Spenceville Wildlife Area
| Spenceville Wildlife Area | |
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IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
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| Nearest city | Marysville, California |
| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Area | 11,448 acres (46.33 km2) |
| Governing body | California Department of Fish and Game |
The Spenceville Wildlife Area is an 11,448-acre (46.33 km2) wildlife preserve managed by the California Department of Fish and Game. It is approximately 18 miles (29 km) east of the town of Marysville and Beale Air Force Base in central California.
Natural history
Spenceville is a foothill oak and grassland area notable for many species of birds and wildflowers; for example the poppy, yellow mariposa lily, Calochortus luteus is found in the Spenceville Wildlife Area.[1] The area was originally home to the Maidu and Nisenan Native Americans and evidence of their grinding holes and lodge pits still exist.
The geology of the Spenceville area is part of the Smartsville Block formed during the Middle Jurassic period 200 million years ago. The Smartsville Block is a part of the California Mother Lode and consequently, Spenceville has had its share of mining activity.[2] Cleanup from copper and zinc mining continues to this day.
Current issues
Spenceville hosts a variety of activities: hiking, biking, hunting, hunting dog field trials, target shooting, camping, equestrian trail riding, birding and primitive camping. A popular trail leads to a double waterfall called Fairy Falls (a.k.a. Beale Falls, Shingle Falls, or Dry Creek Falls).
The Spenceville Wildlife Area may be impacted by the Waldo Dam Project proposed by the Yuba County Water Agency and by housing development proposed between Beale Air Force Base and the wildlife area.
Take caution for a high level of rattlesnakes.
Line notes
References
- Spenceville State Wildlife Area
- California Department of Fish and Game. California Department of Fish and Game's page on Spenceville Wildlife Area
- C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Yellow Mariposa Lily: Calochortus luteus, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
- State of California. 2007. Spenceville Wildlife Area mine site cleanup
