September CreekSpeak: Soils in the Lower Putah Creek Watershed: Links to the Larger Landscape - Virtual Talk

Streams and creeks collect water and sediments from larger watersheds. So, they reflect the climate and geological conditions of the larger basin. In the case of the Lower Putah Creek Corridor, the contributing watershed is the Northern Inner Coast Range. What are the weather patterns, water-flow patterns and geological materials of this area? What influence and clues do we see along the creek currently?

As soils form, they reflect a combination of climate and landform and geology of the surrounding area. These soils in turn, create growth conditions that plants must adapt to or cope with. But then as plants grow, they in turn influence how soils develop. This can occur very slowly or quite rapidly. If we know how these interactions work, we can better manage the area for the environment we want to live in. The creek is a dynamic environment, so there is a lot going on and changes will continue to occur.

Vic Claassen is a Research Scientist in the UC Davis' Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources. He has a background in Environmental Studies as well as a M.S. in Biology. He obtained his M.S. and Ph.D. in Soil Science from UC Davis.  

CreekSpeak events are at 7PM on the third Thursday of the month (July through October), held via Zoom (in order to accommodate social distancing guidelines). These talks are free to Putah Creek Council members and open to the public (registration will be capped at 100 people). A $5 donation is requested from those who have not yet joined the Council.

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