers’. This even decreases our dependability on other countries for food. Even the area can be developed as a natural park for all these capabilities. The farmers can even live in the places surrounding the mountains, up to which road facility is available. This is important, because in some cases there can emergency when someone needs immediate attention at hospital, or if there is forest fire in the place. People need to get out of the place with ease. It is also important that people should be prohibited from doing farming in the riversides, the main reason is that the ‘tourist’, who come here to see its beauty should not be distracted from seeing a farming place or any of development at the riverside. Fertilizers are prohibited in the area. This is because fertilizers kill the soil contents and make them ‘use for nothing’. The nitrogen content in the fertilizers can also get poured down to the lake during the rain and kill the riverly creatures like fish and plants. The native vegetation like Little Oaks, Chamises and Manzanitas can also be cultivated in a very huge area. These are known for their helping hands in preserving the soil and air. Many watch towers should be constructed at a distance of a kilometer. This could enable to view if anyone is in danger or anyone needs help. Help would be always available for those who require help. The building up of a National Park requires walkable areas. It further helps the farmers as well as the tourists. With good air to breath and nice place to walk, it will be a polite way of making people conscious about the importance of walking. Building small children’s park can also encourage children to walk with their parents. Water, milk or tea would available at the Childrens Park, where they would get even their headlines from the newspaper at the stall there. This could somewhat encourage some more citizens to see what is there in a morning walk. This makes us to think the fact that ‘walkable places are enjoyable and public transportation creates less stress in their lives’ . Work Cited Available Watershed Data. Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains. 2011. Web. 28 September 2011. Harrison et al. Santa Monica Mountains Steelhead Habitat Assessment: Watershed Hydrologic Analysis. University of California. Santa Barbara. 2005. Web. 28 September 2011. Levy, Louis & M.S. Korkosz, John. Water Resources Management Plan: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. National Park Service. 1997. Web. 28 September 2011. Santa Monica Mountains Comprehensive Plan. State of California: Santa Monica Mountains Comprehensive Planning Commission. 1979. Web. 28 September 2011. Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve. University of California: Natural Reserve System. 2011. Web. 28 September 2011. Topography. Business Dictionary.com. n.d. Web. 28 September 2011. Read More