Did you know there are only three native fisheries left in California, and one of them is a 20-minute drive from Santa Clarita?

Native California trout include rainbow, golden, red-band, cutthroat and steelhead, among others. Native fish are not stocked fish. They are fish that have reproduced on their own, without human intervention, and have not been mixed with transplanted fish.

Due to human activities that have led to damage of the native trout habitat, the habitat for these native fish has dwindled. Fish and Wildlife has had to stock many lakes, ponds, streams and rivers to keep the anglers happy, while our natives have continued to disappear.

In 2009, 7.5 miles of Piru Creek, just north of Santa Clarita, became a Wild and Scenic River. This is a federal designation that offers greater protection for the native fish there, and guarantees a certain flow level from the dam up above to keep the fish alive.

The requirements for trout are greater than for most fish. They require clean, cold, flowing water, an adequate food source, gravelly areas to spawn, shade and hiding places. Piru Creek offers those things.

Piru Creek used to reach the ocean. It was a spawning ground for steelhead. Due to Piru Lake below, and lower levels of water, the fish can no longer travel from the ocean to Piru Creek.

DNA testing was done on the trout at Piru, and it was found that nearly 80 percent of the DNA was related to the steelhead, which is an endangered species. These fish are part of our national heritage, and I’m pleased they are now protected.

“Catch and release” fishing with non-barbed hooks with a zero take limit is OK at Frenchman’s Flat. If you’d like to experience this, I encourage you to read all signs before you attempt to fish there.

Piru Creek is an important habitat for an amazing gambit of mammals, reptiles, birds and multiple endangered species including the arroyo toad, the Santa Ana sucker, the red-legged frog, and the ready-to-be-listed Southern pond turtle.

If you look up while you’re there, you just might see a California condor soaring overhead. This area is just over the hill from the Sespe Wilderness where multiple condors nest.

In El Nino years, when we get a lot of rain, this river is navigable by kayak. Portions of it are hikeable, both up and downstream from Frenchman’s Flat. There is also a great 12-mile hike from Frenchman’s Flat to the top of Slide Mountain, where you can visit a fire lookout station. Another hike in the area is from the Boy Scout Camp to Whittaker Peak.

To get there, go north on I-5 from Santa Clarita. Exit at Templin Highway. Turn left and go under the freeway. Turn right on Golden State Highway and follow this road until it ends at a white forest barrier gate. Park. Down below on the left side of the street, you’ll see a ribbon of greenery. This is Piru Creek. Walk down the dirt road, and you’ll find a nice picnic area and the beautiful creek.

If you choose to visit, please remember to pack out everything you pack in. And if you’re a kind and gentle soul, perhaps you will pack out someone else’s trash when you go.

Friends of Piru Creek and the Community Hiking Club periodically do clean-ups at this area to keep it beautiful. If you’d like to help, email me at zuliebear@aol.com. I’ll put you on the list for a clean-up. I’d love it if your New Year’s resolution included giving back to your community.

Dianne Erskine-Hellrigel is executive director of the Community Hiking Club and president of the Santa Clara River Watershed Conservancy.