McCloud River Preserve

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McCloud River Preserve

The McCloud River courses through this Preserve for a total of some 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) and drops about 120 meters (400 feet) in this stretch. The canyon walls are generally steep. The north slopes of the south wall are covered by an almost pure Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii, forest, with some big-leaf maple, Acer macrophyllum, and small black oaks, Quercus kelloggii, in the understory.

On the more exposed north slopes the Douglas fir forest is interspersed with patches of mixed forest which includes ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa, sugar pine, Pinus lambertiana, incense cedar, Calocedrus decurrens, some white fir, Abies concolor, black oak and canyon oak, Quercus kelloggii and Quercus chrysolepis. These latter occur in pure stands in several sites.

Along the river flats Douglas fir, incense cedar and black oak are common and there is some Western yew, Taxus brevifolia. White alder, Alnus rhombifolia, and willow, Salix sp., are found close to the river.

Over 240 species of vascular plants and some 100 species of cryptogam occur within the Preserve.

Animals are abundant and varied and include 770 species of insects, 71 of other invertebrates, 5 fish species, 7 amphibian, 13 of reptiles, nearly 100 bird species, and 23 species of mammals. Of note among the fish is the Dolly Warden char, Salvelinus malma sp. which is found in California only in the McCloud River and is the southernmost population of the species.

Three amphibians which occur here, the tailed frog, Ascaphus truei, speckled black salamander, Aneides flavipunctatus flavipunctatus, and the Pacific giant salamander, Dicamptodon ensatus, are of some zoogeographic interest in that they are more characteristic of the coastal rather than interior forests, mink, Mustela vison, and river otter, Lutra canadensis, are frequently sighted in the area.

The canyon is cut through Permian metavolcanics and there are Triassic marine sedimentary formations in the area.

Integrity: Over a fifth of the area has been logged in the past 20 years arid the river has been dammed below (Shasta) and above (McCloud) the Preserve. This has eliminated salmon and steelhead runs but has resulted in a more stabilized flow of water. The area is managed as a Preserve.

Use: Research, educational, observational.

May 1981