Post-Fire Recovery and Renewal at Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve
The Butte County Collaborative Group toured the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve to learn about post-fire erosion control, sediment capture, and remediation efforts following the 2024 Park Fire.
On Monday, September 22, 2025, the Butte County Collaborative Group coordinated a tour of the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve (BCCER). The 7,835-acre reserve is located on the ancestral land of the Mechoopda Indian Tribe. The mission of BCCER is to preserve and steward critical habitat and to serve as a natural area for research and education. The BCCER has been closed to the public since the 2024 Park Fire but is anticipated to re-open in the coming months. Tour participants had the opportunity to learn about the post-fire work that has been conducted for erosion control, sediment capture, and other remediation efforts.
The tour was led by Eli Goodsell, BCCER Executive Director, Rhianna Dutra, Environmental Compliance and Planning Manager, and Mitch Bamford, Fire and Flora Manager. Eli explained that the reserve was extensively impacted by the Park Fire in July of 2024 as most of the reserve's 7,835 acres were subjected to intense fire and the majority of BCCER's infrastructure was lost, making it difficult for BCCER staff to have adequate resources to work in the area. Despite the difficulties, BCCER staff focused on "opportunities" that the wildfire has brought to the land and their team culture.
The priority on the reserve after the Park Fire was to protect habitat in Big Chico Creek by slowing water down and reducing sediment in the creek. With the help of the Mechoopda Indian Tribe, Butte County Resource Conservation District, Butte County Fire Safe Council, California Conservation Corps, Mooretown Rancheria, and City of Chico, the BCCER team implemented erosion control measures installing sediment retention structures and captured nearly 60,000 cubic feet of sediment.