Future Field Trips: February 2024

Please join us for the following field trips, hosted by Shasta Chapter CNPS and/or Shasta Environmental Alliance (SEA).

Cloverdale Trails Restoration and Ecology Field Trip
Saturday, February 10, 9 AM

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Ecologist Brooke Thompson will lead this field trip on several of the Cloverdale trails and explain the restoration work that BLM has been doing, as well as the effects that humans have had in the area. Brooke is very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about restoring and protecting BLM lands. This will be an easy walk of about three miles, lasting up to three hours. We will meet in the Holiday Market parking lot near CVS on Placer and Buenaventura, Redding, at 9 AM, to carpool to the trail, or you can meet us at the trailhead at 9:20 AM. (We would like to reduce our greenhouse gases by carpooling, but it is not required.) For light rain, bring an umbrella; heavy rain cancels. Dogs OK on leash if you pick up after them. Limited to 20 participants: sign up on Shasta Environmental Alliance’s Meetup page, and be sure to sign both waivers (see introductory paragraph).

Bryophyte Walk
Friday, February 16, 9:30 AM

(This field trip is part three of a three-part bryophyte event, beginning with an afternoon workshop, and followed by an evening presentation on Thursday, February 15.) Accompanied by Bryophyte Chapter’s Scot Loring, we will be hunting for mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. We chose to hike Waters Gulch Trail for its cool, steep north face, with a diversity of mosses and possibly liverworts. We will probably only walk a short distance, as this will be a slow-paced walk with lots of botanizing! Meet in Redding’s Mt. Shasta Mall parking lot near Chase Bank to carpool by 9:30 AM, or at the upper Waters Gulch trailhead on Packers Bay Road at 10 AM. For light rain, bring an umbrella; heavy rain cancels. No dogs on this walk, please. Email shastacnps@gmail.com should you have questions.

Trail 58 Field Trip
Saturday, February 24, 9:30 AM

This trail on BLM land is just west of Redding and follows the south side of Middle Creek to Old Shasta in what was oak woodland, now recovering from the Carr Fire, which opened up greater vistas of the canyon and hillsides. It’s a fairly level trail that follows an old water ditch from the gold mining era for much of the way, with a foot bridge across a small creek in a ravine. We will catch early-blooming wildflowers and identify many of the trees and shrubs along the trail. This is a 3½-mile easy hike with a steep and rocky section near the end that will require some agility and balance. We will meet at the trailhead off Highway 299 on Iron Mountain Road at 9:30 AM. For light rain, bring an umbrella; heavy rain cancels. Dogs OK on leash if you pick up after them. Limited to 20 participants: sign up on Shasta Environmental Alliance’s Meetup page, and be sure to sign both waivers (see introductory paragraph).

For more information about any hike, please contact me at david@ecoshasta.org. ~David Ledger