- location Morgan Hill - location Coyote | - elevation 351 ft (107 m) - elevation 234 ft (71 m) | |
Fisher Creek is a 13.8 miles (22.2 km) stream that flows northwesterly through the Coyote Valley in southern Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is tributary to the largest freshwater wetland in Santa Clara County, Laguna Seca, a seasonal lake important to groundwater recharge. From Laguna Seca, Fisher Creek was connected to Coyote Creek by an artificial channel.
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History
Fisher Creek is named for Captain William James Fisher, one of the earliest American settlers in Santa Clara County, who was born July 25, 1810 in Boston, Massachusetts, and went to sea at age 13. He lived for some years in Lower California before buying Rancho Laguna Seca in 1945. In 1834, he married Señorita Liberata Ceseña, a native of Lower California and had four children. Fisher died April 5, 1850. In February 1846, Captain John Frémont on his third expedition, established camp at Fisher's Rancho Laguna Seca. From there Frémont went on to briefly hoist the American flag on then Gavilan Peak, now Fremont Peak.
Fisher Creek's historical terminus, Laguna Seca, was also known as Laguna de San Benvenuto. The Rancho Laguna Seca Mexican land grant was given in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa to Juan Alvires. "Laguna Seca" means "Dry Lake" in Spanish, and refers to the seasonal lake, Laguna Seca.
Watershed
Fisher Creek flows northwesterly along the western edge of Coyote Valley. It receives ephemeral flows from several creeks flowing easterly out of the eastern edge of the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The first of these is Willow Springs Creek (also known as Tilton Creek locally for the historic Tilton Ranch), then San Bruno Canyon Creek along Hale Avenue. San Bruno Canyon hosts greenstone deposits which could be mined and crushed for road construction. From Laguna Avenue to north of Bailey Avenue seasonal wetlands capture the creek's flows, terminating historically in Laguna Seca just west of Tulare Hill and Santa Teresa Boulevard. An artificial channel extends Fisher Creek from Laguna Seca to Coyote Creek near Metcalfe Road.
Habitat and Conservation
A report on the area's importance as a critical wildlife corridor recommended a riparian restoration project along Fisher Creek to reestablish stands of California sycamores (Platanus racemosa), Fremont cottonwoods (Populus fremontii)and willows (Salix sp.)and a reestablishment of valley oaks (Quercus lobata) throughout the valley. Fisher Creek is tributary to the largest freshwater wetland in Santa Clara County, Laguna Seca. “In Coyote Valley, Laguna Seca offers a rare opportunity to restore natural wetland functions and a diverse wetland habitat mosaic. Laguna Seca restoration would link to existing buffers and have regional significance as a large, natural, valley floor wetland.” These seasonal wetlands provide critical habitat to many species of wildlife year round and are important to migratory birds. Laguna Seca's vernal pools provide habitat for endangered species such as the California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) and the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii).