Ledson Marsh

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Ledson Marsh is a Script error: No such module "convert". freshwater marsh in Annadel State Park east of Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, California, United States. Located on the east flank of Bennett Mountain, it drains into Schultz Creek, a tributary of Yulupa Creek.

File:LedsonMarsh3223.jpg
A remnant of Ledson Marsh near the end of the dry season

Earthen dam

The marsh was formed by an earthen embankment dam about Script error: No such module "convert". long, constructed in 1930 by a former landowner. The dam is about Script error: No such module "convert". high and Script error: No such module "convert". wide at its crest. Over the years, the dam deteriorated, allowing water to seep through it and causing the marsh to dry out in the autumn and refill during the winter rains. The deterioration was partly due to rodent holes and partly due to stumps left by the felling of eucalyptus trees that were planted on both sides of the embankment.[1]

There was concern over the dam's safety. A catastrophic dam failure would destroy the marsh habitat and clog various Sonoma Creek tributaries with sediment. The California Department of Parks and Recreation therefore repaired the dam in such a way as to preserve the marsh's seasonality. [1]

California red-legged frogs

Because of its seasonality, the marsh was colonized by California red-legged frogs (Rana draytonii), a federal- and state-listed threatened species. Government agencies grew concerned that if the marsh did not dry out every year, bullfrogs might establish themselves in the marsh, displacing the red-legged frogs. [1]

File:Annadelledsonmarsh.jpg
Ledson Marsh in 2006

Recreation

The marsh is a picnicking and bird-watching spot, and also used for mountain bicyclists, hikers, joggers, and equestrians.[2]

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See also

References

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External links

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