PORTOLA, Calif. October 17, 2016 – The “Kid’s Creek Forest” in the eastern portion of the Delleker “T,” near Portola, CA, will soon be delineated by a fence and designated with formal signage.
“Having this special area protected by a fence will allow students and teachers from C. Roy Carmichael Elementary School and Portola Jr./Sr. High School to safely explore a wide variety of educational resources and opportunities on this site,” noted Janine Book, Acting Beckwourth District Ranger. In the next few years, the students will be involved in planning trails as well as designing interpretive signs and other projects.
The overall Children’s Forest project, announced last spring, is a partnership between the Plumas National Forest, Plumas Unified School District (PUSD), Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative, the Feather River Land Trust and the City of Portola. A Forest Service grant provided project funding.
While students will be developing the Kid’s Creek Forest, the Forest Service managed property is public land and non-motorized community use is welcome. Signs will be on the fence and at the gates across the powerline roads clearly marking the area and there will be pedestrian pass-through in various places along the fence line for easy access.
The relationship between the school‘s use of the property and the Plumas National Forest was first formalized in 2011 through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). In the MOU, the Forest Service acknowledged the use of the site by students & teachers and the coordinating support of the Feather River Land Trust. The primary component of the area is an outdoor education program that will offer hands-on learning experiences in the forest environment.