page_title: Stanislaus River
section_title: Plants and animals
hierarchical_section_title: Stanislaus River / Ecology / Plants and animals
caption_attribution_description: English: Stanislaus River, Sierra Nevada, California
context_page_description: The Stanislaus River is a tributary of the San Joaquin River in north-central California in the United States. The main stem of the river is 96 miles long, and measured to its furthest headwaters it is about 150 miles long. Originating as three forks in the high Sierra Nevada, the river flows generally southwest through the agricultural San Joaquin Valley to join the San Joaquin south of Manteca, draining parts of five California counties. The Stanislaus is known for its swift rapids and scenic canyons in the upper reaches, and is heavily used for irrigation, hydroelectricity and domestic water supply.
  Originally inhabited by the Miwok group of Native Americans, the Stanislaus River was explored in the early 1800s by the Spanish, who conscripted indigenous people to work in the colonial mission and presidio systems. The river is named for Estanislao, who led a native uprising in Mexican-controlled California in 1828, but was ultimately defeated on the Stanislaus River. During the California Gold Rush, the Stanislaus River was the destination of tens of thousands of gold seekers; many of them reached California via Sonora Pass, at the headwaters of the Middle Fork.
context_section_description: The upper Stanislaus River watershed is mostly forested, with mixed coniferous communities (ponderosa pine, white fir, Jeffrey pine, incense cedar and sugar pine) along the hills and ridges. Hardwood forests (California black oak, canyon live oak and blue oak) and gray pine are common along streams and canyon bottoms, and in the foothills other hardwoods such as chamise, manzanita and mountain mahogany are present. Riparian zones, which include white alder and willow, are rare due to limited space along the narrow, rocky streambeds. Vernal pools, or seasonal ponds, are found in some of the flatter areas and also support riparian vegetation. Although mostly taken over by agriculture today, the lower watershed once was home to grasslands, oak woodland, and chaparral, which are still extant in some foothill areas. The river's annual floods once spread for miles over the surrounding terrain. There were extensive wetlands and riparian zones along waterways with a canopy of cottonwood, sycamore and valley oak. Riparian zones have experienced further decline from development in the floodplain and extensive mining for sand and gravel. However, some large areas of riparian habitat do remain, such as around Caswell Memorial State Park.
  The California Department of Fish and Game has identified up to 35 amphibian and reptile species, 57 mammal species, and more than 200 bird species in the Stanislaus River watershed. Large mammals such as mule deer, bighorn sheep and black bear are common in the Stanislaus National Forest, which encompasses the high elevations of the watershed. The Stanislaus River is habitat for aquatic furbearers including beaver, river otter, and mink, which were extensively trapped for their fur during the 19th century. At least 36 fish species are known to exist in the lower Stanislaus River, including both native species such as salmon, steelhead/rainbow trout, Pacific lamprey, hardhead and Sacramento pikeminnow as well as introduced species such as carp, sunfish and bass.
caption: Stanislaus River canyon at Big Dog Rapid, near the head of New Melones Lake
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