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HomeMy WebLinkAboutChapter 10 - AestheticsChapter 10: Aesthetics Final Draft August 8, 2005 Butte County General Plan Background Report 1 CHAPTER 10: AESTHETICS TABLE OF CONTENTS 10.1 INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................................................2 10.2 SCENIC RESOURCES.......................................................................................................................................2 TABLE MOUNTAIN SPRING FLORAL AREA.................................................................................................................2 CENTRAL BUTTES ......................................................................................................................................................2 THE SACRAMENTO RIVER AND ITS RIPARIAN CORRIDOR ..........................................................................................3 BUTTE MEADOWS (AND COLBY MEADOWS AREA)....................................................................................................3 BUTTE CREEK CANYON (VISTA ALONG THE SKYWAY)..............................................................................................3 THE VINA PLAINS (VERNAL POOLS) AND BUTTE COUNTY MEADOWFOAM ...............................................................3 LAKE OROVILLE ........................................................................................................................................................3 GRAY LODGE WILDLIFE AREA ..................................................................................................................................3 OROVILLE WILDLIFE AREA .......................................................................................................................................3 PHILBROOK LAKE ......................................................................................................................................................4 FEATHER FALLS.........................................................................................................................................................4 SEVEN FALLS.............................................................................................................................................................4 10.3 SCENIC HIGHWAYS AND CORRIDORS .....................................................................................................4 10.4 SCENIC WATER RESOURCES.......................................................................................................................5 Chapter 10: Aesthetics Final Draft August 8, 2005 Butte County General Plan Background Report 2 10.1 INTRODUCTION Many of the natural scenic areas of the county are found in the unincorporated portion of the county, with the possible exception of the natural beauty found in Bidwell Park (City of Chico), especially Upper Bidwell Park. This chapter reviews and summarizes all these scenic areas. 10.2 SCENIC RESOURCES Butte County encompasses an outstanding variety of natural vistas and landscapes. The following is a list of the significant scenic resources found in the county that appeared in the 1998 Butte County General Plan. The county has a number of other scenic areas, but the places in this list has particular significance. • Table Mountain Spring Flora Area • Central Buttes (those features between SR 99 and SR 70, north of SR 149) • The Sacramento River and its riparian corridor • Butte Meadows (and Colby Meadows area) • Butte Creek Canyon (vista along the Skyway) • The Vina Plains (vernal pools, Butte County Meadowfoam) • Lake Oroville (although man-made, provides a scenic resource) • Feather Falls • Gray Lodge Wildlife Area • Oroville Wildlife Area • Philbrook Lake • Seven Falls • Bald Rock Dome Table Mountain Spring Floral Area The lava flow that now tops Table Mountain, located north of Oroville and east of Highway 70, is tens of millions of years old. Each year spring brings an explosion of color to Table Mountain in the form of native wildflowers, which attract many tourists and locals alike. The area is considered so significant that much of it has been acquired by the State as a scenic area. Central Buttes Rising from the valley floor, these geologic features actually are remnants of the surrounding landform that eroded around them over the millennia. Many of these buttes are visible from three state highways (SR 99, SR 149 & SR 70). Some of the buttes have prehistoric caves and bedrock mortar sites located near their top. Chapter 10: Aesthetics Final Draft August 8, 2005 Butte County General Plan Background Report 3 The Sacramento River and its Riparian Corridor Some of the county’s richest plant and animal habitat areas are found along the Sacramento River and its associated riparian corridor. The Sacramento River State Wildlife Area and the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge are located within this area. Butte Meadows (and Colby Meadows area) Located in the Sierra Nevada mountains off SR 32 on the way to Chester/Susanville, Butte Meadows provides a series of wet meadows, some adjacent to Butte Creek. The Colby meadows area provides a recreation area for regional outdoor enthusiasts. Butte Creek Canyon (vista along the Skyway) The heights of the Skyway open onto a panoramic display of the topographic and geologic features below. The Vina Plains (vernal pools) and Butte County Meadowfoam While much of the Vina Plains are located in Tehama County, a portion of these plains occupy the northern portion of Butte County. The Plains consist of vernal pools interspersed throughout the area. A vast array of flora exist on the Plains and around the vernal pools. Included among the plant life is the Butte County Meadowfoam. Lake Oroville This lake provides many scenic vistas from several highways that traverse its shores and provides an assortment of recreational activities for residents and visitors. Although the shores of the lake are owned by the California Department of Parks & Recreation, many of the vista points and accesses to viewsheds of the lake are privately held. Gray Lodge Wildlife Area The State owns and manages this 8,400-acre wildlife area located southwest of the city of Gridley. The wildlife area was created primarily as a winter feeding and resting habitat for migratory waterfowl. Oroville Wildlife Area The State owns and manages this 5,500-acre wildlife area located immediately west of the city of Oroville. It was created as a wildlife habitat to mitigate the construction of the Oroville Reservoir. Formed on the dredge tailing along the Feather River, it provides additional habitat for migrating waterfowl, shorebirds, and resident wildlife. Chapter 10: Aesthetics Final Draft August 8, 2005 Butte County General Plan Background Report 4 Philbrook Lake A beautiful, tranquil mountain lake nestled between several scenic mountain outcroppings, the lake provides a variety of recreational opportunities, including boating and fishing. Feather Falls The Feather Falls Scenic Area is located northeast of Lake Oroville, near the community of Feather Falls. Outstanding features of the area are the spectacular granite domes and picturesque waterfalls. Feather Falls, the sixth highest waterfall in the U.S., is one of the most magnificent attractions in Butte County. Water plunges 640 feet over a sheer granite cliff to the canyon floor in its rush to meet the Middle Fork of the Feather River and Lake Oroville. Seven Falls A splendid seven-tier waterfall cascading down and joining the Middle Fork of the Feather River. The falls provide a unique scenic feature in a remote area of the county accessible only by hiking. 10.3 SCENIC HIGHWAYS AND CORRIDORS Original General Plan requirements included a required Scenic Highways Element. However, such an element has since become optional. A review of the county’s scenic highways and corridors is included here because designation of scenic highways can have a significant impact on physical development. A Scenic Highway is defined as a main public road through an area of picturesque natural landscapes. Portions of roads and highways in the county, such as SR 70 through Feather River Canyon, and the Skyway with its vista of Butte Creek Canyon, are examples of areas of picturesque natural landscapes found in the county. A Scenic Corridor is described as “the view from the road.” The view may be a distant panorama as well as the immediate roadside area. Corridor width varies depending on terrain, vegetation, and development. A corridor encompasses the outstanding natural features and picturesque landscapes that qualify the highway as “scenic.” The corridor also includes nearby land where human use or development may have an adverse effect on motorists traveling a scenic highway. Some of the scenic corridors in Butte County traverse state-owned lands, where development poses little threat to the viewshed. Some scenic corridors pass through areas privately held, such as portions of the following: Forbestown Road east of Lake Oroville above 2,000 feet elevation; SR 162 on the south side of Lake Oroville and north of the North Fork of the Feather River; SR 70 north of Oroville and west/north of Table Mountain; SR 99 west of the Central Buttes; and SR 149 south of the Central Buttes and west of Table Mountain. Chapter 10: Aesthetics Final Draft August 8, 2005 Butte County General Plan Background Report 5 Only one highway in Butte County, Highway 70, is considered an eligible State Scenic Highway, because it is the only State highway in Butte County to be included on the State’s Master Plan. New routes can be added to the State’s Master Plan only through the action of the State Legislature. Scenic Corridors in Butte County now fall within several different zoning districts. In the late 1960’s several of the most scenic routes were rezoned to S-H (Scenic Highway), which extends 350 feet from the centerline of selected highway sectors. The zone allows one residential dwelling per parcel and agricultural uses but also allows “highway services primarily for the convenience of the traveling public” with a use permit. By the late 1970s the commercial provisions in the S-H zone had allowed the development of scattered businesses along scenic highways. This dispersal of commercial uses (and their advertising displays) generally conflicts with the objectives of the scenic highway program. 10.4 SCENIC WATER RESOURCES Butte County has an abundance of water resources that contribute to the county’s visual character. Butte County is part of the Sacramento River Basin watershed, and is bounded by the Sacramento River on its west side. Numerous streams and rivers drain runoff from the Sierra Nevada and Cascades southwesterly across the county into the Sacramento River. Of these waterways, the most significant are the Sacramento River, Butte Creek, Big Chico Creek, and the North, Middle and South Forks of the Feather River. These rivers pass through rugged terrain, which often obstructs visual access to the water. Nevertheless, these waterways are significant visual features within the county. One of these waterways, Butte Creek, between its confluence with the West Branch of Butte Creek and the Centerville Bridge, is classified as “scenic” by the Bureau of Land Management. Big Chico Creek between the road crossing near Campbell Creek and the Ponderosa Way Bridge is classified as “wild.” More significant as visual features are the county’s surface water bodies. Few natural lakes exist in the county, although numerous reservoirs have been built to provide domestic and irrigation water, hydroelectric power, recreation, flood control, and watershed management. The most visually significant of the county’s water bodies are Lake Oroville and the Thermalito Forebay and Afterbay. Other important reservoirs include: Concow Reservoir, Paradise Lake., Magalia Reservoir, Philbrook Lake, Lake Madrone, Ponderosa Reservoir, Lake Wyandotte, and Round Valley Reservoir.