Coward Creek (Pajaro River)

Stream in Santa Clara County, California, United States of America

Coward Creek

Location of mouth

Location
Country| United States
State| California
Region| Santa Cruz County, California
Physical characteristics
Source| Atherton Peak in the southern Santa Cruz Mountains
• location| 7 mi (11 km) east of Watsonville
• coordinates| 36°56′16″N 121°38′58″W﻿ / ﻿36.93778°N 121.64944°W﻿ / 36.93778; -121.64944[1]
• elevation| 1,520 ft (460 m)
Mouth| Pajaro River

• location

| 3 mi (5 km) east of Watsonville

• coordinates

| 36°54′50″N 121°42′44″W﻿ / ﻿36.91389°N 121.71222°W﻿ / 36.91389; -121.71222[1]

• elevation

| 29 ft (8.8 m)
Length| 6.1 mi (9.8 km)

Coward Creek is a 6.1-mile-long (9.8 km)[2] stream originating on Atherton Peak in the southern Santa Cruz Mountains. It flows through Santa Cruz County until it joins the Pajaro River, which flows, in turn, to Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean.

## History[edit]

Coward Creek is named for John Rawson Coward, an early landowner registered to vote in the Pajaro precinct of Santa Cruz County in 1868 and a native of Maryland.[3]

## Watershed and Course[edit]

Coward Creek arises on the western slope of Atherton Mountain and flows westerly 3.6 miles (5.8 km) through Fern Canyon, Mill Canyon, Kinky Canyon and then Cummings Canyon along the southwest corner of the Santa Cruz Mountains, then turns south to flow 2.5 miles (4.0 km) to its confluence with the Pajaro River.

## Ecology and Conservation[edit]

Coward Creek is the western end of the Pajaro River Gap,[4] a critical linkage for wildlife east–west across the southern edge of the Santa Cruz Mountains and north–south from that range to the Gabilan Range to the south.[5] It is mostly an intermittent stream today, although it is perennial in the upper reaches. However, those upper reaches did not host steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in a 1983 report.[6]

## See also[edit]

Pajaro River Santa Cruz Mountains

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Coward Creek
2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived March 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, accessed March 27, 2022.
3. ^ Donald Thomas Clark (1986). Santa Cruz County Place Names. Santa Cruz, California: Santa Cruz County Historical Society. p. 84\. ISBN 0-940283-01-8.
4. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Pajaro Gap
5. ^ Penrod, K.; Garding, P. E.; Paulman, C.; Beier, P.; Weiss, S.; Schaefer, N.; Branciforte, R.; Gaffney, K. (2013). Critical Linkages: Bay Area & Beyond. Science & Collaboration for Connected Wildlands (PDF) (Report). Fair Oaks, California: Science & Collaboration for Connected Wildlands. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
6. ^ Gordon S. Becker; Katherine M. Smetak; David A. Asbury (2010). Southern Steelhead Resources Evaluation – Identifying Promising Locations for Steelhead Restoration in Watersheds South of the Golden Gate – APPENDIX (PDF) (Report). Oakland, California: Center for Ecosystem Management and Restoration (CEMAR). p. 23. Retrieved February 26, 2023.

## External links[edit]

* Pajaro River Watershed Flood Prevention Authority
* Pajaro Watershed Web Portal