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Last Chance Creek
Location of Last Chance Creek in California
Location
Country	United States
State	California
Physical characteristics
Source	Diamond Mountains
• location	West of Doyle
• coordinates	40°00′47″N 121°12′10″W
• elevation	6,737 ft (2,053 m)
Mouth	Indian Creek
• location	Near Genesee
• coordinates	40°03′57″N 120°40′34″W
• elevation	3,720 ft (1,130 m)
Length	38 mi (61 km)
Basin size	197.2 sq mi (511 km2)
Basin features
Progression	Indian Creek→East Branch North Fork Feather River→North Fork Feather River→Feather River→Sacramento River

Last Chance Creek is a stream in northeast Plumas County, California. The creek originates in the Diamond Mountains, east of the Sierra Nevada crest, and flows northwest to join Indian Creek near Genesee. It is part of the Feather River drainage basin.

Most of the Last Chance watershed is located within the Plumas National Forest, although a small percentage of the watershed is privately held. The creek flows through high elevation mountain meadows that are used primarily for livestock grazing. The watershed also has large forested areas used for timber production.

In terms of river mileage, Last Chance Creek is the uppermost headwater of the Feather River. Indian Creek is a tributary of the East Branch North Fork Feather River, which flows into the North Fork Feather River. From the head of Last Chance Creek water flows 204 miles (328 km) to the confluence of the Feather and Sacramento Rivers northwest of Sacramento.

Course

Last Chance Creek arises near Meadow View Peak in far eastern Plumas County near the border with Lassen County, at an elevation of approximately 6,700 feet (2,000 m). It flows south through Meadow View Campground then turns northwest. A low pass separates it from the headwaters of Little Last Chance Creek, which flows south towards Frenchman Lake. From there, Last Chance Creek flows through a series of wide, meadowed valleys separated by short canyon sections.

At Murdock Crossing, southeast of Antelope Lake, Last Chance Creek turns south, flowing through a narrower valley before receiving Squaw Queen Creek from the left and turning west, entering a steep canyon for about 5 miles (8.0 km). It emerges from the canyon at the upper end of Genesee Valley and receives its largest tributary, Red Clover Creek, from the left less than a mile (1.6 km) upstream of where it flows into Indian Creek, 5 miles (8.0 km) northeast of Genesee.

Named tributaries of the creek include Charles, Robinson, Jordan, Ferris, Willow, Little Stony, Rogers, Poison, Squaw Queen and Red Clover Creeks from the left, and Bird, Dooley, Cottonwood, and Clarks Creeks from the right.

Watershed

Geology

The Last Chance Creek watershed occupies a transitional zone between the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin geologic provinces. The western and southern parts of the watershed are underlain by decomposed granitic rock of the Sierra Nevada batholith. Comprising about 27 percent of the watershed, these rocks are highly erodible and are the primary source of sediment in Last Chance Creek. The northern and eastern parts of the watershed are formed from volcanic breccia and are considered only moderately erodible. Elevations range from 7,700 feet (2,300 m) at Thompson Peak to 3,800 feet (1,200 m) at the mouth of Last Chance Creek, with an average of 5,500 feet (1,700 m).

Between the volcanic ridges, the large alluvial valleys consist of sandy loams and loamy sands. The valley soils have a very fine granular structure and are weak and easily erodible.

Flora and fauna

The forest type in the Last Chance watershed is classifed as Sierra Nevada east side pine. Jeffrey pine and ponderosa pine are the dominant species, although at upper elevations white fir, Douglas-fir, incense cedar, and lodgepole pine can also be found. Sierra juniper is present on drier slopes, often among sagebrush. There are also stands of quaking aspen primarily along canyon bottoms.

Last Chance Creek and most of its major tributaries support extensive meadow ecosystems. Numerous smaller tributaries host narrow meadows ("stringers") extending nearly all the way to the ridge tops. Meadow ecosystems consist of native grasses including (???) as well as introduced species including (???) In addition, wetland areas support (???). Riparian zones are dominated by willow and white alder. Between the forest and meadow ecosystems is sagebrush steppe with primary species of (???).

Rainbow trout are present in lower Last Chance Creek.

Hydrology

Due to its location east of the main Sierra Crest, the Last Chance Creek watershed experiences a drier climate than other parts of the Feather River watershed. Average annual precipitation is 18 to 30 inches (460 to 760 mm); due to the high elevation, most of this falls as snow. About 50 percent of precipitation occurs from December to February. Streamflow is composed mainly of snowmelt, with peak runoff in April and May. Thunderstorms related to Great Basin monsoon patterns often occur in the summer, but rarely produce significant rainfall, as only 1 percent of precipitation falls from June through November.

The alluvial valleys host shallow aquifers which are recharged by snowmelt in winter and spring. Historically the water table was close to the surface, enabling year-round streamflows, and supporting wet meadow and marsh habitat throughout the length of these valleys. Starting in the late 1800s, livestock grazing and logging led to increased runoff and a loss of riparian vegetation, causing severe erosion of stream channels and the surrounding topsoil. Some sections of the creek incised as much as 15 feet (4.6 m) below its original bed, causing the surrounding meadows to dry up and become replaced by sagebrush. An estimated 6 to 12 inches (150 to 300 mm) of topsoil has been lost across the watershed. Another factor was the elimination of beaver, whose dams played a crucial role in reducing erosion and retaining groundwater into the dry season. As a result, winter peak flows increased, summer base flows declined, and large amounts of sediment were delivered downstream relative to the watershed size. In 1993 the annual sediment load in Last Chance Creek was 156,500 tons.

Starting in 1996 there have been significant meadow and stream restoration projects in the Last Chance watershed. From 2002-2004 about 8 miles (13 km) of the creek was restored by a coalition including the U.S. Forest Service, private landowners, and Feather River Coordinated Resource Management. The eroded channel was plugged by earthen dikes to form artificial wetlands while water flows were diverted back over the adjacent meadows. This has enabled the restoration of native grasslands, and mitigated flooding and erosion. Beaver have been reintroduced to upper Last Chance Creek, and their dams can now be found along much of the creek. Similar restoration projects have since been done on other sections of the creek as well as the Red Clover Creek tributary.

History

The Last Chance watershed was originally used by the Northern Maidu people.

The Last Chance watershed was visited by prospectors during the Gold Rush, but little gold was found in this area. The name of Last Chance Creek originates from the Gold Rush period; Gudde and Bright's The Origin of California Place Names describes it as:

A prospector led the first part to discover Gold Lake from Nevada City about June 5, 1850. After a long fruitless search, the leader was given a "last chance" to find the lake within forty-eight hours or else... the threat was not carried out because some believed that "his reason was dethroned."

Gold Lake is located near what is now Graeagle, more than 40 miles (64 km) from Last Chance Creek.

During the 1840s, ranchers began grazing livestock in the forage-rich meadows of upper Last Chance Creek. By the 1870s the watershed was heavily used for grazing dairy cattle. Many of the meadows were deliberately drained to improve access for cattle, and were later irrigated for hay production. In large part to increase the streamflow available for irrigation, beaver were trapped out of the Last Chance watershed and their dams removed. Starting in the early 1900s, sheep were grazed on upland areas of the watershed. By the 1920s the native meadow habitats had been heavily damaged and dewatered.

Logging also began during the gold rush period to provide timber for mining camps, flumes and workings. Much of the watershed was clear cut in the early 1900s. Rail lines were built out from what was the Western Pacific Railroad at Crescent Mills (now the Union Pacific up Last Chance and Red Clover Creeks, allowing fast transport of logs to market. During the 1950s the watershed was also heavily logged. Roads and skid trails used during this period were not adequately protected from erosion. Between 1980 and 1990 about 40,000 acres (16,000 ha) were logged.