Community members, government representatives and wildlife preservation experts gathered at the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve yesterday to discuss ways to heal and protect the land after the Park Fire.
Most of the reserve’s 7,835 acres were greatly impacted by the fire, as well as its infrastructure.
Charred and flattened ruins of buildings that were on the property — including a barn built almost 200 years ago — were around the group as they discussed their concern about winter rains.
With so much vegetation destroyed by the fire, rainfall will wash dirt and debris into rivers and streams.
Eli Goodsell, executive director of the reserve, said that would impact wildlife.
"There's many fish and other species that rely on exposed gravel beds, exposed cobble areas like that, to lay eggs, but also for scavenging for food, and other things like that,” Goodsell said. “All of that gets covered up when there's large mudflow and debris flow."
The group is particularly concerned about Big Chico Creek — which has turned brown from sediment — and is working on how to quickly stop more sludge from washing into it. To do that, they'll need to slow the water down, allowing the dirt to settle naturally.
Goodsell said they have a variety of options.
"Those could be one-rock dams, leaky weirs, beaver dam analogs, but it's using a lot of rock and wood that is currently here on site to slow waters down as they move through these different tributaries,” he said.
Goodsell said many are hoping to take away important lessons from the recovery work.
"We're really looking at this as an opportunity now of how we can develop a playbook on how to respond to catastrophic, high intensity wildfire in an ecosystem,” he said.
Goodsell said the first step is to identify important priorities. Then, they can begin planning what needs to be done, and which organizations to collaborate with.
But, operations like this come with logistical challenges. Multiple organizations have to collaborate and permits have to be secured before large-scale work can be done.
Butte County Resource Conservation District Manager Thad Walker said he’s working to orchestrate the funding and permits needed.
"These aren't often processes that move very quickly, but we're really thankful we've had so many agencies from the state and the fed already reaching out and sitting down at the table and talking about how we can permit this thing,” Walker said.
Members of the recovery effort are working against the clock.
Winter brings rainfall, and with it, debris flows. But even starting now, they say full recovery will take years of work.
A fundraising campaign was launched this week to support the recovery effort. Those who want to give can donate to the Big Chico Creek Emergency Fund or the Butte County Resource Conservation District Watershed Restoration Fund.
