GC22ZM6 Napa Creeks: Conn Creek (Traditional Cache) in California, United States created by CNH

This cache has been archived.

Hemlock: Since there's been no response to the previous note, I'm archiving this cache to free up the area.

When/if this cache is replaced, please email me at hemlock@geocachingadmin.com and if it is still within the guidelines for cache placement and publishing, I'll be happy to unarchive it.

Hemlock
Volunteer Geocache Reviewer

GC22ZM6 ▼

A cache by CNH Message this owner

Hidden : 1/14/2010

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: small (small)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

A quiet, rural road with parking is available at two small pullouts next to the cache site. This is a pretty straightforward hide and shouldn't take very long. The bridge is quite narrow so be cautious of drivers who may not be expecting pedestrians. Please replace the container exactly as you found it.

The headwaters of Conn creek begin about six miles north of the cache site in the steep canyons between Calistoga and Angwin. Along its path, it is joined by several smaller tributary streams including Chiles creek, Moore creek, Sage creek, and Fir creek before meeting the Napa River within the Napa River Ecological Preserve east of Yountville. Together, these waterways drain nearly 60 square miles of land making up the largest sub-watershed in the Napa Valley.

Like many of the elements in the Napa Valley, the current state of Conn creek bares little resemblance to its former self. At the cache site, Conn creek would have once flowed year round and been blanketed in stands of mixed oaks and grasslands. Just east of here, Conn Dam was constructed in 1945 to store water (Lake Hennessey) and provide Napa with a larger, more reliable source of drinking water. Today, unless water is coming over the spillway at Lake Hennessey, the section of Conn creek between the dam and the Napa River is nothing more than a few shallow, muddy puddles disconnected by large stretches of gravel and dirt.

Like many of the creeks throughout the valley, Conn creek was once home to a significant population of now-threatened Steelhead trout. Prior to the construction of the dam, large numbers of steelhead were seen throughout Conn creek and in nearly all of its tributaries in the canyons southeast of Angwin. By 1948, just three years after the dam was completed, the streams above the reservoir were nearly devoid of trout. The construction of the dam has effectively eliminated two-thirds of the Conn creek watershed as steelhead are unable to reach an eight mile stretch of Conn creek or any of the tributaries upstream; all of which were considered to contain high quality spawning/ and earing habitat. While small numbers of trout remain in and above the reservoir today, they are only possible through regular stocking programs by the Department of Fish and Game. Recent surveys of Conn creek below the dam have revealed that steelhead are almost non-existent.

Congratulations to Shark Z for first to find !

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Rnfg fvqr, hcfgernz.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)

This cache has been archived.

Watch

Geocache Description:

Attributes

Inventory

Bookmark Lists

Napa Creeks: Conn Creek Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

Watch

Geocache Description:

Attributes

Inventory

Bookmark Lists