Butte Creek is well known throughout Butte County. This jewel is featured on almost every travel/promotional material that is produced to highlight the splendor of our County. Thousands of commuters enjoy the beauty of the Canyon every day as they travel between Paradise and Chico on the Skyway. The Friends of Butte Creek have championed and raised awareness across the state for the “Last Best Run of Spring Run Salmon”.
For all the beauty and wonder of Butte Creek we humans enjoy, it is important to remember that Butte Creek also supports the most dynamic and biodiverse riparian ecosystem in the North State. UC Davis researchers are finding ocean based nutrients, courtesy of the salmon, in almost every organism they have tested. Across the food chain, this ecosystem is tightly woven together due in part to the fact that the dam builders never successfully built a large ecosystem busting reservoir on Butte Creek.
The creek is likely one of the most important recharge elements of our aquifers, provides a corridor between the valley and the mountains for multitudes of animal species, including the migratory Tehama deer herd, and shows off the most majestic buttes of the County. Although humans have increasingly discovered the solitude, and tranquil, rural nature of living in Butte Creek Canyon, the citizens of Butte County have spoken in the past that we don’t want to overdevelop this jewel. High density housing is inappropriate for this ecosystem. True, there is a mobile home park and areas of one to five acres parcels with relatively high density developments already in the Canyon. These are all vestiges of a time when we didn’t fully realize the impacts of too many humans in sensitive areas.
The Butte County Supervisors will be hearing concerns from concerned County residents on April 13, 1 PM, at the Supervisors’ Chambers in Oroville, about the decision made to reject Development Services staff recommendations to limit development by designating many areas of the Canyon as Agricultural with 20 acre minimum lots. An out of town developer has convinced them that his property, including many significant springs supporting Butte Creek, rolling hills supporting migratory deer, and spectacular bluffs supporting eagles, falcons and hawks, should be designated Foothill Residential with a 5 acre minimum lot size. Please help us Protect Butte Creek Canyon for all. Come to the meeting or write the Supervisors.
Please consider a special donation to the Butte Creek Canyon Coalition for the signs, billboard and printing. Contact friends@buttecreek.org or mail a check to: Friends of Butte Creek, Box 3305, Chico CA 95927.