HomeMy WebLinkAboutEmail from Ken Davis - Butte Creek Canyon Overlay Zone Menchaca, Clarissa
From: Ken W. Davis <ken@creekman.com>
Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2018 8:43 PM
To: Clerk of the Board; Connelly, Bill;Wahl, Larry; BOS District 4; Teeter, Doug; Kirk, Maureen
Cc: Pamela Posey,friends@buttecreek.org
Subject: Inclusion of Conservation Overlay of Butte Creek Canyon
Attachments: Ken Davis - Butte Creek Canyon Conservation Overlay.pdf
Honorable Butte County Supervisors,
First,the protection of the Butte Creek Canyon is a sensitive issue for me as I was born and raised in Chico. My
family bought property from Annie Bidwell and raised almonds on several locations west of Chico. I spent
many days at our cabin in Butte Meadows and exploring the Butte Creek Canyon with my father.
The purpose of the e-mail is to express my support for the inclusion of a Conservation Overlay of Butte
Creek
Canyon in the Butte County General Plan 2030. I've attached a pdf that expressed my support in 2016. My
support has not changed. I can address the issue on several levels: Watershed protection, wildlife protection
and the incredible scenic value. As an aquatic biologist, I have seen and continue to work on watersheds that
have been decimated by poor planning in the past. Once our sensitive watersheds have been altered,the cost
for restoration and management is frequently prohibitive if even possible. As a professional wildlife
photojournalist, I am fortunate to routinely experience some of the Earth's most magnificent
scenery. Prior to the digital age, my environmental images were published in more than 5000 different
encyclopedias, textbooks, and periodicals which includes National Geographic Books, Wildlife Conservation,
Zoobooks, Sports Afield, Montana Outdoors, The Flyfisher, and American Angler. It is my professional opinion
that certain views in Butte Creek Cannon are more picturesque than many celebrated views in our National
Parks.
From Butte Creek: It's difficult to express the incredible experience of watching and photographing the
cinnamon-phase black bear chase Spring Run salmon in the 2016 spawning season. I have not allowed the
distribution of the bear image for numerous reasons, but plan on issuing Limited Editions of the picture to
benefit the work of Friends of Butte Creek.
Question: If we look at this image, how can we not ask to protect this incredible resource that survives in
Butte Creek Canyon.
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I greatly appreciate your support to protect Butte Creek Canyon.
Sincerely,
Ken W. Davis
Ken W. Davis
Aquatic BiolagistlWildlife Photojournalist
Wildlife Survey& Photo Service
2443 Fair Maks Mvd. Suite 209
Sacramento, CA 95825
(916) 747-8537
ken@creekman.com
www.creekman.com
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Wildlife Siv'yey & P60 Sewyice
2443 Fair Oo ks blvd.r 209•Co romcn: ,CA 95825•{916)747-8537
October 23, 2016
TO: Butte County Board of Supervisors
C/O Dan Breedon,AICD
Principal Planner
Development Services
7 County Center Drive
Oroville CA 95965
From: Ken W. Davis
Aquatic Biologist /Wildlife Photojournalist
Dear Butte County Supervisors,
The purpose of this letter is to express my support for the inclusion of a Conservation Overlay of Butte Creek
Canyon in the Butte County General Plan 2030.
During the last couple months, I have experienced some of the wonders of Butte Creek that include the amazing
schools of Spring Run Chinook Salmon, a variety of other wildlife, and magnificent views of the canyon rims.
The variety of wildlife includes a stunning Cinnamon-phase Black Bear that we saw on a couple of occasions
while photographing the salmon. With camera in hand, we watched the large male bear stalk the spawning
salmon and leap at them several times. The image below speaks for itself. Note the salmon in the lower right
hand corner. The few people who have seen the bear image were all shocked that he was in Butte Creek.
My images and video of the 2016 Spring Run Salmon have already been used extensively by several groups in
California on social media and on their websites. The Spring Run Salmon image(next page)is similar in perspec-
tive to video that has been viewed by more than 18,000 people in California,the United States,and numerous
other countries. Other videos of the Spring Run Salmon in Butte Creek which I captured with the cooperation
of Friends of Butte Creek have been viewed more than 20,000 times by interested parties in the United States,
J
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Wlldllf e S ANe-Y & P60 S&V1Ce
2443 Pnir Onk6 61vd.4 2O9•5ncrnmcrw.GA 95825•(916)747-8537
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Iceland, Europe,Canada,Japan,even Turkey. In addition, many of my 14,500 Facebook followers have expressed
gratitude for sharing footage of this natural event that occurs annually in Butte County. I commonly hear expres-
sions such as "What a treasure!"
I am sharing this information with you as I believe there are certain places on this planet which deserve a high
degree of protection -and celebration! Butte Creek Canyon is one of those places and I believe we should do
whatever we can to protect the canyon, the wildlife and the associated viewscapes. The Spring Run Salmon
and the magnificent-views-of-the Butte Creek Canyon-rims are-valuable resources.It would be a shames and a
tarnish on Butte County, if they were lost or further impacted by uncontrolled development.
As a professional wildlife photojournalist, I am fortunateto routinely experience some of the Earth's most mag-
nificent scenery. Prior to the digital age, my environmental images were published in more than 5000 different
encyclopedias, textbooks, and periodicals which includes National Geographic Books, Wildlife Conservation,
Zoobooks, Sports Afield, Montana Outdoors, and American Angler. It is my professional opinion that certain
views in Butte Creek Canyon are more picturesque than many celebrated views in our National Parks.
1 greatly appreciate your support to protect Butte Creek Canyon.
Sincerely,
vv �
Ken W. Davis
Aquatic Biologist/Wildlife Photojournalist
Wildlife Survey& Photo Service
2443 Fair Oaks Blvd. #209
Sacramento, CA 95825
(916) 747-8537
ken@creekman.com
www.creekman.com