Swanton Pacific Ranch - Geography

Geography

Swanton Pacific Ranch sits in the coastal mountains north of Santa Cruz. The 3,200-acre (13 km2) spread include 2,100 acres (8.5 km2) of forest extending from steep mountain slopes down to grassy meadows. Scott Creek runs through Swanton Ranch. "The landscape is different here than on campus," notes natural resource management Professor Brian Dietterick, a certified hydrologist and the ranch's director. "First are coastal forested mountains- steep mountains that support perennially flowing streams. The streams serve as habitat for sensitive aquatic species and fish like Coho salmon and Steelhead trout." Swanton Pacific is a unique place to teach resource management. "It's similar to a Northern California Forest," he states. Swanton Pacific is a living forest laboratory unlike any other at Cal Poly's 1,300-acre (5.3 km2) campus core or the 4,600 acres (19 km2) of university ranches just west of the campus. Swanton Ranch overlooks the Pacific Ocean. It lies fifteen miles (24 km) north of Santa Cruz. The elevation ranges from sea level to around 1,200 feet (370 m) on the highest ridge north of Little Creek. There are four ecological regions on the land: cropland, forest, rangeland and riparian land. Riparian lands are adjacent to water sources. There are riparian corridors along Scotts Creek, Mill Creek, Little Creek, Archibald Creek, Queseria Creek, and some smaller unnamed drainages. The riparian corridors provide a habitat for both the endangered Coho salmon and the threatened Steelhead trout.

Almost half of Swanton Pacific Ranch, 1,355 acres (5.48 km2), is covered with mixed forest. Over 63% of the forest contains Redwood trees. (Todd, 1988). The majority of the remaining land is grassland with about 330 acres (1.3 km2) of brush. The major riparian corridor goes straight through the center of the ranch along Scotts Creek. It widens to 120 feet (37 m) at the estuary which flows into the ocean. The rest of the riparian corridors are only a few feet wide due to steep slopes. There are 102 acres (0.41 km2) of cultivated land. Vegetables dominate the crops grown at Swanton. There is also some oat hay grown on the ranch.