SFLAP has provided free post-fire restoration services to landowners in Butte County; currently offering site visits only.

Butte Creek is home to the strongest spring-run Chinook salmon population in the Central Valley, and supplies water to tens of thousands of acres of cropland. Its upper watershed is an important refuge for forest carnivores, California spotted owls, trout and many rare plants, plus meadows and fens that store centuries' worth of carbon. Surrounding the two rural communities of Butte Meadows and…

When forest roads get in bad shape, they usually become the biggest source of sedimentation in a watershed. Plus, it's bad for our economy when people can't get around the county.  And it's a public safety issue when people need to get out of the forest, fast.  To keep Butte County moving, BCRCD helps local land managers get money for fixing dirt roads.  Right now, BCRCD is managing a $375,000…

"Neighbors helping neighbors put good fire on the ground": that's what the Butte Prescribed Burn Association is all about! When we learn to use fire in a good way, we build community and heal from the wildfire traumas of our past. 

The Conocow Resilience Project is an innovative post-fire restoration project born out of collaboration between BCRCD, the Feather River Ranger District of the Plumas National Forest, the Konkow Valley Band of Maidu Indians, the Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSWRS), and American Forests.  It is funded by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, PSWRS, American Forests, and California Climate…

We help local landowners get free or low-cost forestry advice, plus get paid back for part of the cost of forest improvement projects. If you're looking to create habitat, conserve soil or water, or adapt your land to fire, call us. We want to reduce your cost for being a good steward of the land.

Did somebody dump a bunch of garbage on your rural land?  Did marijuana growers trespass on your ranch and trash it?  That's a sickening feeling.  But you don't have to deal with it alone. There's a State program that can pay the costs of cleaning up your land.  Landowners can't apply directly, but your RCD can do it on your behalf.  So call us at (530) 693-3173 and we can get you up to $50,000 to…

Butte County RCD received a 2019 Forest Health Watershed Coordinator grant from California's Department of Conservation. This grant funded BCRCD staff to develop several large-scale forest health grants, start the Butte PBA, and work on erosion control projects around the County.  The watershed coordinator will also be responsible for developing the Butte Forest Plan, a document that spells out…

...That's the motto of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.  Part of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, the NRCS often asks BCRCD for help assisting local landowners, especially farmers and ranchers, to conserve soil, water, air, and biodiversity.  NRCS is not a regulator.  It just provides practical as well as financial help to farmers and ranchers who ask for it.  Through contracts with NRCS…

Our RCD is proud to have helped the City of Chico develop its first-ever citywide Vegetative Fuels Management Plan.   The Plan includes several priority projects to reverse the negative ecological effects of long-term fire suppression, restore natural and cultural fire to our parklands, raise sightlines and increase user safety, and reduce ladder fuels that could threaten parkside homes.  It also…

Accessing one of the most beautiful places in Butte County got a lot easier in April 2020, when BCRCD completed repairs to the Dome Trail which accesses Curtain Falls on the Middle Fork of the Feather River.  Amazingly, the stairs and other trail features survived the 2020 North Comple/Bear Fire and remain usable when the forest is safe to visit.  Thanks to Butte County's Resource Advisory…

In the Plumas National Forest, we help make sure future generations will always have a wild ride.  In partnership with Butte County, BCRCD is managing $362,000 in OHV green sticker grant funds to upgrade OHV connectivity.  In addition to adding about 15 miles of new authorized trail, the project evaluates the possibility of opening up as much as 40 more miles of existing roads that are currently…

Just outside Oroville, we help make sure burrowing owls and rare vernal pool critters will always have a place to be.  In partnership with CalTrans, we hold the conservation easement on a 576-acre open space parcel outside Oroville.  This parcel, rich in vernal pools is protected under a grazing easement that ensures it will continue to be used by Butte County ranchers to grow healthy grass-fed…

OHV riding is a family tradition in our part of the woods and an important part of Butte County quality of life.  So when Plumas National Forest made major changes to its OHV trail system in August 2010, it was.... controversial.  The result of that "Travel Management"  decision was that some trails were closed for good. Some were left open. But many ended up on a list called "Table 2"  -- not…

In Paradise and Yankee Hill, we helped landowners by giving away many miles of free straw wattles to stop runoff and erosion on burned lands.  When we heard CalOES was about to leave behind 340 pallets of straw wattles with no place to go, we  helped identify 3  staging sites. Then we staffed the sites for giveaway days and made sure every landowner who picked up wattles knew how to install them…

In Butte Creek Canyon, we helped local volunteers be more effective by donating GIS mapping and coordination services.  When the Camp Fire broke out, baby spring-run Chinook salmon were just hatching.  Locals knew sediment and toxic ash could smother the young fish in the first big rain. Friends of Butte Creek and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were on the scene immediately, with USFWS providing…