331 Acres, Established 2019.
Private Property. Limited Public Access.
Conservation Values:Â Â
The Deer Creek Park Forest Reserve Conservation Easement consists of nine parcels totaling approximately 331 acres. Generally, the Property consists of montane conifer-hardwood habitat. Montane hardwood-conifer forests provides habitat for a variety of wildlife species. Mature forests are valuable to cavity nesting birds. Canopy cover and understory vegetation are variable which makes the habitat suitable for numerous species. Cooper’s hawk (Accipiter cooperii) habitat has been detected on lands approximately 0.93 miles north of the Property.The Property is found within the Upper Yuba Watershed and Little Deer Creek runs along the southern edge of the Property.
The protection of this Property will benefit the people of Nevada County through the protection of the Property’s watershed values, wildlife and plant habitats, and forest and water resources. This Property is located 0.16 miles north of the 33-acre Little Deer Preserve Conservation Easement and the 28-acre Woodpecker Wildlife Preserve which is held in fee title by BYLT. BLM land is located south of the Property.
Restoration:
The Deer Creek Park Fuels Reduction and Forest Health Project (2022-2023) will reduce hazardous fuel loads. A portion of the project area has already been treated under Cal-Fire’s California Forest Improvement Program (CFIP) in 2021. The project is a partnership between BYLT, Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC), Cal-Fire, FRST Corporation, and the landowner, funded by a grant from SNC to BYLT.
The primary purpose of this project is to decrease fire risk for the forested residential areas of the Deer Creek Park neighborhood. The project will improve forest health, protect water supplies, improve the safety for recreational trail users, and prepare for the use of prescribed burning to continually manage fuel loads in the future. The project includes pruning along canals, biomass thinning, and fire protection along boundary lines. The woody debris removed from the site will be taken to a nearby biomass energy facility and sold, however, no profit is being generated from this community protection project.
What to do there: The Cascade Canal Trail intersects the bottom portion of this parcel; Bear Yuba Land Trust holds a trail easement which allows for public access.