Application of the Rosgen Stream Classification System to Southern California wildland streams

While Southern California is well known for its extensive urban sprawl, its extensive wildland areas are less familiar to even those living nearby. Al though this urban development has come at the cost of intensive channelizat ion and dewatering of natural streams throughout the coastal plain, many pe rennial streams still exist in the nearby mountains. The purpose of this re search is to begin to test the applicability of the Rosgen Stream Classific ation System in the wildlands of Southern California in support of the deve lopment of regional curves for Southern California streams. Preliminary str eam classifications and related analysis were performed for streams on the southern flanks of the San Bernardino Mountains, a relatively homogeneous h ydrophysiographic area. Field surveys were made with the assistance of unde rgraduate and graduate students from the Department of Geography at Califor nia State University, Long Beach. In addition, the Rosgen stream classifica tion methodology was found to be an exciting pedagogical tool.