Rush Creek is a stream

Stream

A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...

 in eastern Marin County, California

Marin County, California

Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It originates on the north edge of Novato, California

Novato, California

Novato is a city located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, in northern Marin County. Novato is located about north-northwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 30 feet above sea level . The 2010 U.S. Census estimated the city population to be about 51,904. Novato is about ...

 and flows 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northeasterly through wetlands into Black John Slough and then the Petaluma River

Petaluma River

The Petaluma River is a river in the California counties of Sonoma and Marin that becomes a tidal slough near its mouth. It springs from farmlands southwest of Cotati and flows generally southward through Petaluma's old town and of tidal marshes to end in northwest San Pablo Bay.-History:The word...

. The name is associated with Peter Rush who bought land near Novato in 1862.

Ecology

The creek flows through coastal saltwater marsh and coastal brackish-water marsh habitats. The wetlands provide suitable habitat for San Pablo song sparrow, California black rail, saltmarsh common yellowthroat, California brackishwater snail, and California clapper rail.

Conservation

In 1999, the Rush Creek/Cemetery Marsh Enhancement Project was completed by the Marin Audubon Society. This project involved the excavation of channels to improve circulation and replacement of tide gates in the 230 acre (0.9307778 km²) Rush Creek marsh and 50 acres (202,343 m²) Cemetery Marsh. Both marshes are managed by Marin County Open Space District as natural preserves.