Horsetown-Clear Creek Preserve Inc

Horsetown-Clear Creek Preserve 

Horsetown-Clear Creek Preserve offers an opportunity for citizen involvement and effective government/private partnerships.    Our group formed more than three decades ago with support from several local organizations including the Native Plant Society, Wintu Audubon, Shasta Historical Society and Carter House Science Museum.  Our goal – a partnership with the Bureau of Land Management to retain, preserve and restore public lands along lower Clear Creek.                                   

One of our goals that has received a lot of attention is the restoration of the salmon fishery in lower Clear Creek.  In the late 1980’s we participated in public meetings encouraging retention of BLM lands in the area.  Property we own at the Clear Creek Bridge was included in the first phase of creek restoration overseen by the Western Shasta Resource Conservation District.  The public can join us each October for a walk through part of the restoration to see salmon building reds and spawning.  A biologist from the Department of Fish and Wildlife or U. S. Fish and Wildlife explains the salmon life cycle, the restoration project and results of restoration efforts.  

Horsetown-Clear Creek Preserve also promotes nature-related education and may be best known in the community for the interpretive events we organize each spring and fall.  They’re opportunities for hands on learning about nature in nature.  Our spring topics include aquatic insects, bird watching, butterflies, geology, GPS, native plants and wildflowers.  Fall events may be acorns, fly fishing, natural history with canyon views, salmon spawning or wild mushrooms.

The Preserve serves as an outdoor classroom where children can explore the natural sciences and learn the value of stewardship.  We have a table and benches and a restroom available for school field trips or scout outings.  Children have been involved in planting trees and native plants, raising salmon fry to release in Clear Creek and performing water quality tests.  Events that allow children to search the creek bottom for aquatic insects or grind acorns for flour are always favorites.  

Our property includes a network of trails that are open to the public and many of our interpretive walks occur here.  We also lead walks on the public lands along Clear Creek introducing people to new trails off Cloverdale Road and Clear Creek Road.   The canyon and creek views from Cloverdale are amazing and include a couple of waterfalls.  Salmon viewing at the overlook below the old Saeltzer Dam site is popular and was planned to include access for people with physical challenges from the Gorge trailhead parking lot.

If you are looking for opportunities for low impact nature related recreation or education or want to volunteer for a special project or trail maintenance check out our face book page   https://www.facebook.com/Horsetown-Clear-Creek-Preserve-187201774694049/,  our website at www.horsetownclearcreekpreserve.org, or contact us at horsetownhccp@gmail.com or 

PO Box 991833, Redding CA 96099-1833.