CWF Spotlight
Shasta Valley Wildlife Area, Siskiyou County
Shasta Valley Wildlife Area (SVWA) is located 8 miles east of Yreka. More than 230 species of birds have been documented on this 4,657-acre property. Confirmed nesters include greater sandhill cranes, willow flycatchers and bald eagles. The Little Shasta River is considered critical habitat for coho salmon. Steelhead trout and fall run Chinook salmon are also present. SVWA is host to nature study, fishing and hunting of dove, waterfowl and pheasant. Recent issues involving anadromous fish require that the 1992 land management plan be updated.
Land Management Plans
Land Management Plans establish a set of management goals and tasks that the California Department of Fish and Game will implement to ensure the long term protection of wildlife and habitat, and where appropriate, allow for compatible public uses. These plans are funded by the Wildlife Conservation Board. Currently CWF is working with several environmental firms on 11 plans across state and more in the future. A partial listing of land management plans follows.
Hallelujah Junction Wildlife Area, Sierra and Lassen Counties
The Hallelujah Junction Wildlife Area (HJWA) totals approximately 13,400 acres in eastern Sierra and southern Lassen Counties. The majority of the property is critical deer winter range for the Loyalton-Truckee deer herd, one of the most important herds in California. HJWA contains seven habitat types and a diverse assemblage of wildlife species. The previous land management plan for this site was developed in 1990. Since that time, more than 7,000 acres have been added by land exchange with the Bureau of Land Management and purchase from private owners. The new land management plan will address the property's expansion as well as its biological complexity.
Heenan Lake Wildlife Area, Alpine County
Heenan Lake Wildlife Area (HLWA) was originally acquired to conserve the state and federally listed threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout. HLWA is located approximately seven miles southeast of Markleeville, California. The lake itself consists of 130 acres of the approximate 1,653-acre property. The Land Management Plan for this site is being updated due to the recent acquisition of water rights as well as a land swap with the Bureau of Land Management, which has altered the boundaries of the property.
Honey Lake Wildlife Area, Lassen County
Honey Lake Wildlife Area, totaling 7,667 acres, is located in the Great Basin Desert between the Sierra Nevada (to the east), Diamond Mountains (to the west) and Skedaddle and Shaffer Mountains (to the north). More than 5,200 acres are intensively-managed wetlands, croplands and native uplands. Much of the wetland areas have been restored, most recently with funding from the North American Wetland Conservation Act and the Wildlife Conservation Board.
Horseshoe Ranch Wildlife Area, Siskiyou County
This 8,871-acre wildlife area, located 14 miles north of Yreka and 10 miles east of Interstate 5 along the Oregon border, was acquired by the Wildlife Conservation Board in 1977 for the purpose of protecting and enhancing deer winter range. Public interest and use of the land has increased since the establishment of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and includes field trips to view birds, other wildlife and flowers. Increased public use, as well as issues involving livestock trespass impacts, cultural resources and threatened and endangered plant species are being reviewed as part of the new land management plan.
Mouth of Cottonwood Creek Wildlife Area, Shasta County
Mouth of Cottonwood Creek Wildlife Area totals approximately 903 acres, located in south central Shasta County. The property contains six habitat types and was acquired to protect and manage wetland, riparian and upland habitats.
North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve, Butte County
Located three miles north of Oroville, the North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve is one of the most popular wildflower viewing areas in northern California. Identified as a significant natural area, North Table Mountain supports Northern Basalt Flow Vernal Pools and an endemic community unique to California, which occurs in less than ten localities. The purpose of the acquisition was to protect this significant natural area and the rare plants and wildlife it contains.
Willow Creek Wildlife Area, Lassen County
The 2,722-acre Willow Creek Wildlife Area was acquired in 1989 to preserve, protect and restore wetlands and provide public uses including hunting. Located 16 miles north of Susanville, the area is a major source of water for Honey Lake and provides important nesting opportunities for wetland birds including waterfowl and greater sandhill cranes.
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