Illegal Grading at the Proposed Clear Creek Gun Club
While not directly affecting native plants (due to prior vegetation removal), the landowner west and uphill from Horsetown-Clear Creek Preserve has illegally graded a hilltop ridge (see the March 11, 2026, Redding Record Searchlight article, Judge backs Shasta County fines for gun club owner; also, see the legal ruling #25CVG-01909) and established “Clear Creek Gun Club” on their property, without authorization, indirectly affecting the entire surrounding natural environment, including native plants. In addition, photos on the gun club’s website (Photo 1; Photo 2) show someone with a shotgun pointed toward the Preserve property (which will host school children in April). During a recent storm, due to lack of erosion control measures, a significant amount of sediment ran onto the Preserve and into Clear Creek (see the March 15, 2026, KRCR-TV Channel 7 story, Shasta County accuses local gun club of damaging Clear Creek), where an important fisheries restoration project has been ongoing for over 20 years (see the November 12, 2020, US Fish & Wildlife Service article, Restoration brings salmon, people back to Clear Creek).
Shasta County Resource Development has already levied $119,000 in fines and penalties against the owners (see the March 11, 2026, Redding Record Searchlight article, Judge backs Shasta County fines for gun club owner; also, see the legal ruling #25CVG-01909). In addition, California Department of Fish and Wildlife has filed 15 violations against them (State of California Department of Fish and Wildlife formal complaint, case number FW-2507-0895; Shasta County Superior Court District Attorney File Number 25M10909). A hearing on the case is set for July 27, 2026.
June 26, 2026 CORRECTION: This article has been updated to remove a photo that was mistakenly placed with the original article. That photo was of a slump of a bank next to Clear Creek Road on a Shasta County right of way; it was not on the property owned by the gun club, and we regret the error. There were several slumps of land below Clear Creek Road in the Shasta County right of way. A severe storm event in December apparently contributed to causing the runoff and sedimentation runoff from both the gun club and Shasta County property. In addition, the reference to “rifle” has been corrected to “shotgun.”
July 18, 2026: Citations to substantiate the statements made in this article have been added, in parentheses, to increase clarity and understanding.