A Conservation Success Story!

In 2017, Joseph Butler and Christy Pitchel made the decision to purchase a unique piece of land a few hours north of where they lived in the Bay Area. To them, the property buzzed with wildlife and was a refuge away from home. It had everything any naturalist would want, including a vast oak woodland filled with squirrels, turkey, quail, and deer, along with a network of vernal pools supporting specially adapted plants and invertebrates. As you walk across the plateau filled with breathtaking displays of wildflowers in the spring, you are met with stunning views of Mount Shasta, Lassen, and the southern Cascades. Below the plateau, there is a peaceful creek that is home to beaver, fall-run Chinook salmon and steelhead, rainbow trout, and turtles. Across the property are towering grey pines and ancient valley oaks rooted in the volcanic rocky ground.

A refuge for many wildlife species, as well as for the human spirit, Christy and Joseph wanted to make a real and lasting impact to protect Bear Creek and the surrounding uplands. Preserving this piece of land meant keeping this special place unchanged. The 156-acre property will never succumb to imminent urban sprawl, as the area once determined to be a large housing development will now be protected forever with a conservation easement held by the Shasta Land Trust!

We would like to thank Joseph and Christy for donating this conservation easement to the Shasta Land Trust and for playing a vital role in protecting the land we all love.