Field Trip Descriptions, Friday September 25th and Saturday September 26th
1. Butte Creek House Meadow, Willow Creek Meadow, Colby Creek
Meadows – Friday – Participants will visit three project areas being managed by the Butte County Resource Conservation District.
2. BLM Forks of the Butte Recreation Area – Friday – Participants will visit several sites where the Bureau of Land Management is planning forest health thinning projects. In addition, guests will participate in a Forest Therapy session designed to broaden and deepen one’s appreciation for our forested lands.
3. Spawning Tour – Saturday – Butte Creek Canyon Salmon Exploration
A trip into the middle reaches of Butte Creek Canyon with Friends of Butte Creek: Come see our wild salmon pools and spawning grounds. A variety of special stops with a mild to medium hiking total of 1 mile. We will visit habitat zones not open to the public with wildlife and birding opportunities. Hear about the history, geography and our amazing wild salmon populations. Visit the historic Centerville School House for a lunch stop and museum tour.
4. Floodplain Restoration Project Tour – Saturday – Participants will visit the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Butte Creek Canyon Ecological Reserve where Friends of Butte Creek is planning a major floodplain restoration project. CDFW purchased the property in 1988 to end the destructive mining of the floodplain that had occurred over many decades, first with huge dredgers mining for gold and later with bulldozers and gravel and sand extraction equipment. The property was left with dozens of off channel ponds of varying sizes, depth and water quality. Most of the ponds are separated from the creek by large berms that constrain the ability of the creek to access the floodplain. Juvenile salmon need broader floodplain access to escape from high flow, hide from predators and feed on aquatic insects that are associated with off-stream inundation.