I went on a tour of the Comanche Creek area on Saturday morning, walking through a woodland that stretches from E. Park Street and Meyers to the end of Otterson Drive and beyond. There is more to this stretch of public land than a disputed substation for the Butte County Mosquito and Vector Control District.

For those that don't know, Comanche Creek historically was a seasonal waterway, supporting a riparian ecosystem similar to Lindo Channel and Little Chico Creek. Over the years irrigation needs diverted water into the drainage, such that with few exceptions Comanche Creek now enjoys a year-round flow.

Paralleling the drainage is the railroad bed that once carried wood from Sterling City to the Diamond Match Factory which serves as a fine walking path. As we strolled I was taken by the Bidwell Park - sized oaks and a delightful palette of fall colors, courtesy of wild grapes and black walnut.

The question that will be addressed in the not-do-distant future is what to do with this resource.

My first thought has to do with "balanced anonymity": Let it remain anonymous enough such that it can remain litter-free and allow nature to do what it may, but let it not be so forgotten such that one day we blink only to find that it has been turned into a double row of industrial warehouses, each backing up to a disrespected muddy ditch.