The Bureau of Land Management and Horsetown-Clear Creek Preserve will offer free public outings ranging from bird watching to traditional uses of native plants, on weekends from late March until June.  The events are free.

“These are great family activities that can help connect children to the natural and cultural heritage of the public lands,” said BLM Redding Field Manager Jennifer Mata.  “We are proud to partner with the Horsetown-Clear Creek Preserve to provide these activities for our communities.”

Participants will meet at the times indicated at the parking lot of the Horsetown-Clear Creek Preserve on Clear Creek Road, just west of the Clear Creek Bridge.  The parking area is about 7 miles west of the intersection of Clear Creek Road and California State Highway 273.  Maps, and directions and information are available at www.horsetownclearcreekpreserve.org.

Events include:
Natural History Walk: Saturday, March 24, 9 a.m.: Participants will enjoy outstanding views of the Clear Creek Canyon in this moderately strenuous hike lasting two to three hours.  Participants should wear sturdy walking shoes and bring water and snacks for this outing on BLM-managed public land in the Cloverdale Recreation Area.  Depending on rainfall, waterfalls could be flowing into Clear Creek.  Don Neptune, a member of HCCP’s board of directors, will lead the outing.  

Wildflowers and Wild Plants: Sunday, April 8, 1 p.m.: David Ledger of the California Native Plant Society will lead this walk to wildflower blooms in the Clear Creek Greenway. 

Early Bird Watchers: Saturday, April 14, 8:30 a.m.: Participants should bring binoculars for this birding stroll across the Horsetown-Clear Creek Preserve.  Local expert Barbara Peck, who holds a master’s degree in wildlife biology, will point out various bird species and provide details about them. 

Butterflies: Sunday, April 29, 11 a.m.: Local butterfly specialist Chris Gray will lead walkers to see butterflies and learn intriguing facts about the insects and the plants that sustain them.  Close-focusing binoculars would be a great tool to bring on this stroll. 

Plant Community Ecology Walk: Saturday, May 5, 9 a.m.: Participants will walk through the Clear Creek Greenway and Horsetown-Clear Creek Preserve and learn about the plant community: why plants grow in certain areas, the functions they perform and their inter-relationships in the ecosystem.  Laura Broadhead, a BLM ecologist, will lead the walk and help participants learn to identify key plants. 

Native Plant Identification and Uses: Sunday, May 20, 1 p.m.: Ted Dawson, a member of the Wintu Tribe, will lead the walk where he will point out native plants and explain their traditional medicinal and general uses.  He will help participants make a natural poison oak remedy that they can take home in jars.  Dawson is knowledgeable about Native American culture and provided technical support for museum exhibits at Turtle Bay Exploration Park.

Bugs on the Bottom: Sunday, June 3, 2 p.m.: Families can wade or watch from shore as Shasta College instructor Morgan Hannaford, Ph.D., gathers fascinating insects from their underwater homes.  Dr. Hannaford has a passion for teaching people of all ages.

More information is available by contacting Horsetown-Clear Creek Preserve via email at Horsetownhccp@gmail.com.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 Western states, including Alaska.  The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation.  The agency's mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America's public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.  Diverse activities authorized on these lands generated $75 billion in sales of goods and services throughout the American economy in fiscal year 2016 - more than any other agency in the Department of the Interior.  These activities supported more than 372,000 jobs.