The Spenceville Wildlife Area is an wildlife preserve managed by the California Department of Fish and Game. It is approximately east of the town of Marysville and Beale Air Force Base in central California. Spenceville is a foothill oak and grassland area notable for many species of birds and wildflowers. The area was originally home to the Maidu and Nisenan native Americans and evidence of their grinding holes and lodge pits still exist.

The geology of the Spenceville area is part of the Smartsville Block formed during the Middle Jurassic period 200 million years ago. The Smartsville Block is a part of the California Mother Lode and consequently, Spenceville has had its share of mining activity. Cleanup from copper and zinc mining continues to this day.

Spenceville hosts a variety of activities: hiking, biking, hunting, hunting dog field trials, target shooting, camping, equestrian trail riding, birding, and primitive camping. A popular trail leads to a series of waterfalls variously called Fairy Falls, Beale Falls, Shingle Falls, or Dry Creek Falls.

The Spenceville Wildlife Area may be impacted by the Waldo Dam Project proposed by the Yuba County Water Agency and by housing development proposed between Beale AFB and the wildlife area.

External links

• California Department of Fish and Game's page on Spenceville WA
• Department of Fish and Game map in PDF format
• Information on mine site cleanup.
• Freinds of Spenceville website.
• Information on waterfalls of Spenceville.
• Newspaper article on hunting.