MASTER PLAN   
Appendices

 

BIG CHICO CREEK ECOLOGICAL RESERVE

 

I Introduction:

This document:

·        Provides basic information about the Reserve,

·        Articulates the vision and goals of the Reserve,

·        Identifies issues and constraints that will shape appropriate activities on the site,

·        Provides policies and implementation strategies for management,

·        Outlines procedures and policies for the use of the property.

This document is dynamic and will change as circumstances warrant. Additional information on the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve can be found at the BCCER Website.

     The Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve (BCCER) is managed by the Research Foundation of the California State University, Chico, for purposes of education, research, and natural resource protection. The BCCER contains diverse wildlife sustained in unique and critically important habitats. The BCCER also contains a number and variety of cultural resources, including historical sites and features indicative of exploration, mining, logging, homesteading, and ranching, as well as prehistoric sites and features representing ancient and historic Native American habitation and other land uses. In order to manage and preserve the resources for future research and interpretation, provisions are included in this plan for protection of these resources.
     The BCCER is located ten miles north of Chico; it is the largest tract of land managed by the CSUC Research Foundation and shares a boundary with Chico's most important recreational area, Bidwell Park. The Reserve ranges in elevation from 700 to 2,160 feet and includes approximately 4.0 miles of Big Chico Creek The Reserve contains a wide diversity of habitats which support over 140 different wildlife species, including a number of listed species and species requiring large tracts of undisturbed habitat. Thirteen percent of the wildlife and 27 percent of the fish that are known or expected to occur on the Reserve are federal or state listed species. The key to maintaining species populations is preservation and enhancement of suitable habitat. To preserve and enhance habitat managers have to know specific requirements and, in many cases, that requires research. Finally, no species can be protected on a single piece of property, so educating others about critical habitat is essential. These three components define the three main purposes of the Reserve: Habitat Preservation, Research, and Education. It is critical that the Reserve be carefully managed to meet the stewardship goals of the Reserve and the needs of the university, while maintaining the good will of the neighboring property owners and the wider community.


II Mission Statement:

 The mission of the CSU, Chico Research Foundation’s Ecological Reserve System and especially the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve is to preserve critical habitat and to provide a natural area for environmental research and education.

 

 

III Vision:

 

The Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve is committed to preserving the natural environment, the species that comprise the native biota, the natural processes that have always operated in the environment and the cultural resources that are part of its heritage.

            The Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve will be carefully managed to meet the stewardship goals of the Reserve with the understanding that it is part of a larger ecosystem. The Reserve will strive to meet the needs of the University and maintain the goodwill of neighboring property owners and the wider community.

            To preserve and enhance habitat, the requirements of the species that live in the Reserve and what effects disturbances have on the habitat and its inhabitants must be understood along with the dynamics of the ecological processes. The facilitation of research is critical to such an understanding. 

            The Reserve serves as a resource for California State University, Chico, providing

professional opportunities for faculty and educational opportunities for students. Encouraging educational access to the Reserve by regional schools and the public through outreach to the population of the region will enable future generations to realize the importance of such natural resources as the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve.             The BCCER also serves as a resource for public access and community activities compatible with the goals of the Reserve; to the extent possible, public and community access should be integrated with the educational goals of the Reserve.

            For this vision to come to fruition it will be necessary to seek funding from all constituents and friends of the Reserve. 

 

IV Primary Goals:

 

A. EDUCATION

a. Goal: To educate ourselves, our students, and the community to appreciate and understand ecological systems as part of becoming informed citizens and effective leaders in a democracy. The Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve will be an educational resource serving as an outdoor laboratory, a natural museum, and an outdoor classroom.

b. Objectives and desired future conditions:  

  1. To promote fieldtrips by educational groups and to encourage student projects within the Reserve.
  2. To inform instructors how they and their classes can benefit from the Reserve and to assist them in gaining access to parts of the Reserve appropriate for their needs.
  3. To accommodate educational activities by making facilities and infrastructure available and by developing educational materials which serve to enhance the Reserve learning experience.
  4. To facilitate the flow of information among and between researchers, classes, faculty, students, the Reserve community, and the public.
  5. To provide practical experiences for students and resource managers.

c. Implementation strategies

1.      Maintain an active website and other forms of communication in order to facilitate information flow to interested parties.

2.      Provide tours to show prospective instructors the potential of the Reserve for their classes.

3.      Create maps of important resources and uses.

4.      Maintain a database of all research projects done on the Reserve and pertinent adjacent lands.

5.      Maintain roads and trails to facilitate access by classes. Development of roads and trails may be considered, but only after careful study.

6.      a. Create an introductory university level module in order to provide background information about the reserve that could be used by classes in any discipline.
b. Create a similar module for K-12 classes.

7.      Establish an annual symposium for faculty researchers and reserve personnel to share information and ideas for maximizing the educational and research values of the Reserve.

8.      Create an interpretive center in the vicinity of the Henning House. Some suggestions could include: a “green” building showcasing alternative energy and resource use strategies and a small natural history museum, a display explaining the purpose of the Reserve and its resources, a small nature trail, and interpretive signage.

9.      Consider workshops in subject areas relevant to the goals of the Reserve.

 

 

B. RESEARCH

a. Goal:  To promote and accommodate research activities on the BCCER

b. Objectives and desired future conditions: 

  1. To promote class and research projects.
  2. To assist researchers in gaining access to parts of the Reserve appropriate for their projects.
  3. To accommodate research activities by making facilities and infrastructure available.
  4. To facilitate the flow of information among researchers, between researchers and classes, and between the Reserve community and the general public.

c. Implementation strategies:

  1. Maintain an active website and other forms of communication in order to facilitate information flow to interested parties.
  2. Provide tours to show prospective researchers the potential of the Reserve for their studies.
  3. Create maps of important resources and uses.
  4. Maintain a database of all research projects done on the Reserve and pertinent adjacent lands.
  5. Maintain a research protocol on the web to clearly communicate steps necessary for conducting research on the Reserve (See Appendix 5).
  6. Maintain roads and trails to facilitate access by researchers. Development of addtional roads and trails may be considered.
  7. Establish an annual symposium for faculty researchers and Reserve personnel to share information and ideas for maximizing the educational and research values of the Reserve.
  8. Create a laboratory building or space for laboratory research and conferences/meeting in conjunction with an interpretive center-“green building” in the vicinity of the Henning House.

 

C. NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCE PRESERVATION AND ENHANCEMENT

 

a. Goal: To preserve natural and cultural resources of the Reserve in order to maintain both ecological processes and biological diversity; maintain the physical integrity and sociological sensitivity of historical and archeological sites, and protect the Reserve from undue encroachment or damage by human activities.

 

b. Objectives and desired future conditions:

 

Natural Resources:

1. Inventories and maps of natural resources.

2. Avoidance of activities that might damage natural resources.

3. Holistic management for flora and fauna - on an ecosystem rather than species level; maintain the Reserve as part of a larger ecosystem.

4. Management of Reserve should be in expectation of fire and other natural phenomena.

5. Re-establish or expand populations of native species; eliminate or reduce exotics.

6. Encourage research on topics that yield information facilitating management decisions.

Cultural Resources

1. Avoid activities that might damage cultural resources.

2. Provide a long term plan for evaluation and mitigation of sites.

3. Establish connections with groups or individuals interested in the heritage.

 

c. Implementation strategies

 

1. Inventories and maps of natural and cultural resources should be ongoing.

2. Create fire management plan that integrates Reserve objectives with fire safety.

3. When feasible, eliminate fencing within the Reserve boundaries.

4. Encourage other agencies to maintain biological corridors to other protected areas.

5. Eliminate traditional cattle grazing; consider short term grazing as a management tool.

6. Reintroduction of native grazers should be encouraged.

7. Limit management treatments to relatively small areas at one time.

8. Replace exotic species with native species when possible.

9. Restore wet meadows and floodplains degraded by gullying; construct waterbars.

10. Place cut brush in areas where gullying is likely.

V Issues and Constraints:

 

1.      Educational, research, or recreational activities must not compromise the principal Reserve goal of natural and cultural resource preservation and enhancement.

2.      There are natural impediments/problems/challenges to doing fieldtrips on the Reserve. Perhaps the greatest is the rugged nature of the terrain, which makes access difficult. Anyone planning to use the Reserve should be aware of the natural hazards that exist in this remote, rugged environment. Due to the limited number and exits of roads, becoming trapped by a rapidly advancing wildfire is a serious possibility. Other natural hazards include high, cold winter and spring flows of Big Chico Creek, sheer cliffs and the falling rocks or landslides they generate. In hot weather, sunstroke, heat exhaustion and dehydration are hazards. Poison oak, wildlife (bear, mountain lion, rattlesnake), wasps, lyme disease (tick transmitted) and plague (flea transmitted) are among additional hazards.

3.      Field trip group size is limited due to road access and parking.

4.      External constraints to activities are neighboring property owners, potential fires, environmental regulations, off-site conditions, or incursion onto the reserve by livestock and recreational activities.

5.      Governmental regulations may apply to some research activities on the Reserve.

6.      Public access is an issue to be considered as various types of recreational activities are allowed at the Reserve, including hunting and fishing. If carefully overseen to avoid significant impact on the Reserve’s resources, these recreational activities can be an integral part of Reserve management.

 

VI Policies:

  1. Class fieldtrips on the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve (BCCER) will be allowed if the proposed activity and level of use, after careful review by the Reserve director (or other designated University Foundation official), are deemed to be consistent with the mission, use guidelines, and management plan of the Reserve. Activities that will, or are likely to, irrevocably harm the natural values, ecosystem functions and native biodiversity of the Reserve, or preclude its possible future use for University-level research or instruction, will not be allowed.
  2. Fieldtrips in any subject area may be allowed if the leader can demonstrate that the resources and/or facilities available at the Reserve are reasonably necessary for the proposed class use and that the class activities will not compromise the goals of the BCCER.
  3. All instructors should discuss their proposed fieldtrip with the Reserve director and agree to comply with all Reserve regulations. The applicant must describe the purpose of the fieldtrip and procedures to be followed, specify the dates of Reserve use, and animal and plant populations that may be affected by the proposed fieldtrip. Any potential disturbances to the Reserve's ecosystem or cultural resources must be clearly described along with plans for avoidance or mitigation.
  4. All instructors are strongly encouraged to provide copies of data sets derived from class investigations on the Reserve, which will be archived at the Reserve. Data sets should include procedures followed and site descriptions sufficient to permit future replication by classes or individuals.
  5. Any modification or manipulation of wildlife habitats or of wildlife populations is forbidden without the permission of the BCCER director.
  6. Observations, tagging and tissue removal from organisms are generally allowed as part of organized research. All equipment, including flags and markers must be removed upon project completion. Permission for removal of organisms and the use of fire, herbicides and pesticides will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
  7. The collection of invertebrates from aquatic and/or terrestrial habitats at the BCCER is considered an acceptable activity, but only with the permission of the BCCER Director and the possession of appropriate collection permits. The consumptive collection (for research purposes only) of live or dead (salvage) tetrapod vertebrates (i.e. amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds), as well as non-consumptive activities such as live trapping, mist netting, banding, etc. are acceptable on the BCCER property only with the permission of the Director and the possession of appropriate collection and/or salvage permits.
  8. The consumptive collection of fish from Big Chico Creek, fish salvage (collection of dead fish), as well as other non-consumptive activities such as live trapping, seining, and electrofishing are acceptable only with the permission of the Director and the possession of appropriate collection and/or salvage permits.
  9. Cultural resources, which include historical and prehistoric archaeological sites, features, and objects, may not be collected or disturbed on BCCER property without the appropriate permits and compliance with the BCCER Cultural Resources Management Plan. Artifacts lying on the ground surface may be picked up for demonstration purposes but must be returned to their original site
  10. The collection of in situ fossils and other geologic materials at the BCCER by approved researchers and for class projects is considered an acceptable activity, but only with an approved research application (See Appendix 5). Geologic materials lying on the ground surface may be picked up for demonstration purposes but must be returned to their original site.
  11. Vehicles may be used on Reserve property only as designated by the Reserve director and may be used only on designated access roads and parked in designated areas.
  12. Fires at the BCCER are prohibited except those approved by the Reserve manager for management prescriptions.
  13. Alcohol use is not permitted on the BCCER.
  14.  Except for persons participating in authorized hunts, firearms are prohibited on the BCCER without written permission from the Reserve director.
  15. Groups must not leave any sign of their having been at the Reserve (litter, tracks, etc.) although temporary exceptions can be made for educational or research materials or equipment.
  16. Research on the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve (BCCER) will be allowed if the proposed activity and level of use, after careful review by the Reserve director (or other designated University Foundation official), are deemed to be consistent with the mission, use guidelines, and management plan of the Reserve (See Appendix 6). Activities that will, or are likely to, irrevocably harm the natural values, ecosystem functions and native biodiversity of the Reserve, or preclude its possible future use for University-level research or instruction, will not be allowed.
  17. All researchers using the Reserve must be qualified to conduct the research proposed. Research in any subject area may be allowed if the researcher can demonstrate that the resources and/or facilities available at the Reserve are reasonably necessary for the proposed research project and that the research activities will not compromise the goals of the BCCER.
  18. All researchers should discuss their proposed research project with the Reserve director before formally applying for permission to conduct their studies. All researchers must complete a written application to the Reserve’s Technical Advisory Committee and agree to comply with all Reserve regulations. Any potential disturbances to the Reserve's ecosystem or cultural resources must be clearly described along with plans for avoidance or mitigation.
  19. All researchers are required to provide copies of mature data sets derived from work on the Reserve which will be archived at the Reserve. Data sets should include procedures followed and site descriptions sufficient to permit future replication by independent investigators.
  20. Publications and Reports. All researchers must identify the California State University, Chico Research Foundation Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve in any publications or reports that result from use of the Reserve. Two copies of each publication resulting from work done at the Reserve shall be provided to the Reserve as soon as they become available. One bound copy of each thesis shall be provided to the Reserve. Researchers are encouraged to also provide a digital copy of publications to the Reserve. All researchers are subject to CSU, Chico copyright policies.
  21. Public access to the Reserve will be limited and controlled via a permit process (Appendix 3).
  22. Minimize damage from any activities whenever possible; restrict heavy vehicles to main roads; side roads limited to Field Director’s ATV and foot traffic.

Because of the remoteness of the BCCER, visitors are encouraged to carry first aid kits and exercise caution in undertaking any potentially hazardous activities.

VII History, Natural History, and Management Considerations:

Natural History of the Reserve

The property has a long domestic grazing history, part of it being formerly named the Red Angus Ranch.  In the early 1900’s sheep, angora goats, and cattle intensively grazed the property for approximately 30 years. Sheep and goats accessed the property year round and cattle grazed during spring-summer. In addition, the property was hunted for deer and bear. Around 1940, sheep and most of the goats were removed. Cattle continued to graze the area primarily during spring and summer (January-May). Portions of the ranch have burned in 1961, 1978, 1983, 1993, and 1999 with the 1961 fire burning the most acreage within the Reserve. In 1982, the property was enlisted in the California Department of Fish and Game Private Lands Management Program as part of the Musty Buck Gun Club, managed for hunting black-tailed deer, wild turkeys and quail. Past grazing practices, early fire suppression, and poor timber management have combined to reduce the quality of wildlife habitat.

Since protection and enhancement of the Big Chico Creek fishery are high priorities for the project funders and property managers it is useful to know that, historically migratory fish dominated Big Chico Creek in this area. Those include three anadromous species, the spring-run Chinook salmon, steelhead rainbow trout, and Pacific lamprey. Before populations were decimated by downstream and ocean events, migratory salmonids were probably the dominant fish in the foothill zone. Unfortunately, there are no accurate records of historical populations of fish. Sporadic estimates of run size for spring run Chinook in Big Chico Creek have been done since 1956 and are reproduced in Table 1. Only scattered anecdotes of people catching or observing steelhead and lampreys exist. The California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) has planted both spring run Chinook and steelhead trout in Big Chico Creek on a casual basis at least as far back as 1959. In the 1980s, CDFG began making attempts to count adult spring run Chinook and sporadic attempts to trap down-migrant juveniles. By then populations of spring run Chinook and steelhead trout were extremely low and continuing sporadic hatchery plantings made evaluation of the sustainability of populations difficult.

Observation and sampling by CDFG biologists in 1983 and 1984 showed large populations of Sacramento sucker, hardhead, California roach, Pacific lamprey, and riffle sculpins to be present. Also found were modest populations of Sacramento pike-minnow, low populations of rainbow trout (probably steelhead), and a few brown trout. (The July-September timing of the sampling precluded finding salmon.) In October 1986, CDFG employees used the piscicide, rotenone, to kill all fish in the foothill zone of Big Chico Creek. Subsequent to the piscicide treatment, excess fry from the Feather River Hatchery were planted at Ponderosa Way to try to re-establish populations of anadromous salmonids. Each spring from 1987 to 1992, 100,000 to 500,000 Spring run Chinook salmon fry were planted. In years 1987, 1988, and 1990 from 50,000 to 100,000 steelhead fry were planted. Although surveys by CDFG were not consistently done, lay observers noted that few, if any, of the planted fish returned to Big Chico Creek to spawn.

Table 1. Historical Estimates of Spring Run Chinook Size for Big Chico Creek (California Department of Fish and Game, 1998).

           

Year

Estimate

Year

Estimate

Year

Estimate

1956

500

1971

0

1986

NE

1957

248

1972

NE

1987

NE

1958

1000

1973

50

1988

NE

1959

200

1974

100

1989

7

1960

NE

1975

NE

1990

0

1961

NE

1976

NE

1991

NE

1962

200

1977

332*

1992

0

1963

500

1978

NE

1993

38

1964

100

1979

NE

1994

2

1965

50

1980

NE

1995

200

1966

50

1981

NE

1996

2

1967

150

1982

NE

1997

2

1968

175

1983

NE

1998

369

1969

200

1984

0

1999

27

1970

NE

1985

0

2000

27

Methods for estimation were neither consistent nor well documented, particularly in early years.

No historical estimates of steelhead spawners have been made for Big Chico Creek. There is currently an excellent population of rainbow trout in Big Chico Creek within the Reserve. No determination has been made of whether they are resident (trout) or migratory (steelhead).

Post-rotenone re-establishment of native non-salmonid fish populations in the region of the Reserve has been slow. While all the other original species have been observed somewhere upstream of Iron Canyon Fish Ladder (Bidwell Park), only the California roach, with its high fecundity and short generation time, has re-established populations comparable to those present before treatment (Maslin, 1997a). Sculpins are found upstream and an occasional sucker is observed in the Reserve, but the pike-minnow and hardhead have not been seen.

The history of other natural resources is less well documented than the fishery. The property is within the extent of the winter range of the Eastern Tehama migratory deer herd. This herd has declined steadily since the mid-1960’s and dramatic declines have been recorded since 1991 (Loft, E.R. 1998).

Acquisition

The Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve consists of two properties, the first acquisition known as the Simmons Ranch and the second as the Henning Ranch. For several years the Simmons property was managed as part of the Musty Buck Hunting Club. Management of the lands as part of the hunting club has primarily involved cattle grazing and posting of signs.

The firm of Campbell and Rhodes appraised the Simmons property in November 1998 at a value of $3,677,000. Its fair market value was determined to be $1,350 per acre. The transfer of the property from Dan Drake and Ed and Darwin Simmons took place August 8, 2000. The original property of the Reserve was dedicated on October 26, 2000. The acquisition of the Reserve was made possible by grants from the California Wildlife Conservation Board, the first grant made under the Proposition 12 bond issue approved by California voters in November 1999, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Anadromous Fish Restoration Program, and the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, Conserving California Landscapes Initiative. In the fall of 2000, the adjacent Henning Ranch was purchased for $3,453,000.

Funding agencies and contributions:

Simmons:

$1,667,000 Wildlife Conservation Board

$ 1,500,000 Packard Foundation

$ 500,000 US Fish and Wildlife Service

TOTAL $3,667,000

Henning:

$1,723,000 Wildlife Conservation Board

$ 630,000 Packard Foundation

$ 300,000 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

$ 100,000 California Deer Association

$ 700,000 River Network and Jack Henning
TOTAL $3,453,000

The Reserve is made up of twelve Assessor’s Parcels as follows:

            056-040-003               320.00 ac

050-040-003               120.00 ac

056-040-009               160.00 ac

056-040-010               631.14 ac

056-050-001               640.00 ac

056-050-002               160 .00 ac

056-050-003               350.94 ac

56-50-08                                          342.40 ac

56-10-18                                          82.31 ac

56-10-19                                          397.11 ac

56-40-14                                          158.66 ac

056-040-015               587.76 ac

Total area                  3,950.00 ac

Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve Site Characteristics

Under the County of Butte’s Zoning Ordinance the property is designated as “U” = Unclassified. The permitted uses include one single family dwelling per parcel agricultural uses. A portion of the property, that area closest to Highway 32, also has a SH = Scenic Highway designation. The General Plan classification is Grazing and Open Space, 20 and 40-acre minimum parcel size, one dwelling per 20 and  40 acres. Some of the property is under Williamson Act contract . The State Wildlife Conservation Board holds a conservation easement on the property that further limits uses and development potential of the property. It basically preserves all use of the property to wildlife and fishery conservation with some provisions for livestock grazing and recreational hunting and fishing under controlled circumstances.

The main entrance to the preserve is via the Henning Ranch gate near the Woodland Park subdivision in Forest Ranch off of State Highway 32.  The only other public road frontage is on an isolated segment of the Reserve adjacent to Hwy 32 one mile up hill from Ten-Mile House Road. Access to the main part of the property is via private dirt and gravel roads. A 60-foot road easement connecting to State Highway 32 was preserved through the parkland on the east side of Big Chico Creek, which connects to Highway 32. Musty Buck Ridge Road, from Ponderosa Way, accesses the western plateau of the Reserve from the north and west but is not a deeded right of use. The property has one 2,642 square foot residence, a barn and other small outbuildings. (See Appendix 2, Maps)

Surrounding Area Land Uses

To the south, the Reserve borders Bidwell Park, the second largest municipal park (over 3500 acres) in the U.S. The city park and the ecological Reserve are mutually beneficial by combining to extend the protected habitat available to many wide-ranging species.

 

To the west and north along Musty Buck Ridge are private rangelands used for grazing and wildlife habitat. To the north in the canyon are several private residential holdings, then Sierra Pacific Industries forestlands into the rest of the watershed. An adjacent a piece of BLM land is also under consideration for inclusion in the Reserve. All of the current land uses in the surrounding areas are generally compatible with the Reserve’s primary goal of habitat preservation.

 

Owners of adjacent properties; BLM, Owen, Johnson, Crane, Schroder and  Grossman have indicated an interest in working with the University Research Foundation on the potential for expansion of the Reserve. The Reserve essentially surrounds the Bickley property which is about 160 acres with one residential structure on it. An easement allows access to the owners of the Bickley property through the Reserve.

Topography

The Reserve is located in the foothill portion of the Big Chico Creek watershed. The property is irregular in outline and extends a maximum of 4.5 miles in a North/South axis and 2.0 miles East/West. The narrowest part (where Big Chico Creek first enters the property) is only 0.5 mile East/West. Elevations range from 700 feet where Big Chico Creek exits the property to 2160 feet at the northeastern property line. The eastern approximately half of the property lies within Big Chico Creek Canyon with a fairly narrow floodplain and terraces, then walls rising 1000 feet in about 0.5 mile, often including vertical cliffs. The western half can be described as occupying the top of a gently tilted plain dissected by small headwater streams. The south (lower) end of this plain is about 1700 feet, dissected in spots to 1000 feet. The north (high) end is about 2000 feet, dissected to 1800 feet. Soils are relatively shallow, bedrock is exposed in many places, and surface boulders are scattered over much of the area.

Geomorphology

Geologic processes in the Reserve are dominated by the stream dissection of gently sloping layers of rock to form steep canyons. The upper portions of the Reserve are in the Tuscan Formation, about 4 million years old, composed of layered ash, volcanic mud flows (lahars) and patches of alluvium. Some of the lahars are very hard and form cliffs along the sides of the canyon. Beneath the Tuscan Formation lies the Lovejoy Basalt, about 15 million years old, very resistant to erosion and often forming cliffs. Below the Lovejoy is the Chico Formation, about 75 million years old. It is sedimentary rock composed primarily of sand and contains numerous marine fossils. Relative hardness and permeability of the rock layers have a major influence on hydrology and vegetation within the Reserve. Mass wasting, landslides, and slumps have been major contributors to the current morphology of the canyon. Since the Chico Formation is much softer than the Lovejoy Basalt, as the stream carved its canyon it undercut the Lovejoy, allowing huge slabs and boulders of basalt to tumble down into the creek to be left on the eroded surface of the sandstone after the creek meandered away. As the canyon deepened, the hard Lovejoy formed cliffs high up the walls. Pieces of the basalt, ranging from small cobbles to large boulders, have fallen off the cliff faces to form talus slopes on the gentler surface of the Chico Formation. Occasional huge slabs have calved off the Lovejoy cliffs to generate debris flows that fanned out across lower terraces. Between the Lovejoy and the Tuscan lies a layer about a foot thick of tuff from a volcanic ash fall. Water seeping through the tuff weathers it to clay, forming a slip surface that lets masses of Tuscan slump off the top of the Lovejoy. Consequently, the floor and lower walls of the canyon are covered with deposits of material from above, and the Chico Formation is rarely visible except in parts of the active stream channel. Reserve lands from the top of the Musty Buck Ridge west consist of gently sloping ridge tops of exposed Tuscan dissected by headwater streams from Sycamore and Mud Creeks. Some cliffs are present in the deeper canyons, but landslides have been much less important than in Chico Canyon. (See Appendix 9)

Soils

The soils from the top of Musty Buck Ridge west are classified as moderately fine-texture loam and are generally very shallow. These soils are derived in place from weathering of the parent Tuscan. Bedrock is exposed in many areas and surface boulders are abundant. Soils within Big Chico Canyon may have generated on alluvium, landslide debris, talus, or local chunks of any of the parent rock types. Accordingly, they are extremely variable and can only be classified on a site-specific basis.

 

Hydrology and Water Supply

Big Chico Creek originates from a series of springs, at an elevation of about 5,400 feet, northeast of the City of Chico on the southwest flanks of Colby Mountain and flows 45 miles from its origin, crossing portions of Butte and Tehama counties, to its confluence with the Sacramento River, at an elevation of 120 feet, west of the City of Chico. The watershed also includes three smaller drainages to the north: Sycamore, Mud, and Rock Creeks. Closest to Big Chico Creek is Sycamore Creek, which originates at around 1,600 feet and is a tributary to Mud Creek. Mud and Rock Creeks, further north, originate between 3,600-3,800 feet. Mud Creek drains off Cohasset Ridge to the south, flowing 26 miles to its confluence with Big Chico Creek. Rock Creek drains the north side of Cohasset Ridge and flows 28.5 miles before it joins Mud Creek. Median discharge for Big Chico Creek in Bidwell Park about three miles downstream of the Reserve is 175 cubic feet per second (cfs) winter and 30 cfs summer. Since the stream reach between the Reserve and the stream gage experiences a great deal of ground infiltration in summer, median summer flow within the Reserve is probably greater than 30 cfs. The BCCER also contains intermittent tributaries of the Sycamore and Mud Creek sub-basins of the Big Chico Creek watershed and numerous springs and seeps. Fresh water at the Henning Ranch house is from a year round flowing spring.

Climatic Conditions

The Reserve is located in an Interior Mediterranean Climate that is defined by its moist, cool winters and hot, dry summers (Critchfield, 1974). Yearly precipitation is extremely variable but averages about 40 inches, most of which falls as rain from November to May, although further upstream in the watershed colder winter storms can deposit large amounts of snow. Until this snow pack melts, usually by late spring, it adds to the regular base flow of Big Chico Creek. The temperatures for the area can drop well below freezing during the winter and commonly rise above 100°F during July and August.

Other Site Characteristics 

Access, Trails and Roads

A first point of access is gained by recorded easement to the Reserve chiefly by way of Ten Mile House Road at the “Green Gate" on Highway 32 about 10 miles east of Chico. It leads through two miles of Bidwell Park before entering the Reserve. Ten Mile House Road is a steep, unimproved dirt road with portions that become slippery or boggy in wet weather. When passable, it provides convenient access to two miles of the riparian band adjacent to Big Chico Creek in the Reserve. The road is gated with an informational sign at the Park/Reserve property line. The creek-side road extends through the Reserve where it passes into the Bickely property. This boundary is also gated and signed. The canyon road then exits the Bickley property back into the Reserve paralleling the creek to the Crane property gate.

A second unimproved dirt road follows the top of Musty Buck Ridge. It can be accessed via private property from three branches: near the airport, at Richardson Springs, and from Ponderosa Way. Branches of this road follow all the ridge tops. The Reserve has no formal access rights through the private properties on Musty Buck Ridge. An abandoned jeep trail forks off the creek-side road 0.1 mile upstream of the entrance gate, fords the creek and winds its way up the canyon wall to join the Musty Buck Ridge Road. It is overgrown, but could be developed for a hiking or ATV trail. A small, isolated segment of the Reserve is located along Highway 32 about a half mile north of Ten Mile House Road. This Reserve overlook includes a remnant of the old Highway 32, which provides a paved access to a scenic overview of the Reserve. The road entrance to the Reserve is gated and an informational sign is attached to it. A rough hiking trail leads from this overview down to join the creek-side road 1.3 miles from the southern boundary of the Reserve.

The main entrance to the reserve is a partially paved and gated point fourteen miles from Chico on Highway 32, historically called 14 Mile House Road. It leads one half mile downhill to the reserve headquarters, the Henning House, and beyond the barn down to the creek. 

Biological Characteristics

Research currently underway on the Reserve will create maps of the major vegetation communities. The mosaic nature of these communities makes this task a rather formidable project. Students in advanced GIS classes will be invited to help with this undertaking.

Natural Communities

The Reserve contains a high diversity of unique and critically important habitats, which support an excellent diversity of wildlife. Terrestrial habitats include blue oak woodland, mixed oak/pine woodland, scrub oak/Ceanothus chaparral, manzanita chaparral, mixed hardwood forest, black oak woodland and riparian areas. Where canopy cover allows, foothill grasslands are present throughout the woodland. Mediterranean annual species dominate the grassland and exotic range pests like medusa-head or yellow star thistle are common. Patches of perennial native grasses are also common. (Table 2)

Table 2. Native perennial grasses identified on the Reserve

Common Name

Scientific Name

Deer grass

Muhlenbergia rigens

Mexican muhly

Muhlenbergia mexicana

Blue wildrye

Elymus glaucus

Creeping wildrye

Leymus triticoides

Purple needlegrass

Nasella pulchra

California melic

Melica californica

Torrey's melic

Melica torreyana

Woodland brome

Bromus laevipes

California brome

Bromus carinatus

The mosaic of terrestrial plant communities provides habitat for over 140 different wildlife species.  Thirteen percent of the wildlife that are known or expected to occur on the Reserve are listed species (including Species of Special Concern). Due to the property’s remoteness, little human disturbance, and limited hunting pressure, wildlife have an excellent chance of developing healthy and sustainable populations with proper habitat management.

There is also a diversity of aquatic habitats within the Reserve. Big Chico Creek contains deep bedrock pools with undercut rock ledges, scattered large boulders and abundant overhanging vegetation and woody debris. These pools are separated by relatively steep riffles dominated by emergent boulders and provided with abundant cover from torrent sedge and umbrella plant. The creek provides excellent habitat for spring-run Chinook salmon, steelhead and resident rainbow trout. California roach are abundant, providing food for the salmonids as well as kingfishers, herons, and mergansers. Additional aquatic habitat is found in 0.8 mile of the headwaters of Sycamore Creek, 1.5 miles of the headwaters of tributaries to Mud Creek and 6 small tributary streams to Big Chico Creek. These small streams provide both perennial and seasonal habitat for insects and amphibians.

Flora and Fauna

The diversity of habitats on the Reserve provides suitable living conditions for a very diverse biota. With the exception of the Big Chico Creek fauna, current lists of plants and animals are based more on published distributions and knowledge of nearby areas than on observations within the Reserve. Field surveys of species diversity will be one of the top priorities for the first few years of research on the Reserve.  (See Appendix 8)

Historical and Ongoing Research

Fourteen master's theses have been done on aspects of Big Chico Creek. The Big Chico Creek Watershed Alliance has completed an Existing Conditions Report for the Big Chico Creek Watershed, which includes a great deal of information about the Reserve area. Geosciences professor William Murphy has begun gathering data on groundwater chemistry. Professor Dawn Wilson, Biology Department, CSU, Chico and her graduate students are comparing the biology of western pond turtles in the Reserve with those along the Sacramento River. Botany graduate student, Colby Boggs, recently completed  his master's research on canyon dudleya, (Dudleya cymosa) including a population within the Reserve. A graduate student compared fire damage to blue oaks  (Quercus douglasii) in the Reserve where the 1999 fire burned downhill to that in Upper Bidwell Park where a backfire burned uphill. Professor Paul Maslin, Biology Department, is experimenting with native grass restoration.

Ecological Processes

Fire has been an important ecological factor in the Sierra –Cascade foothills. The seasonal availability of precipitation ensures abundant fuel coupled with a dry period in which it can burn. Lightning strikes and, more recently, human activities provided an ignition source. Fire is essential to the health of many foothill vegetation communities. Most of the Reserve west of Big Chico Creek burned in the Musty Buck Fire of 1999, resulting in extensive root sprouting of many woody species including California bay, scrub oak, live oak, and deer brush. Many seedlings of buck brush, manzanita, and gray pine have been observed subsequent to the fire. Buckbrush and deerbrush are important food items for deer feeding only on newly developed shoots, which are most abundant on younger plants. As chaparral matures available browse grows beyond the reach of deer (Biswell and Gilman 1961). In addition, many chaparral plants have evolved adaptations that allow them to survive, reproduce, and thrive in a system that frequently burns. Historically, blue oak/pine woodlands burned at 2 to 18 year intervals with an average fire frequency of 7.8 years (Stephens 1997).

Livestock grazing is often blamed for reducing habitat quality for wildlife, especially those species dependent on riparian areas. Obviously, intense grazing, such as occurred for approximately 30 years on the Reserve, is the most destructive. However, Kie and Boroski 1995, found the effect of cattle grazing to be minimal on black-tailed deer upland home range and time spent feeding. This may be a result of different habitat preferences between cattle and deer (Barrett 1982). Substantial literature has been written regarding the effects of cattle grazing on riparian areas and bird communities. Generally, the results of grazing are species and site specific. In arid environments, cattle tend to congregate in riparian or seep areas causing intense competition with other wildlife, reducing cover and forage, eroding the streambank, and increasing sedimentation in creeks. Cattle also affect the ecology of the community in more subtle ways. Unpalatable plants have a selective advantage over palatable plants, often contributing to the invasion of noxious weeds. Soil is compacted by the high weight/area of hooves, decreasing the survival of burrowing animals and the rate at which precipitation is absorbed into the soil thereby increasing surface runoff and erosion and reducing soil availability to plants. Site-specific cattle grazing can be used as a habitat management tool. Turning cattle onto a range when an undesirable plant is setting seed and taking them off before a more desirable plant begins to seed can help shift the balance of forage species. Grazing can also be used to help reduce fuel load and keep wildfire controllable.

Physical Improvements and Previous Enhancements

The property has been primarily used as rangeland for about 100 years. Except for the Henning Ranch structures, the only physical improvements are minimal roads and fences. Most are in need of repair or removal with site restoration. (See Appendices 12 and 13).

Current Issues and Constraints

 

Proximity to Bidwell Park creates public pressure for unauthorized recreational access on habitat and Reserve wildlife populations in the park. The concept of creating a public hiking trail from the Sacramento River through Bidwell Park and upstream to the crest of the mountains has achieved some public attention. Such a trail, were it to be permitted through the Reserve, could compromise the mission and proper functioning of the Reserve as detailed in this plan.

Hunting. The history of access for hunting on parts of the Reserve as well as restrictions on acquisition funds require some hunting access to be provided. An annual hunting management plan has been prepared by California Department of Fish and Game staff and hunting activities will be monitored by Department of Fish and Game biologists and wardens as well as Reserve staff (Appendix 14).

Fishing is restricted by DFG regulations. Because the Reserve is critical spawning and rearing habitat for both spring-run Chinook and steelhead, DFG wardens and Reserve staff will carefully monitor potential activity (Appendix 14).


Invasive and sensitive species