Tehama Wildlife Area
Map SatelliteBetween Paynes and Mill Creeks, the Tehama Wildlife Area is the main winter range for a large portion of the Tehama deer herd. These deer, Odocoileus hemionus, make what is probably the longest migration of any herd on the west slope of the Sierra, traveling over 160 kilometers (100 miles) to and from their summer range in the higher mountains to the east. Moving into the area usually in mid-October, the deer remain through the breeding season, to return to the summer range in April.
In addition to the deer, a variety of other animals is found here, including introduced turkeys, Meleagris gallopavo, and feral hogs. Mountain lions, Felis concolor, are occasionally seen here.
Several plant communities are present, with foothill woodlands and chaparral the predominants. The foothill woodlands include gray pine, Pinus sabiniana, ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa, blue oak, Quercus douglasii, interior live oak, Quercus wislizenii, and California buckeye, Aesculus californica, among others. The chaparral includes Ceanothus cuneatus, Ceanothus prostratus, Ceanothus lemmonii, Arctostaphylos patula, Arctostaphylos viscida, Cercis occidentalis, Cercocarpus betuloides and Quercus berberidifolia.
There is some grassland, primarily exotics, and, along the creeks, a riparian association with white alder, Alnus rhombifolia, cottonwood, Populus fremontii, and willow, Salix sp. Two rare plants, Astragalus pauperculus and Polygonum bidwelliae, have been recorded in nearby areas and may possibly occur within the Wildlife Area.
Most of the area is on the Upper Pliocene Tuscan formation which, along some of the creeks, has been cut to form steep-sided canyons with exposed lava.
Integrity: Once severely overgrazed, the area is now managed for the deer herd, with cattle allowed for a short period each year. Acquisition of the area was begun in 1942. There are several dry camps and roads within the area.
Use: Research, educational, observational, hunting, fishing, light recreational.
Ref: Zanzi, Ken, 1971. The Tehama Wildlife Area, Outdoor California, July/August, pp. 10-12.
August 1977
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
