Cache Creek Wilderness

{{Short description|Land preserve in Lake County, California}}

{{Use American English|date=August 2015}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2015}}

{{Infobox protected area

| name = Cache Creek Wilderness

| iucn_category = Ib

| photo = Cache Creek Wilderness (16035786936).jpg

| photo_caption =

| location = Lake County, California

| nearest_city = Lower Lake, California

| coordinates = {{coords|38|55|06|N|122|30|20|W|display=inline, title}}

| area = {{convert|27245|acre|km2}}

| established = October 2006

| visitation_num =

| visitation_year =

| governing_body = Bureau of Land Management

}}

The Cache Creek Wilderness is a {{convert|27,245|acre|adj=on}}[http://www.blm.gov/ca/pa/wilderness/wa/areas/cache_creek.html BLM, Cache Creek Wilderness page.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305013733/http://www.blm.gov/ca/pa/wilderness/wa/areas/cache_creek.html# |date=March 5, 2009 }} accessed 6 March 2009 wilderness area located in Lake County, California. The wilderness was added to the National Wilderness Preservation System when the United States Congress passed the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act in 2006 (Public Law 109-362). In July 2015, the area became part of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is the agency in charge.

The centerpiece of the wilderness is Cache Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River (in high rainfall years). Cache Creek is one of two tributaries (Putah Creek is the other) that are the most southerly of the significant east-flowing Coast Range drainages in the Sacramento River hydrologic basin and provides important riparian and fish habitat.[http://www.brbna.org/CF-files/Appendix-D.pdf Blue Ridge Berryessa Natural Area Conservation Framework-Appendix D-Lands by Ownership, p. 1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908022214/http://www.brbna.org/CF-files/Appendix-D.pdf# |date=September 8, 2008 }} accessed March 18, 2009 More than {{convert|30|mi|km}} of Cache Creek is designated a California Wild and Scenic River.{{cite web|url=http://www.watershedportal.org/news/news_html?ID=432 |title=Sacramento River Portal and Library website |date=October 13, 2005 |publisher=Lake County Record Bee |accessdate=2009-04-08 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201141845/http://www.watershedportal.org/news/news_html?ID=432 |archivedate=December 1, 2008 |df=mdy }}

The wilderness area is within the larger Cache Creek Natural Area of more than {{convert|70000|acre|km2}}, and has a wide variety of plant and animal life, including a year-round population of bald eagles and California's second-largest herd[http://www.tpl.org/content_documents/G06_cachecreek.pdf Trust for Public Lands, Ch.6-Cache Creek, p.1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051115071611/http://www.tpl.org/content_documents/G06_cachecreek.pdf# |date=November 15, 2005 }} accessed 6 March 2009 of rare endemic tule elk.

Highest elevation point is Brushy Sky High at {{convert|3176|ft|m}}. A topography of steep, rounded hills, open meadows, cliffs and stream canyons support vegetation of manzanita, interior live oak, scrub oak, deerbrush, toyon, birchleaf mahogany, and gray pine as well as serpentine and chemise chaparral. Streamside vegetation include trees of willow, alder, and grasses such as sedge and bulrush.

Rare native plants observed in the Cache Creek area include Hall's harmonia, an aromatic annual wildflower, and the adobe lily[http://imaps.dfg.ca.gov/viewers/cnddb_quickviewer/app.asp Department of Fish and Game mapviewer.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430020005/http://imaps.dfg.ca.gov/viewers/cnddb_quickviewer/app.asp# |date=April 30, 2009 }} accessed 18 March, 2009 which are listed by the California Native Plant Society as category 1B-meaning the plant meets all criteria of section 2062 of the California Endangered Species Act.[http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=8938 Calflora taxon report]. accessed 11 March 2009*Section 2062. "Endangered species" means a native species or subspecies of a bird, mammal, fish, amphibian, reptile, or plant which is in serious danger of becoming extinct throughout all, or a significant portion, of its range due to one or more causes, including loss of habitat, change in habitat, overexploitation, predation, competition, or disease. Any species determined by the commission as "endangered" on or before January 1, 1985, is an "endangered species."

There are significant archaeological sites documented, including the remains of a large Hill Patwin village occupied around 11,000 years ago.

The Cache Creek area has been and continues to be a popular recreation site for a variety of activities including white-water rafting (called the "wilderness run"), bird watching, hiking, backpacking, fishing and nature photography.

Adjacent to the wilderness is the {{convert|2330|acre|km2|adj=on}} Cache Creek Wildlife Area that is managed by the California Department of Fish and Game, Yolo County Parks and Bureau of Land Management. Wildlife species include black-tailed deer, tule elk, wild turkey, quail, rabbit, gray squirrel, dove, pigeon, black bear, raccoon and mountain lion.