Caring Volunteers Needed - National Public Lands Day - September 26, 2015

2013 National Public Lands Day Volunteers re-route the Pacific Crest Trail to restore a meadow habitat at Hobart Bluff in the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument

2012 Volunteers on National Public Lands Day are from diverse ages, work and life experiences.

Our partners, the Medford District Bureau of Land Management (BLM) invites you to join a volunteer project to celebrate National Public Lands Day, September 26. Meet at the Pilot Rock Parking Area from 8:30am-2pm. There will be a variety of tasks for various skills and abilities.
     
This event will celebrate both the 15th anniversary of the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument and the National Conservation Lands System. The event will be held in the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument where volunteers will work on a variety of projects including trail work on the Pilot Rock and Pacific Crest Trails, vegetation cleanup, newly delineated parking area completion, and wilderness vehicle scar removal. 
     National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest, single-day volunteer effort for public lands. This event keeps the promise of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the "tree army" that worked from 1933-1942 to preserve and protect America's natural heritage. National Public Lands Day began in 1994 with three sites and 700 volunteers. It proved to be a huge success and became a yearly tradition, typically held on the last Saturday in September. Last year, NPLD volunteers nationally:

• Collected an estimated 23,000 pounds of invasive plants
• Built and maintained an estimated 1,500 miles of trails
• Planted an estimated 100,000 trees, shrubs and other native plants
• Removed an estimated 500 tons of trash from trails and other places
• Saved taxpayers an estimated $18 million through volunteer services to improve public lands across the country 

Bring a friend or family; or come make a friend and help to care for our Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
     Meet at the Pilot Rock Parking Lot: Go 8 miles south of Ashland, on I-5. Exit at Exit 6. Go south on Old Hwy 99 for 2 miles. Turn left onto BLM Rd 39-3E-32.3. Go down this road for 2 miles until you reach the parking area. 

Witt: Monument Views

photographer Matt witt. image courtesy of the artist.

To celebrate the 15th anniversary year of the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument, photographer Matt Witt is sharing images each month from his hikes in the Monument's varied environments. Witt has photographed in wilderness areas throughout the West. He now lives in Talent, Oregon and has spent many hours exploring the monument, enjoying its rugged backcountry and feeling grateful to those who have worked so hard to protect it. More of his images can be seen at his website.
   Sign up for the E-newsletter of the Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument; and see Matt's images.

A Quiet Personal Wild

Sisters Charlotte and Amelia Goff. at Pacific Crest Trail. TPD 2015 photo.

Going Up Pilot rock. Charlotte reflected about her work with children, “While connecting underserved individuals to financial resources is key to this work, it is equally crucial to connect them to environmental education, including access and exposure to amazing places like the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is necessary to foster the development of our next generation of environmental change makers and stewards." TPD 2015 Photo

Sisters Charlotte and Amelia Goff wanted to celebrate Charlotte’s 2015 graduation from Macalester College with a sister-bonding trip. Amelia was on her semester break from the Yale School of Nursing before her summer job started. Their hike to Pilot Rock and along the Pacific Crest Trail gave them time to reflect on health, work and family tradition.
C: “I needed a pause from trying to “figure out” the next step in my life. I had never been to the Pacific Northwest but had always hoped to have the opportunity to experience the area’s famous natural beauty”
A:  Public lands and preservation of wilderness is often undervalued by our younger generation, as urbanization becomes the accepted ideal. Walking the Pacific Crest Trail and admiring the new trails in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is so meditative, strikingly beautiful, and ecologically diverse.
C:  “An unexpected surprise of the experience of hiking the PCT was the excitement I felt identifying the wildflowers and birds I spotted along the way!”
A: “Charlotte and I both share a deep love of the outdoors. We enjoy being active. Going into the nursing profession as a nurse practitioner so much of the focus is on preventative medicine and the links to better health outcomes if people can embrace healthy lifestyles--I really value being out in the natural environment to stay healthy.
C: “Amelia and I had hiked part of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in the high sierras almost exactly four years ago. It was the summer before I started my first year of college. To then hike a different part of the trail right after graduating was wonderfully symbolic in a way that neither of us had anticipated! 
A: Charlotte and I get to carry on our family’s tradition, and we hope to do more of the PCT together in the future.

The book Wild by Cheryl Strayed, and the movie, starring Reese Witherspoon has energized a number of hikers on the PCT. From the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, you can access the PCT--19 miles. 
     The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is a place where each individual can explore at their own pace and experience their own personal wild--several days or a just a few hours. Hike for your health; hike to share a family tradition.

Conservation: Health and Safety

Zach Million - BLM
TPD 2015 Photo

Hikers walk up Stone steps on Pilot Rock Trail. WWC 2014 Photo

Hobart Trail’s new gravel parking lot and planned restroom facilities will prevent degradation of the environment from the numbers of cars and visitors. The Pacific Crest Trail was re-routed around the parking lot. 2015 TPD photo.

Zach Million, Monument Outdoor Recreation Planner for the BLM Medford office is passionate about making the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument accessible to the public. From upgraded trails, parking and restroom facilities, to a centralized reservation system for the Hyatt Lake Recreation, Zach’s planning has improved the user experience, from aesthetics and ease to health and safety—all to conserve the Monument’s natural environment and biodiversity.
    “I want people to see and hike the trails we have in the Monument. When they call to report concerns about conditions--that means they care and take ownership for our public lands. Caring for the monument is a big job, and I need everyone to help me know how it’s going out there,” he said. 
     At the Pilot Rock Trail, he worked with the Siskiyou Mountain Club and the Jackson County Job Council to reroute the trail from the Pacific Crest Trail to the base of Pilot Rock. An old logging road from the parking lot to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) was transformed into a walking trail. A BLM sign states "improvements reduce damage, improve visitor safety and protect the wilderness values."
   The Bean Cabin area was re-wilded by taking out an old cistern that collected naturally flowing spring water. The spring water now feeds directly into a nearby creek, which is still available for PCT hikers to replenish their fresh water supply.
   Zach integrated Hyatt Lake’s Recreation Area with the online or central phone call reservation system, much like other BLM campsites—one that international visitors can easily use. 
    We thank Zach for his work that we now enjoy during our 15th anniversary year of our Monument. He will be nearby as he transitions within BLM Medford to work with environmental and trail groups in the Applegate Valley area. 
   Next time you hike the trails, check out these improvements at the Monument that make the place safer and better protect the land.

Help care for the Monument by practicing Leave No Trace. We need everyone's help to care for the Monument.

Mariposa Lily Botanical Area - Weed Removal

Many thanks to Our Conservation Service Project Volunteers at the Mariposa Lily Botanical Area. Front Row (from left to right): Hike and Leaders Jeanine Moy (KS Wild Adopt-A-Botanical Area Coordinator), Armand Rebischke (BLM Botantist), and Julie Spelletich (SONPS Botanist). 2015 Image by P. Schroeder.

Greene's Mariposa Lily   Calochortus greenei     2015 IMAGE BY P. SCHROEDER.

Yellow Star Thistle  Centaurea solstitialis  BLM Image.

Triple-digit temperatures did not stop a dedicated work crew from removing the yellow star thistle that threatens the Greene’s Mariposa Lily in the Mariposa Lily Botanical Area. Fortunately, early and scattered cloud cover slowed the day's warming so volunteers didn't suffer too much during the nearly four-hour work period.
     The Friends of Cascade Siskiyou National Monument partnered with Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center (KS Wild), Southern Oregon Native Plant Society (SONPS), and Bureau of Land Management Medford District (BLM) to collaboratively organize and lead a Hike and Learn within the Mariposa Lily Botanical Area. We observed and learned about the rare plants and worked to remove Yellow Star Thistle, an invasive introduced plant that can potentially displace the plants rare and endemic to the area.
     The 222-acre Mariposa Botanical Area is a designated conservation area (botanical preserve) that lies within the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument. It was first acquired in 1993 through a unique land exchange between The Nature Conservancy and cooperative ranchers in the Rogue Valley. 
     The botanical preserve provides protection for two rare endemic plants, Greene’s Mariposa Lily (the Botanical Area’s namesake) and Detling’s microseris. Greene’s Mariposa Lily grows only in southern Jackson County, Oregon and northern Siskiyou County, California while Detling’s microseris exists only in select areas of Jackson County, Oregon. The preserve also provides year-round habitat for blacktail deer and a small elk herd and contains portions of the historic Oregon-California Trail. 
     The invasive star thistle had not yet flowered so BLM Botantist Armand Rebischke showed us how to pull the plant up by the roots. This was not a particularly easy task since star thistle has a vigorous taproot! We bagged the pulled thistle and removed it from the site to prevent any of it from setting seed. A pulled thistle can set seed if the flower head is developed enough.
     The Mariposa Lily Botanical Area Hike and Learn Friday (June 26) talk was presented by Jeanine Moy (KS Wild Adopt-A-Botanical Area Coordinator), followed by a Saturday educational day-hike and service-learning event co-led by Moy and BLM Botantist, Armand Rebischke and joined by Julie Spelletich (SONPS Botanist) and Peter Schroeder (FCSNM Board Member) and 5 members of the general public.

--Peter Schroeder, Friends of CSNM Board Member

This Hike and Learn service project continues our series of events celebrating our 15th Anniversary of the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument.
     We invite you to visit, submit your story or photograph or make a gift and join us to educate, conserve, and care for this place of biodiversity!
 

BioBlitz 2015 - Butterfly Views

Southern Oregon University Students surveyed butterflies at Boccard Point, with a view of Pilot Rock.

Butterfly Survey at Scotch Creek.

Jherime Kellermann, Oregon Institute of Technology Professor of Biology leads a Group of Citizen Scientists.

male Western Sulphur (Colias occidentalis chrysomelas). Citizen Scientists Learned how to handle and document Butterflies for the Survey during the Bioblitz 2015.

On June 6, 2015, the Friends of Cascade Siskiyou National Monument hosted the first ever BioBlitz in the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument! This special event marks the beginning of our 15th anniversary year since the establishment of the Monument in 2000.     
     At the end of the day, participants cataloged 70 butterfly species representing 9 major groups of butterflies. One species found, the Gorgon Copper (Lycaena gorgon), was one of the earliest sightings of this species in the Monument. 
     Fifty citizen-scientists, student volunteers, and butterfly-enthusiasts from the region met at Pinehurst Elementary School in the morning. We separated into seven groups; each led by a trained lepidopterist. We scouted for butterflies within various areas of the Monument ranging from creekside meadows to high elevation mountaintops. 
     Thanks to our intrepid leaders for making the day fun and full of learning: Kathleen Donham, David Hagen,  Lois Hagen, Lori Humphreys, Jherime Kellermann, Dana Ross, Joseph Smith, John Villella, and Dianne Keller. They are experienced lepidopterists who traveled from Corvallis, Eugene, and Klamath Falls to guide our BioBlitz.
     Results from this survey, together with previous and other planned scientific studies, will help identify patterns of butterfly diversity, abundance, and phenology that will in turn assist biologists to develop the best strategies for protecting, preserving, and restoring the natural health of the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument.

     --Peter Schroeder, 2015 BioBlitz Coordinator and Friends of
         Cascade Siskiyou National Monument Board Member

Thanks to our BioBlitz 2015 Sponsors!
Grants from US Bureau of Land Management and Conservation Lands Foundation 
Event sponsors: Pinehurst School, Indigo Creek, Wiley's World; Northwest Nature Shop, Sign Dude, and Printfast.

Our monument is part of the National Conservation Lands--also celebrating a 15-year anniversary. These landscapes are recognized for "outstanding cultural, ecological, and scientific values," and we all share in the mission to conserve, protect and restore them.
     Make a gift or donation and help us to educate, conserve and protect the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument during our 15th anniversary.

15th Anniversary & Willis - Warrior Award

Dave Willis (2nd right) welcomes Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Board Members Peter Schroeder, Marty Peterson and Terry Dickey at the 15th Anniversary gathering. Friends of CSNM 2015 Photo. 

Dave Willis with Pepper Trail. Dave Willis was Awarded the Tim Lillebo Wildlands Warrior Award by Oregon Wild. TPD Photo.

The Soda Mountain Wilderness Council hosted a gathering at Buckhorn Springs to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Rainy & the Rattlesnakes performed bluegrass music as community members dined outdoors on a barbecue meal. 
     The evening program featured a case for an expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, presented by speakers Pepper Trail, USFWS Ornithologist & Poet Laureate of CSNM; Michael Parker, SOU Professor & Biologist; and Dave Willis, chair of Soda Mountain Wilderness Council.
     Dave championed the establishment of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and Soda Mountain Wilderness and continues to protect the biodiversity of Southwest Oregon. In May 2015 Oregon Wild presented Dave Willis with the first annual Tim Lillebo Wildlands Warrior Award. Read at Oregon Wild about the Award to Dave. Read at American Profile (2001) about Dave's work in creating the monument. For those of us new to the region, we learn and respect the ongoing work that needs all of us. Congratulations - Dave!

Falls at Jenny Creek with Michael Parker. Matt Witt 2015 Photo

Soda Mountain Wilderness Council is offering a series of hikes to show why the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument was established for its biodiversity. Read about the hike details at the Daily Tidings. 
     All the hikes require advance contact with the person leading the hike to reserve a place on the hike and to find out where the group will meet before setting out. 
     June 13, Sunday: The National Center for Conservation Science and Policy's aquatic ecologist, Brian Barr (541-621-7226; brian@nccsp.org), will lead a short, round-trip hike-and-scramble from the Jenny Creek Canyon rim in Oregon (elev. 3,300 feet) down to Jenny Creek Falls (elev. 2,700 feet) in California. Moderately difficult; three-plus miles, some steep scrambling. Meet at 9 a.m.
     June 19, Saturday: Veteran Sierra Club hike leader Cathy Edwards (541-210-0204; ziglerugn@aol.com) and National Park Service botanist Sean Smith will explore where Rogue Valley oak savannah meets Cascadian conifer forest in the Greensprings Mountain (elev. 5,225 feet) unit of the South Cascades Wilderness proposal northwest of the Greensprings Summit. Some off-trail hiking. Moderate, about four miles. Meet at 3 p.m. and bring your sack supper to enjoy the evening of the almost-longest day of the year. 
     June 26, Saturday: Join Southern Oregon University aquatic ecologist Michael Parker (541-552-6796; parker@sou.edu), on a cross-country ramble through Fredenburg Meadow (elev. 3,600 feet) and down into the forested Jenny Creek Canyon in the northeastern corner of the Cascade-Siskiyou Monument. All off-trail hiking. Moderate; three miles or less. Meet at 9 a.m.

15 Years Ago - June 9, 2000 Monument Proclamation

Pilot Rock. A hidden Gem in America’s Pacific Northwest is the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Oregon. Click Image to see Bob Wick's 3 photos at America's Great OUtDoors.

President William J Clinton Signed Proclamation 7318 - Establishment of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
     "With towering fir forests, sunlit oak groves, wildflower-strewn meadows, and steep canyons, the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is an ecological wonder, with biological diversity unmatched in the Cascade Range. This rich enclave of natural resources is a biological crossroads--the interface of the Cascade, Klamath, and Siskiyou ecoregions, in an area of unique geology, biology, climate, and topography.
     The monument is home to a spectacular variety of rare and beautiful species of plants and animals, whose survival in this region depends upon its continued ecological integrity. Plant communities present a rich mosaic of grass and shrublands, Garry and California black oak woodlands, juniper scablands, mixed conifer and white fir forests, and wet meadows. Stream bottoms support broad-leaf deciduous riparian trees and shrubs..." The monument was established for its biodiversity. Read the Proclamation text. and learn about the Monument's significance.
     Read at Daily Tidings May 20, 2015 how the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument remains a quiet wonder:
Wild Side: The seven wonders of southwest Oregon By Joseph Valle
“Siskiyou Crest (including the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument) — The crest of the Siskiyou Mountains is a spectacular ridgeline right on southern Oregon’s border. Defined in the east by the Cascade Siskiyou Monument, the mountain peaks offer panoramic views with Mount Shasta in view. The Pacific Crest Trail follows much of the crest, so it is a wonder that is easy to explore on foot.”
     
     Tell us your personal story of what our Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument means to you. Share a scientific or cultural, historical information or photo. You can post your photos and memories to our Facebook page. Or email your story and/or image to: media.cascadesiskiyou@gmail.com. 
     Today, fifteen years after the proclamation, we rededicate to our national treasure--the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, one to take care for now and future generations, for all to learn and experience.   
     

2015 BioBlitz - Citizens & Scientists Team Up

friends of CSNM Board Member Peter Schroeder (left) is the 2015 bioblitz coordinator. Citizen scientists* will work will help scientists and naturalists gather data on butterfly diversity and abundance at the Monument on june 6, 2015.

  Dr. Peter Schroeder, Associate Professor of Biology at Southern Oregon University and a Board Member of the Friends of Cascade Siskiyou National Monument tells about our June 6, 2015 BioBlitz:
     "The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is home to one of the richest communities of butterflies in North America. Our 2015 Butterfly BioBlitz will give our citizens an opportunity to learn about butterflies in the Monument while helping scientists and naturalists gather data on butterfly diversity and abundance. We are fortunate to welcome leaders from Eugene, Klamath Falls and southern Oregon, who were at the Crater Lake 2014 BioBlitz.
     Currently, the number and diversity of many organisms, including some butterflies such as the Monarch, are declining worldwide. Stable ecosystems rely on a healthy, sustainable biodiversity. 
     Efforts to understand why organisms are declining, including the role humans play in this decline, are urgently important in finding ways to stabilize and manage ecosystems. The data collected from the Butterfly BioBlitz, along with past data on butterfly abundance and diversity, will help scientists follow changes in organism biodiversity within the Monument and possibly relate them with those in climate and/or management efforts. These data will assist BLM in developing the best strategies for managing the Monument.
     The mission of Friends of Cascade Siskiyou National Monument is to engage in projects that protect, preserve, and restore our Monument for all to enjoy. One way of achieving this mission is to assist the general public in learning about the unique biological, geological, anthropological, and sociological values of the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument and how they can participate in these efforts."

Listen at JPR (7:34 min.)
Peter Schroeder, BioBlitz Coordinator talks about the 2015 BioBlitz of Butterflies at the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument.

Listen at JRP Radio (24:51 min.)
Peter Schroeder, Friends of CSNM Board member and Scott Hoffman Black, Xerces Society Executive Director talk about pollinators, the need for habitat, biodiversity and federal strategy. 

*Citizen scientists and crowd-sourced science are contemporary terms for centuries-old efforts and practice of independent naturalists and scientists. 

Earth Day 2015: Pinehurst Students Reseed Trees

Pinehurst students plant seed after 2014 Oregon gulch fire in cascade-siskiyou national monument. Image courtesy of Jim Impara. Pinehurst school is located within the cascade-siskiyou national monument.

This Earth Day 2015 we note that our Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument was established in 2000 for its biodiversity. 
     Our guest commentators, Pinehurst School students tell about their work with the BLM in forest recovery efforts. Their efforts grow our next generation to be caregivers and champions for biodiversity in our environment. 

Pinehurst Students Lend a Helping Hand to BLM
By Sam Skillen and Rowan Amann, Pinehurst School
   After the devastating Oregon Gulch fire [2014]  destroyed over 36,000 acres of land, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and thirteen children struggled to bring the forest back to life. Pinehurst students ventured down a long, bumpy road to the Box O Ranch to meet with the BLM’s interpretive specialist, Justin Glasgow.  
    Glasgow explained a technique called back burn used to take fuel out of the fire's path. The back burn wiped out the vegetation in a large area. The students were put in a line and each was given a bag of native grass seed to be spread where the fire had burned all the vegetation. 
    “It made me happy that I was helping the BLM and regrowing the forest,” said Hannah Marmorstein, an eighth grader at Pinehurst School.
    As the students finished planting the seed, they were given bales of straw to spread on the dirt track to Jenny Creek
     “[Pinehurst can be] an extension of the BLM to help us accomplish our mission. These projects need to get done,” Glasgow said. 
    The students are always looking for ways to help in the community and they do all the jobs given to them well.

Many thanks to Pinehurst teacher Jim Impara for sharing this submission and photo, which was published in their school newspaper.

Happy New Year & Many Thanks!

Thank you for your generous support in our year-end #Giving Tuesday campaign. You helped us meet our challenge grant from the Conservation Lands Foundation! We will be awarded an additional $3,000 to match the funds you contributed! 
     A BLM grant for Education, Volunteerism, and Public Involvement in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument that we received in November 2014 will help support these two new initiatives:

• The 2015 BioBlitz in June will bring research scientists to work with citizen scientists in their effort to survey butterfly populations in the Monument. Mark your calendars and SAVE THE DATE for Saturday, June 6, 2015.

• The Friends Research Fund will provide university students small grants for research within the Monument.

These funds will help our efforts to educate and conserve our Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument!

Giving Tuesday - Dec. 2, 2014

Board Member Alexandra Harding is an SOU student leading our Giving Tuesday campaign.

Christine Smith made the first donation to the Friends Student Research Fund.

We are most grateful to our young leaders who have blazed trails on behalf of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument! This year Board member Alexander Harding proposed that we partner with Giving Tuesday, a national effort to promote charitable giving; and she is leading the way through our Facebook page.
      “Clean Air and Clean Water” are simple reasons for having conservation lands as explained by Andy Kerr, at the Wilderness 50 celebration talk on the Southern Oregon University campus. On Giving Tuesday, we invite you to give online to the Friends of Cascade Siskiyou; and tell your circle of friends and family.
     Share why the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is a special place for you. Post onto Facebook a photo; or email your story. Maybe you study frogs or dragonflies, write or draw, or you just enjoy the endless vistas of valleys, forests, and near-by volcanoes of the Cascade Range. 
     You will be creating a legacy in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument for generations. We couldn’t do this important work without you.  Your generous donation will be matched dollar for dollar from the Conservation Lands Foundation (CLF), a nationwide foundation dedicated to safeguarding the National Conservation Lands. When we raise $3,000 in new donations this year, CLF will match this 1:1 effort by awarding us a $3,000 no-strings attached grant. 
     Please use our secure online website, to make your donation. If you prefer to mail your donation-check, print and fill out the attached form and mail to:
Friends of Cascade Siskiyou National Monument
PO Box 3495
Ashland, OR 97520

Wilderness 50: Back to the Future

Gabe Howe, Executive Director Siskiyou Mountain Club watches two crosscut saw contestants during the Wilderness 50 Celebration held at SOU campus. WWChin 2014 photo

Andy Kerr (L) talks with Howard Hunter (R) former assistant monument manager of Cascade Siskiyou National Monument. WWChin 2014 Photo

Gorgeous poetic images of Oregon’s wild landscapes revealed vulnerable treasures. Andy Kerr, featured speaker for Wilderness 50 Celebration held at Southern Oregon University, told about lessons learned in championing conservation since the 1964 Wilderness Act. He counsels to always be ready—there’s a vast portfolio such as Valley of the Giants, Oregon Dunes to the Owhyee Canyons, and Oregon’s wild scenic rivers. It’s hard to think why he was once considered the “most hated man in Oregon” when he reasons about the long-term economic benefits of clean drinking water, air, and wildlife habitat, resulting from protected wilderness. Oregon’s wilderness lands are a finite resource, and Andy presses for the connectivity of these large expanses that springs forth the biodiversity of life. Andy Kerr, a 5th generation Oregonian, knows that conservation also demands a diversity of participants and ways to work together.
     Our next generation of conservation leaders was working the booths at Wilderness 50. Representatives from over a dozen public lands agencies, nature and outdoor recreation groups introduced the SOU community and public to what our local area offers. The film Wild By Law documented the hard-fought struggle towards the signing of the 1964 Wilderness Act. Looking back is our future in the hands of young people moving onward. Andy wrote this dedication in his book, Oregon Wild: Endangered Forest Wilderness: “To all who have ever raised a voice, a hand or some hell to save Oregon’s remaining wilderness. And to all those who will.”

Listen to Andy Kerr In the Wilderness - JPR Interview (16:22min) with Geoffrey Riley

Many thanks to Wilderness 50 Celebration 2014 participants at SOU campus.
     Read The Siskiyou SOU Celebrates 50 Years of the Wilderness 
SOU Bird Club; SOU Ecology Center of the Siskiyous; SOU Environmental Education Program; BLM, Medford District, Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument; Applegate Trails Association; Coyote Trails; KS Wild; National Park Service, Klamath Lava Beds; Pacific Crest Trail Association; Siskiyou Field Institute; Siskiyou Mountain Trail Club; US Forest Service, Medford District, and to event coordinators Jill Smedstad, Environmental and Community Engagement Coordinator, ECOS; Katherine McCredie, ECOS student co-director, ECOS; Gabe Howe, Executive Director, Siskiyou Mountain Trail Club and Justin Glasgow, BLM Medford District, Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument along with Terry Dickey, Chair, Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.

National Public Lands Day 2014: New Trail & Vistas

Hiking up to Pilot Rock is no longer the mad scramble up!  Thanks to the work of Siskiyou Mountain Club and a Bureau of Land Management Grant to redesign and make an authorized new trail.
    Upon seeing Pilot Rock, Mackenzie Banta shouted out, “Happy National Public Lands Day! Mackenzie, from the Conservation Lands Foundation, was here in Ashland to provide consultation to the board members of Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. As we near our 15th year anniversary, she advised us how we can garner community participation to care for our public lands.
    Up and down the trail we met enthusiastic hikers from first time local visitors, international travelers, parents hurrying after their energetic youngsters, to seasoned residents leading their friends.
   This trail begins a new vista for each of us--visitors, volunteers, policymakers or donors to our national public lands. Take time to bring someone to experience this place. Reflect for a moment to see and appreciate the hard work of this newly handcrafted path; and then follow through to support and strengthen the care and conservation of our National Public Lands throughout the year.

Read more about Pilot Trail at Mail Tribune.

Mackenzie Banta, Sr. Development Assiociate with Conservation Lands Foundation and Terry Dickey, Chair of Friends of Cascade Siskiyou National Monument, hike a re-designed trail to Pilot Rock on National Public Lands Day 2014.  W Chin photo.

BLM Recreation Planner Zach Million (far left) leads effort to reconstruct rail fence in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument for National Public Lands Day. 

INFO: Wildfire Status

Oregon Gulch Fire. Maps are uploaded at
Inci website.

Information about wildfire locations in Oregon can be accessed at these sites.

Twitter - www.twitter.com/swofire/
Southwest Oregon District Blog - www.swofire.com/
Smoke Information - oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/  
DEQ - www.deq.state.or.us/AQ/burning/wildfires/index.htm  
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office - www.facebook.com/JacksonCountySheriff
Inciweb - inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4034/
NWCC - www.nwccweb.us/information/firemap.aspx
CAL FIRE Ready, Set, Go - www.readyforwildfire.org/
CAL FIRE – www.fire.ca.gov
Siskiyou County Pollution Control District - tinyurl.com/ljzak8a

Protection: Thanks to Oregon Gulch Fire Personnel

At the front lines of protecting our Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument during the Oregon Gulch Fire were more than 1500 men and women from state and federal cooperating agencies. Two hundred acres of Monument land were part of the 35,129 acres (as of August 11, 2014) that burned in this fire, which straddled Oregon and Northern California. Lightning strikes and a long drought caused this fire, and these conditions continue to be a serious problem for Southern Oregon.
     We give thanks to our firefighters who risked their lives. Even during their time off, they showed kindness and compassion to all our community members, especially to those who lost their homes and possessions.
     A wildfire makes us vividly aware of the fragility of our homes, community, and natural resources. When they are lost, either through carelessness or by lighting strikes, it takes a long time for the homes and forests ecosystems to rebuild.
     A wildfire urgently reminds us to learn, communicate, and work together as community to protect and conserve our lands—the loss of biological diversity and ecological integrity is real. As a result of this fire, we’ve learned how vital and vast our social network needs to be in an emergency. Timely and well-defined communications helped to coordinate well-trained personnel and equipment across local, states and federal agencies. It also gave up-to- minute data through digital media, including Facebook and Twitter, which was widely accessible.
     As the final mop-up proceeds on the Oregon Gulch Fire, take time to appreciate what our Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument offers---learn why this place is worthy of protection through our Hike and Learn series that continues through September 2014 (see Calendar of Events). Then when you see firefighters, tell them thanks for protecting our lands. 

--Terry Dickey, Chairman
Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument

Oregon Gulch Fire photo by Lee Winslow, ODF

Morning Fire Update at Incident Command Post Photo by Jen Warren, ODF IMT 2 PIO

Thanks to agencies in the Oregon Gulch Fire: 
Greensprings Rural Fire Protection District; Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office, CALFIRE, Oregon Air National Guard, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Klamath County Sheriff’s Office, Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson County Emergency Services, Klamath County Emergency Management, Siskiyou Office of Emergency Management, Oregon Department of Transportation, Keno Rural Fire District, Jackson and Josephine County Fire Defense Boards, Bureau of Land Management, Pacific Power and Light, and private landowners.

Mother’s Day: Gift of Nature

Myrtle Smith, 2009 photo

Our donors know the importance of our Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and what knowledge and joy these wide-open spaces can bring. Recently our friend Christine Smith wrote:  

“It was such a pleasure to be able to make a donation to the Friends of the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument in my mother’s name. Myrtle Young Smith loved the outdoors and welcomed every opportunity to explore the beautiful areas in and around Ashland.
     Myrtle was born in a remote area of interior Alaska in 1917 and lived most of her life in Fairbanks before moving to Ashland in 2005. Those years in Alaska were lived close to the natural world. She camped, fished, trapped, and gardened in her younger days. And well into her seventies, we combed the bogs and hills of the Tanana Valley picking cranberries and blueberries. She had her special places to pick, allowing only family members to know.
     My parents both loved to go for long drives and look at the scenery. I continued to take Myrtle for those drives and we explored parts of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument that were accessible with a walking stick until just a couple of years ago. Even at age 96, Mom loved being able to walk outdoors winter months.
     Myrtle loved the wilderness and the woods, the lakes and creeks. Most Mother’s Days were celebrated with a picnic near a creek or river, in Fairbanks and in Ashland. Her love of nature is a wonderful legacy passed on to her four children, their children and grandchildren.”

Your gifts to the Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument help to advocate, protect and conserve our national monument, ensuring that many generations will continue to learn, support and enjoy our National Conservation Lands.   

Earth Day: Oregon’s “Ecological Wonder” Gains 930 Acres

We take a moment to give thanks to our private-public partnerships that continue to help protect and conserve the biodiversity of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
     The Conservation Fund has transferred 930 acres of former Hancock Timber Resource Group Lands to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for protection as part of the Monument, including a stretch of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.
     With the leadership of U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, the U.S. Congress approved funding in Fiscal Year 2012 for the purchase through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), a federal land protection program that receives funds from the development of federally-owned offshore oil and gas resources. No taxpayer dollars are used to support the LWCF, which has been protecting forests, natural resources, state and local parks and recreation areas since 1965.
     "We are very pleased with the progress being made to place these important conservation lands at Cascade-Siskiyou into public ownership," said David Kimbrough, Manager, Hancock Timber Resource Group.  "With our Sensitive Lands program and through our strong partnership with The Conservation Fund and the Bureau of Land Management, we are more than halfway there, and look forward to continuing to work together to ensure that the rest of the sensitive lands in this biologically-rich landscape are conserved forever."
     These everyday efforts over the longterm, with our partners can result to enhance habitat connectivity for wildlife and expanding public recreational access. We are grateful for what more we can learn from this area that is considered Oregon’s “ecological wonder.”  Learn more about the transfer.

What Scientific Discovery Tells About Life in the Monument

Biologist Michael Parker, SOU Professor of Biology tells about the Jenny Cree sucker.

Mandy Noel (R), SOU Environmental Education graduate student tells about Fall-in-the-Field.

Volunteer “citizen scientists” and their extra eyes and hands help botanist Darlene Southworth with scientific research. In 2010, Southworth found a rare species of truffles under mountain mahogany trees in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. She was among a panel of scientists to tell about their work during a February 2014 presentation at Mountain Park Nature Center, Ashland.
     Doug Kendig, botanist at the BLM Medford District and coordinator of research in the Monument gave introductions. He explained, “The Monument provides an opportunity to discover and acquire scientific understanding of a relatively undisturbed landscape with unique natural resources and landscape processes in southwest Oregon. We can integrate that knowledge into the larger context of our planet for the benefit and enjoyment of the American public.”
Darlene Southworth, botanist and SOU Professor Emerita reported collecting nearly 700 specimens of mycorrhizal fungi (truffles) associated with oak and mixed conifer-hardwood habitats in the Monument. Her ongoing research will complete species identification to verify rare species and to determine truffle biodiversity in other areas. Volunteers are needed for her 2014 survey team. Learn more and apply.
John Alexander, ornithologist and Executive Director of Klamath Bird Observatory discussed using bird monitoring data to develop bird distribution models and to provide a baseline understanding of the status of birds in the Monument. Results will determine the relative contribution of the Monument towards meeting national and regional bird conservation objectives.
Michael Parker, biologist and SOU Professor of Biology summarized his research on the Jenny Creek sucker, endemic to the Monument and northern California. This sucker is imperiled and at high risk of extinction. This fish exhibits a migratory life history, but little is known about this behavior, which makes it a high conservation priority.
Marcus Lorusso, botanist, discussed Seeds of Success (SOS), a national effort to collect, conserve and develop native plant materials for stabilizing, rehabilitating and restoring lands in the United States. Lorusso collected seed from Monument plants and sent them to the Millennium Seed Bank. SOS teams share a common protocol and coordinate seed collecting and species targeting efforts. SOS is a vital part of the Native Plant Materials Development Program.
Mandy Noel, SOU Environmental Education graduate student, summarized Fall in the Field a daylong field trip for K-12 students in Medford and Ashland public schools.
     What a quiet treasure the Monument offers as we explore, at any age, and share the wilderness of knowledge. 

--Terry Dickey, Chair, Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
 

Thank You for Year End Green Gifts!

Snow on Pilot Rock. Jed Holdorph Photo

Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for participating in support of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument this year. You joined our Hike & Learn programs and discovered the diversity of plants and insects along the trails. You celebrated with us at the Rogue Valley Earth Day and the Greensprings Mountain Festivals.

With your support we were able to: 

• Educate 840 elementary and middle school students about the beauty and biodiversity of the Monument, inspiring them to become the future stewards of our public lands through our partnership with Southern Oregon University Environmental Education.
• Protect fragile habitat for the Mardon Skipper and other butterflies in a reroute of the Pacific Crest Trailhead to Hobart Bluff as a National Public Lands Day project. 
• Win a grant award from the Conservation Lands Foundation to assist us in leadership training, expand community awareness, and better manage the resources and values of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. 

We invite you to join our Friends! With a gift $10, $50, $100 or another generous amount you can help us continue to protect, restore and conserve this special place for generations to come. As one of the Bureau of Land Management’s National Conservation Lands, Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is our national treasure. 

Please mail your check to:
Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
PO Box 3495
Ashland, OR 97520

We look forward to welcoming you as a donor / member for the coming year!

--Terry Dickey, Chair
Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument