Marble Creek UC Berkeley

An expansive 3,244 acres of forest, oak woodland, and riparian land located east of the Pit River and northeast of Shasta Lake is now protected forever. The property will be owned and managed by Berkeley Forests, UC Berkeley’s Center for Forestry and Fire Research and Outreach.

The property will be the sixth research forest for the University of California, and their first research forest within the Shasta-Cascades region, providing invaluable new habitats and ecosystems that will expand the University’s capabilities for environmental research. Berkeley Forests develops and tests management strategies for forested watersheds to adapt to climate change. Research may include studies focusing on water quality, greenhouse gas fluxes related to forest vegetation, timber growth and yields, fire risk, and pests and diseases, to determine how those factors impact corresponding habitats for rare plant and animal species.

The land encompasses sections of Marble Creek and Cape Horn Creek, as well as 27 ephemeral streams. The property lies within the Pit River watershed and protects substantial drainages into the Pit River, a significant feeder into Shasta Lake and ultimately the Sacramento River waterway. Protection of the numerous wetlands, groundwater springs, and surrounding Lower Pit River watershed will protect essential habitat for threatened and endangered aquatic and invertebrate species in the region.

The property supports habitat for numerous threatened and special status plant and animal species. Notably, the property provides substantial prime habitat for many bat species that feed on insects in the marshland, meadows, and forested areas. The land also provides nesting and foraging habitat for special status raptor species, including a variety of ospreys, hawks, owls, harriers and eagles.

The protection of this biodiverse property and its potential for critical ecological research in this environmentally sensitive time will be an enormous asset to our understanding of how to best mitigate climate change impacts. We look forward to partnering with Berkeley Forests as a resource for local studies that can positively impact our region’s resilience to climate change and fire threats. We are thankful for the Pacific Forest and Watershed Lands Stewardship Council and PG&E’s support for the conservation of this property.