FRRCD tours McArthur Swamp, discusses infrastructure changes & other ongoing projects

Fall River Resource Conservation District Board and Staff members recently joined Range Manager Julie Allen as they toured some of the pastures at McArthur Swamp with the goal of observing first hand the condition of the land’s infrastructure as part of their ongoing conservation efforts for the area.

At RCD’s monthly board meeting after the tour, the environmental conservation organization discussed their ongoing projects and prioritized infrastructure needs for the area. “First on the list will be to upgrade the cattle watering system with the installation of larger and more water troughs,” RCD President, Mike Millington, said after the meeting.

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The protected acreage at McArthur Swamp, located just north of McArthur, in eastern Shasta County, is fed largely from alluvial springs that form the Tule and Fall rivers, and is within the ancestral territory of the Ahjumawi Band of the Pit River Tribe.

The seasonal wetland habitat and land for cattle grazing contains important agricultural lands and provide breeding grounds, essential food, nesting cover for migratory birds, and wintering habitat. The property also provides opportunities for public recreation including bird watching, hunting, and wildlife viewing.

Perennial Pepperweed choking out native McArthur Swamp grasses

One major component of RCD’s ongoing McArthur Swamp Project has to deal with noxious weeds such as the Perennial Pepperweed, which officials say have proven to be problematic on McArthur Swamp as they out-compete native grasses and reduce grazing values throughout the area.

“Perennial Pepperweed utilizes significant amounts of ground water and nutrients allowing it to out compete native vegetation,” RCD officials have explained. “Perennial Pepperweed is able to spread easily by seed and root fragments, quickly creating its own monoculture. As such, Perennial Pepperweed has no agricultural or grazing value.”

RCD’s management team has already begun implementing the first phase of a coordinated weed abatement program, and the conservation organization contracted with Basin Fertilizer for the 2018 season to focus on Pepperweed control on McArthur Swamp.

“This year’s focus was to hit areas on the swamp with the highest Pepperweed densities,” said RCD officials, who explained these areas were primarily along the Northern and Eastern areas of the swamp; totaling about 420 acres treated this season.

RCD and Basin Fertilizer officials will later be evaluating the treated areas to determine if any revisions are needed for future abatement approaches in the organization’s ongoing effort to restore native vegetation and improve grazing conditions within the swamp’s wetlands.

Other ongoing RCD projects vital to area conservation

Other ongoing RCD projects include the Hat Creek Enhancement Project and the Bioenergy Cluster Project.

The Hat Creek Enhancement Project, which is intended to bring the Hat Creek channel back to its historic valley low with increased sinuosity and flood plane connectivity, is in its final phase of restoration construction.

RCD’s Bioenergy Cluster Project is the proposed plan to create three small-scale, community-based bio-energy facilities.

The facilities, Burney-Hat Creek Bioenergy, Tubit Enterprise, McArthur Bioenergy, would each be less than 5MW in size and able to participate in renewable energy incentive programs.

According to RCD, the project would sustainably harvest 90,000 tons of bone-dry biomass per year from both public and private land, and over a twenty year period the project would restore more than 14,000 acres.

Critical development at Hat Creek Bioenergy has already been completed, and officials anticipate that the facility will be one of the first community-scale biomass facilities operating in California.

Tubit Enterprise facility is narrowing down on a preferred bio-energy technology and anticipates it will be able to submit information to PG&E for a System Impact Study soon. Once PG&E completes its SIS, Tubit can then enter the BioMAT program and will be able to secure a Power Purchase Agreement with PG&E.

Development on McArthur Bioenergy is still in its preliminary stages, according to RCD.

FRRCD: Ensuring the highest economic, social, and environmental benefits

of area resources

According to RCD and PG&E officials, the nearly 4,500 acre parcel within the Fall River Valley region provides a major wetland linkage and resting spot for migratory birds along the Pacific Flyway.

In addition to their larger projects, RCD says many area residents whose land falls within the district have also already benefited from a number of educational workshops provided by the environmental group covering a variety of topics, from fuel reduction to noxious weed control.

RCD says the conservation program also provides a number of other vitally important services to land owners, including conservation of soil and water on rangeland, pastureland, and irrigated cropland; while focusing on the water quality of Fall River, Pit River, Hat Creek, Burney Creek, and all the watersheds within the district.

Fall River Resource Conservation District has seven local directors who are appointed by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors and serve voluntarily in leadership positions within the district by providing direction in their communities’ natural resource programs. To learn more, visit Fall River Resource Conservation District online or follow them on Facebook.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.