Monument Rocks & Music: Friends Research Fund

Dr. Jad D'ALLURA with Spencer Jones during Field Research at the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument. S Jones 2015 PHoto

Colin Malloy (L) and SOU Professor of Music, DR. Terry LongShore (R). SOU Department of Music 2015 Photo

How are rocks and music related to three university students during the Monument’s 15th anniversary? These faculty-supervised research were funded by the Friends Research Fund. The projects enhance an understanding, appreciation, preservation, or protection of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. The 2016 Friends Research Fund application is now available.
     Megan Mortimer-Lamb and Spencer Jones, both University of Oregon undergraduate students of geology were supervised by SOU Emeritus Professor of Geology Dr. Jad D’Allura. Megan and Spencer each received $600 for their research investigating general geologic rock unit distribution and geochemistry, fault and fracture distribution, surface and groundwater characteristics, permeability of different rocks and soils, and landslide hazards within the Monument. Both Megan and Spencer plan to present the results of their research at the 2016 FCSNM Research Forum hosted on the SOU campus on March 3, 2016.
     Colin Malloy, an SOU graduate student of music was supervised by SOU Professor of Music, Dr. Terry Longshore. He received $300 for his proposal to compose a percussion score that is produced and performed live as an interpretation of the Monument’s visual landscape. A 3-channel musical soundscape made of natural sounds recorded in the Monument will accompany the live performance. Each channel in the score represents each of the three ranges - Cascade, Siskiyou, and Klamath Mountains - that occur in the Monument. Colin plans to showcase the premiere performance of his composition at the SOU Southern Oregon Arts and Research symposium in May 2016.

March 15, 2016 is the deadline for 2016 Friends Research Fund. Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply. Individual grant awards range from $250 - $1500. Download the application.

For additional information:
Peter Schroeder, Chair, Friends Research Fund
pschroeder@sou.edu
Tel. (541) 552-6871

You can donate to make possible these educational programs about the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument!

Malheur & Public Lands

Around 120 Jackson County residents gathered in Ashland on Saturday [January 24, 2016] to stand in solidarity with the communities in Harney County. See more rallies of support in Oregon at Oregon Wild.

Although the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge was established by Teddy Roosevelt in 1908, The occupation of Malheur teaches us some valuable lessons. As Friends groups who support our local public lands, we need to expand community knowledge and engagement broadly. This heritage of public lands requires all of us—to work together.

Here are two ways you can give to make a difference. 
     Support the Conservation Lands Foundation’s Crowdrise campaign that invites donations “to support veterans, youth, and Native Americans who want to work as conservation stewards on BLM’s National Conservation Lands. The Conservation Lands Foundation also provides support to the Friends Grassroots Network, a group of 58 Friends organizations, like us, who champion our local public lands. 
     If you prefer to help strengthen your local Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, you can renew your membership or make a donation.  Please contact us about volunteering your talents and skills with us!
     Help us educate, advocate and protect the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument. For 2016 we are in the process to show the:
•    Need and ways to advocate, protect, and conserve our public lands. 
•    Scientific and cultural benefits of our public lands, including biodiversity, clean air, water, and land.
      

Thank you for your continued support!  

Giving Tuesday 2015 - Give Green!

Snowy Pacific Crest Trail.

Giving Tuesday is a day dedicated to giving to support the organizations you care about. We invite you to give local--our Friends of the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument, a non-profit dedicated to spreading awareness and educating the public about the biodiversity in the region.
     Launching on Tuesday December 1st, our season of giving is kicking off, and we need your help to reach our goal of $3,000!
     Our thanks go to an anonymous donor for matching all donations that are over $30. We are honored to have your support, and the opportunity to make every dollar go twice as far in our mission to educate, research, and spread awareness about our local National Monument. 
     Cascade—Siskiyou National Monument is located at the crossroads of the Siskiyou, Klamath, and Cascade Mountain ranges in Southern Oregon. The convergence brings together the different rock strata, plant, and animal communities of each region creating an incredibly varied and diverse landscape.

Butterfly on Lepidopterist Dana Ross' Hat Rim During our Bioblitz at the Monument.  2015 File Photo

Your donation supports our education, research, and conservation efforts for the Monument. 
     Education: providing learning opportunities for all ages so we can understand the importance of Biodiversity. Education programs include seasonal Hike & Learns for the community, as well as bus funds for Fall in the Field, which focuses on getting local school students between 2nd and 8th grade to explore the Monument.
     Research: expanding our knowledge of sciences, arts, and humanities about the benefits of our monument. Funding supports the Student Research Fund, providing small grants for students to gather data, explore, and learn more about the monument.
     Conservation & Preservation: encouraging awareness and learning about the history and continued evolution of the Monument in relation to climate change, and cultural significance.
     Exploration and Discovery: exploring and appreciating the monument as a citizen scientist to become better stewards of our public lands.  

Give Green! Giving Tuesday, Giving Grateful! 
The Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is a 501-C3 organization,
and your donation is tax deductible.

Student Research: Jenny Creek Area

JAD D'ALLURA AND MEGAN MORTIMER INSPECT A 15’ DIKE, JUTTING UP FROM THE HILLSIDE. 

SPENCER JONES  AND JAD D'LLURA TAKE A HAND SAMPLE FROM AN OUTCROP.

MEGAN FINDS AN IGNEOUS DIKE ON HER SECOND DAY IN THE FIELD!

   Spencer Jones and Megan Mortimer-Lamb, undergraduate geology students at the University of Oregon, were awarded $1200 from the Friends of the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument Fund for undergraduate research in May 2015. They report about their field work in the Jenny Creek area. 
 
     “Greetings to all! This summer we had the incredible opportunity to work alongside Dr. Jad D’Allura in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. We were fortunate to have been awarded grants from the Friends Research Fund. That gracious support allowed us to purchase equipment for our field study, travel to and from the Monument, and have samples sent to a lab for geochemical analysis. 
     Our research objective was to determine the characteristics and importance of the 22 million year old Western Cascade and much younger High Cascade volcanic rocks. Analysis included field mapping, microscopic examination of thin slices of rock, and pulverizing selected rock samples for geochemical analysis. We worked alongside Dr. D’Allura for over a month to complete geologic mapping and data collection in the northeastern part of the Monument.  
     We learned new field techniques in challenging terrain! Megan enjoyed learning a new skill as she prepared thin sections for analysis—techniques not usually taught to undergraduates. Spencer enjoyed traversing steep hillsides through dense forest to suddenly break through the trees to a steep cliff of sheer rock, often representing a boundary between two very different rock units.
     Thanks are given to Professor D’Allura for his unwavering support and patience and to the Friends for enabling us to develop our own research projects in such an incredible place. Our research has contributed to the knowledge of how the geology affects the diverse topography, soils, and hydrology of this part of this geo-and bio-diverse Monument. We look forward to speaking to and sharing with the Friends during the research symposium in 2016.  

     All 2015 Images courtesy of Spencer Jones and Meagan Mortimer.

Sarah Burns: Drawing From Nature

Sarah Burns, (2nd from left) demonstrates a landscape sketch at Hobart Bluff, Cascade Siskiyou National Monument.

       "...it will slow you down and cause an increase in your powers of observation, so you get a connection with nature, a deeper understanding of it.”  Sarah F. Burns, Daily Tidings interview.

At Hobart Bluff: Twisted tree and Sarah Burns' sketch. Images by RShaw 2015. 

Sarah F. Burns, local artist and art teacher, led the program beginning with a lecture on Friday night. She spoke to an audience of over 25 community members on the importance of capturing landscapes in art and why so many famous artists do. Through a slide show featuring art from both historic and present-day artists, Sarah took the audience on a tour of different techniques that could be used in situ the following day in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. 
     After talking about why artists draw landscapes, Sarah introduced the concept of Blind Contour – a technique where the artist sketches a shape without looking at the paper. Sarah explained that many children draw in symbols instead of drawing what they actually see, for example to draw a table a child will draw a sort of bracket to represent a table. “If you ever find yourself drawing in symbols instead of visually recording what you see, blind contouring will help you switch over to recording what is actually there.”
     Other topics covered included scale, proportion, scope, tonal qualities, light effect, perspective, and atmospheric perspective. The lecture, while only an hour long, showcased many stunning pieces of art. 
     The next morning, Sarah Burns led a hike through Hobart Bluff in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. The smoke did not deter the 15 community members who joined her to sketch the beautiful landscapes seen along the Hobart Bluff trail. Sarah began the day by doing a demonstration. She chose an intricately twisted tree and set up her easel commenting on the strong winds that had shaped the tree but would also influence her sketch. 
      By the end of the hike, every community member had created his or her own sketch as a souvenir of the morning’s hike and awe-inspiring beauty of Hobart Bluff. See some of the sketches on our Facebook page.
                                                                              --Rosetta Shaw, Friends of CSNM Board Member

Read John Darling's article at the Daily Tidings.  Sarah Burns teaches art classes in Ashland and you can learn more at Sarahfburns.com. 

 

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