CHICO — Bidwell Park faces various threats, from dogs off leash to litter, but a more mysterious threat is illegal plant cutting.
In Bidwell Park, plants are being cut in unauthorized and harmful ways. The city’s parks division doesn’t know who is doing this or why they are doing it. What parks officials do know is that it is negatively impacting the park.
“There’s been a lot of sporadic illegal vegetation management going on in the park,” said Shane Romain, assistant parks and natural resources manager. “People have taken it upon themselves to start trimming things along the Yahi trail and the Annie Bidwell trail.”
A portion of Big Chico Creek at Bidwell Park in Chico, California on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (Jake Hutchison/Enterprise-Record)
This issue has been occurring “on and off” for years, Romain said. The past few years have been the most noticeable.
Some people might think they are helping to maintain the trail, Romain said. Perhaps they think the trail isn’t wide enough or they are trying to expand the sight lines. Though these people may think they are helping, from what Romain has seen, these people don’t know what they’re doing.
Illegal cutting causes erosion and creates more room for invasive plants to grow. Improper cutting can cause plants to get diseases and die. Those who illegally cut plants sometimes leave the cuttings in the park. Once these cuttings dry up, they become a fire hazard.
It’s possible that some of these people are cutting plants with the intent to propagate them. However, people who want to propagate plants from cuttings in the park typically get the proper permits to do so, Romain said.
Getting a permit to cut plants legally is free. Once someone has the permit, Romain said parks staff will help direct the person looking to cut plants to an appropriate location.
‘Cause and effect’
Currently, there are wild California grapes in the park that need to be trimmed. A group is coming in to trim the grapes to be propagated, which Romain said helps both the park and this group. Native American tribal members also frequently obtain permits for plant-collecting for basket weaving and ceremonies among other uses.
Not obtaining a permit and cutting plants on your own volition is illegal. Depending on the severity of the illegal trail tampering, charges could range from citations to felonies, Romain said.
Romain encourages those who are illegally cutting plants to communicate with the parks division. If there is a section of the park that needs maintenance, or you would like to help, he said to reach out at 530-896-7800 or [email protected].
Along with plants, removing anything from the park is illegal.
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“I would like people to realize what they do in the park … has an impact in one way or another, either on plants or wildlife or insects or biomes,” Romain said. “There’s a cause and effect to everything.
“This is everybody’s park,” he added. “We all need to work together to to take care of it in the right way.”
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