COMMISSION

north, draining part of the adjacent airport and
surrounding uplands.
State Parks manages Clay Pit SVRA after a
1981 agreement with the California Department
of Water Resources (CDWR) granted
management to State Parks while retaining
fee title ownership. CDWR maintains the
right to inundate the site or remove additional
material for the Oroville Dam, if needed. To
date, CDWR has yet to exercise these rights. The park’s most distinguishing feature is its
accurately-titled topography, as prior clay mining formed the clay soil depression that has
since become Clay Pit SVRA. The park offers open riding opportunities for motorcycle,
ATV, and 4x4 enthusiasts.
Many grassland bird species that thrive in open landscapes can be found at Clay Pit
SVRA. Species include western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta), American kestrel (Falco
sparverius), northern harrier (Circus cyaneus), and prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus). Other
wildlife species include northern pacific rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus), western fence
lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis), black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus), and
coyote (Canis latrans).
Clay Pit SVRA also has many seasonal vernal
pools that are habitat for both the federally
endangered tadpole shrimp (Lepidurus
packardii) and the federally threatened vernal
pool fairy shrimp (Branchinecta lynchi) (Heitner
and Cumber-Lose, Prairie City and Clay Pit
HMS 2014, 2).
Habitat diversity is limited within the park,
Vernal pool at Clay Pit SVRA
although seasonally wet areas cover as much
as 15 percent of the total acreage. Most of the
park consists of upland areas that experience dry, hot conditions during the summer and
early fall. Vegetation within the park consists of three distinct plant communities. Upland
locations that are non-wetland areas are vegetated with low growing grasses. Lowland
locations consist mostly of wetland vegetation associated with vernal pool habitat, and a
few areas consist of other wetland vegetation such as spikerush. Fremont cottonwoods are
also found scattered throughout the park, offering areas of shade for park visitors in the
summer months.
2017 Program Report 91