Deer Creek Preserve Sustained Minimal Impact from Park Fire

We are happy to announce that the Deer Creek Preserve, our hidden gem in the mountains, did not sustain significant direct damage from the Park Fire, which was ignited on public property in Chico, California on July 24th, 2024, and quickly spread throughout our region. Our gratitude goes out to CalFire and the hard-working firefighters and first responders for their continuous work to contain the Park Fire.  

NCRLT worked closely with CalFire over the past several weeks to monitor the fire as it approached our Preserve, visiting Tehama and Butte Counties’ Park Fire Incident Commands to coordinate with our designated liaisons. We identified important infrastructure on our Preserve, including CDFW’s fish ladder, helipad, access roads, and remain briefed daily on “dozer line” remediation and all aspects of the fire suppression clean-up efforts.  

Our staff diligently reviewed all data and maps available to incorporate available imagery into our planning with GIS. We continue to attend the regularly scheduled Cooperators Meetings for organizations and agencies directly impacted by the fire and we are relieved that containment increases daily and our Preserve is no longer in a high-risk area.

We know how exhausting the past few weeks have been for our entire community, and how many losses have been sustained. 

On August 19th, our staff visited the Preserve to assess any damage and document the post-fire condition. The fire damage is contained to a small portion on the western boundary, and the area was less severely burned compared to other areas. Although driving through the burned area leading to the Preserve was shocking, we were heartened to see several deer and other small wildlife doing well. Fire is a powerful regenerative tool in nature, and we will continue to steward our Preserve, and watch as Deer Creek Canyon and other areas affected by this fire recover and prosper in time.  

Thanks to funding and support from Sierra Nevada Conservancy, we initiated a restoration and land management planning process for our Preserve prior to the Park Fire event. In collaboration with our land partners, Sierra Pacific Industries and US Forest Service, our fuel reduction and timber management strategies will ensure that our goals are met. 

We cannot wait to host hikes in our Preserve again soon. However, at this time, the Deer Creek Trail and K-line Road access to our Preserve are both still closed. The area is currently in the postfire mop-up phase and is still unsafe for public use. For up-to-date information on trail and road closures in the area, please visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/lassen/alerts-notices.