Flora and Fauna
In addition to known spawning area for O. mykiss, Yulupa Creek has been designated as a high quality riparian zone and an identified habitat of freshwater shrimp. Moreover, the upland watershed area is a California oak woodland, much of which is a relatively undisturbed ecosystem with considerable biodiversity. These forested areas have been characterized as some of the best examples of such woodlands. An unusual characteristic of these forests is the high content of undisturbed prehistoric bunch grass understory, testifying to the absence of historic grazing or other agriculture.
Besides the riparian habitat, plant communities include California oak woodland, Douglas fir forest, chaparral, grassland and marsh. The dominant plant community is the oak woodland, which has a canopy of coast live oak, Garry oak, Black oak, Pacific Madrone, Bigleaf maple and California laurel. Occasionally in the vicinity of drainage swales and creeks, Canyon live oak is found. In the oak woodlands, the dominant understory plants are native bunch grass, toyon, blackberry, western poison-oak and in drier patches coyote brush. Common animals observed include Black-tailed Deer, gray squirrel, raccoon, skunk and opossum. Less frequently bobcat and mountain lion are seen. There is abundant birdlife including the scrub jay, Steller's jay, Acorn woodpecker, Black Phoebe and junco. A number of amphibians occur near the creek and its tributary elements, including the Rough skinned newt, Taricha granulosa.
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