Redding Field Trips

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area Field Trip — Carr Fire Recovery – One Year Post Fire

Photo credit: https://www.nps.gov/whis/carrfire.htm
  • Monday, February 3, 1pm
  • Meeting Location: Whiskeytown National Recreation Area Visitor Center / HWY 299 & J.F. Kennedy Memorial Dr.
  • Rain or shine, but heavy rain or mud may cancel the event
  • Participants should bring their own personal gear (boots, hat, rain gear, water bottle, lunch) and come prepared for a fun day in the field!
  • Carpools encouraged – meet in front of the Red Lion Hotel at 12:20pm Monday to arrange shared rides!
  • Space is limited to 50 participants

Join park staff, including Russ Weatherbee (Wildlife Biologist), Eamon Engber (Interagency Fire Ecologist), as well as Research Ecologist, Eric Knapp (USFS Pacific Southwest Research Station) on a tour of the Carr Fire within Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. 

The Carr Fire burned a total of 229,651 acres and approximately 97% of the park in three operating periods. The majority of the park burned at moderate to high severity within a wide range of plant communities. On this field trip, the impacts to wildlife and habitat types will be discussed, as well as post-fire recovery efforts. Although this field trip will primarily be a driving tour, we recommend you bring rain gear and boots for when you are out of the vehicles talking.  Also, please bring your own food and water.   This field trip can host a maximum of 50 people and carpooling during the tour is preferred.  There is no fee for this field trip and the park entry fee will be waived for personal cars used during the tour.

Bald Eagle Surveys on Shasta Lake with the USFS 

Photo Credit: www.lakeshasta.com
  • Monday, February 3rd, 10am
  • Limited to 8 people (Full! with long waiting list)

The Shasta Lake Ranger District of the Shasta Trinity National Forest will host a field trip to conduct Bald Eagle Surveys on Shasta Lake. During the trip the monitoring program will be discussed with the possibility of a discussion of the Hirz and Delta fires that burned near the lake shore.  

 

 

Lunchtime Walking Tours to Caltrans Mitigation Sites on the Sacramento River in Redding

  • No advance signups necessary, FREE
  • No limit to number of participants
  • Walkers meet in front of the Red Lion at 12:00pm Wedensday,  2.5 miles round trip
  • Or, drivers meet in front of the Red Lion at 12:15pm to carpool to the Turtle Bay East Open Space.   
  • Both groups meet at the Turtle Bay East Open Space entrance at 12:30pm for the tour.  See map below!

Wednesday Lunch Field Trip:   

In 2008, Caltrans widened the HW 44 bridge over the Sacramento River in Redding not far from our conference facility. The expansion led to loss of riparian habitat as well as loss of jurisdictional aquatic resources. As mitigation for this project, Caltrans worked in conjunction the City of Redding to enhance 9 acres of riparian habitat at Turtle Bay east. We can tour this site easily in 45 minutes, it’s a nice loop directly adjacent to the river. It perfectly highlights the idea of habitat in a downtown setting, pros and cons.   Walk (or drive) to Mitigation Site, 2.5 miles round trip.  

Photo Credit: www.visitredding.com


 

Thursday Lunch Field Trip

  • No advance signups necessary, FREE
  • No limit to number of participants
  • Meet in front of the Red Lion at 12:45pm to carpool to the Turtle Bay Exploration Park and Sundial Brigde.  Parking is FREE in the main Turtle Bay Parking Lot.  
  • Meet outside in front of the Turtle Bay Musuem Store at the base of the West Side of the Sundidal Bridge at 1:00pm for the tour.  

The Thursday field trip will explore the area Caltrans created at Willow Pond adjacent to the Sundial Bridge and the McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay Exploration Park.  It is near to the conference facility (a 5 minute drive).  Willow Pond is a 2 acre pond Caltrans scooped out and enhanced. It generally has some critters scurrying around. We can see it in it’s entirety in 30 minutes. 

Adjacent to Willow Pond is the McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens which comprises 20 acres of mediterranean-climate display gardens, a children’s garden, a medicinal garden, and two beautiful and unique water features.
The Arboretum extends over 200 acres with direct links to the award-winning Sacramento River Trail.    https://www.visitredding.com/mcconnell-arboretum-botanical-gardens

Photo credit: www.visitredding.com