Author: Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument

The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument was selected to host a Teacher on Public Lands (TPL) intern this summer. Our Washington Office Division of Education, Interpretation and Partnerships supports the placement of 20 classroom teachers as interns at selected sites. Teachers earn university credit from the University of Colorado Denver and receive a professional development stipend upon completion of a mutually beneficial project that supports Junior Ranger education and youth engagement efforts.  

TPL teachers spend up to 30 percent of their time learning about public lands and resources, experiencing the day-to-day operations of the BLM, and working with the public. When teachers return to school in the fall, they are expected to spend part of their classroom time-sharing their TPL projects with their own students and other appropriate audiences.

We are pleased to announce our CSNM TPL intern is Tara O’Malley, a 3rd grade teacher at Table Rock Elementary School in White City, OR. She earned her undergraduate degree in elementary education at Southern Oregon University and is a Portland OR native. While interning at CSNM this summer, Tara will complete lesson plan activities that she can field-test on young monument visitors this summer, and then bring back with her to Table Rock elementary this fall. Come up to the monument this summer and meet Tara!

Christine Beekman, BLM Interpretive Specialist

The Friends envision a healthy and vibrant Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument for present and future generations. We manifest this vision by supporting students in their path towards careers in the sciences and arts that contribute to conservation efforts. In just three years, the Friends Research Grant has become one of our standout programs: awarding individual grants ranging from $250-$1,500 to undergraduate and graduate students that enhance the understanding, appreciation, preservation, and protection of the CSNM.

On March 23, over sixty Friends’ supporters and scientists gathered to hear about the research by four students and scientists who have endeavored research in the Monument boundaries in 2016. It was an opportunity for students to present their research in a professional context and for the rest of us to learn about the current status of critical species and landscapes in the CSNM.

Martin Harris (University of Oregon, BS Earth Sciences), Kieran McCann (University of Oregon, BS Earth Sciences), and Kendra Madaras-Kelly (Southern Oregon University, BS Chemistry) all worked with Emeritus Professor Jad D’Allura on geoscience projects. Martin furthered existing GIS mapping data for the High Cascades and Western Cascades regions of the Parker Mountain region, noting the differences in rock type between each formation. Kieran focused on hydrology, attempting to answer the question, “How does geology affect stream flow?” He found that the High Cascades, being more porous, allow water to flow into groundwater more readily (see Kieran’s photos). Consequently, the High Cascades retain less water throughout the season, whereas streams in the Western Cascades (more eroded and protected) retain more surface water. Kendra is the first researcher to attempt water chemistry analysis in Monument waterways, analyzing eleven water samples from various locations for presence of trace elements. Luckily, she found that the eight creeks are all safe to drink from, and she discovered that the concentration of elements increased as the stream length increased, most likely due to influx from various tributaries. 

Emily Burke (Southern Oregon University, MS Environmental Education) presented information about her Master’s Thesis project on Great Grey Owl (GGO) and Barred Owl (BO) competition on the Dead Indian Plateau (See Emily’s photos) . Emily’s research furthers existing widespread research on competition between native Northern Spotted Owls and invasive Barred Owls. Her project attempted to parce out the differences between GGO and BO habitat and pinpoint the main variables that define each species’ individual habitats. Her findings suggest that the habitats of GGO (less dense forests) and BO (dense, shorter forests) are different enough that they don’t seem to be posing much of a threat to competition. This is great news for the Monument, as a majority of the GGO nests discovered by the BLM in the last five years are in the expanded Monument area. Emily’s research suggests that conserving Great Grey Owl habitat into the future, especially with increased Monument acreage, may be a low concern. 

Chris Volpe (BLM fish biologist) and Scot Loring (mycologist and Friends’ board member) also offered insights into recent studies on the Monument. Chris summarized Jenny Creek sucker surveys from 1981 to the present, reassuring us that research is still active on behalf of this special species. Biologists like Chris continue to monitor and locate priority spawning sites, paying particular attention to tagged individuals’ tendency to return to their birth streams to spawn. Scot summarized the 2016 Fungi BioBlitz findings, highlighting six rare or sensitive species that were found among the total 114 species catalogued. Out of this total, 99 new species were also recorded for the CSNM lists, increasing the total number of fungi species documented within Monument boundaries from 47 to 146!

Michael Parker (SOU Biology Chair, aquatic ecologist, and herpetologist) closed the evening’s event with poignant comments about future research opportunities in the Monument. He reminded us that the Friends Research Grant was born over three years ago at the end of a hike that he led in the Monument for Friends’ supporters. At the conclusion of the hike, participants wondered about more opportunities for research in the Monument, and offered bills or checks for the creation of a fund for students.

Today, we have an expanded Monument just out our backdoor, and a myriad of potential research opportunities. We know that biodiversity is abundant in the CSNM and that connectivity between habitats is necessary for species to thrive, but little is known about the social & cultural aspects of the Monument. For instance, what are the recreational and economic implications of the CSNM to neighboring communities? Or, why are national monuments important for our aesthetic, spiritual, and educational well-being? The answers to these questions, and more, are endless. Here’s to another successful year for students and career scientists attempting to answer the most creative questions they can muster!

Katie Boehnlein, Coordinator
Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
 

Friends Research Funds provided grants during 2016 to student researchers:  Here are selections from their journal entries about their field work in the Monument.

Invasive Barred Owl and the Native and Threatened Great Gray Owl
by Emily Burke, SOU Environmental Education
Faculty: Dr. Stewart Janes, SOU Biology

During my time assessing the potential for competition between the invasive barred owl and the native and threatened great gray owl in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, I spent the majority of my research hours in the monument at night, calling and listening for owls. Prior to this project, I had spent a fair bit of daylight time in the monument, witnessing it mostly through sight, but researching owls in the CSNM allowed me to experience it in a completely novel way, a way that most people probably don’t experience the monument; the sweeping vistas of the day give way at night to common poor-wills whistling rhythmically, the wings of bats skirting my cheeks, and tree frogs chorusing in unison. And occasionally, the eight-note call of a barred owl winding through the midnight firs.

Geology in the Field
By Kieran McCann, University of Oregon
Faculty: Dr. Jad D’Allura, SOU professor of geology (retired)

This summer working in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument was an extremely rewarding experience that gave me insight into the day to day life of a working field geologist. Going back to the basics of geology and getting my nose on the rocks reminded me of why I chose this science in the first place. I was able to make my own interpretations and put my knowledge to the test in an applied setting. Though definitely challenging physically and puzzling geologically, this opportunity has solidified many lessons I learned in the classroom and trained me in many invaluable skills I can use in my future career.

One of the most challenging locations in our field area was Agate Flat because it is so isolated and had only one access road. We had to be especially aware of timing and water supplies because of the high summer heat. Despite the difficulties associated with reaching this area, it proved to be the most rewarding when tackling the geology. The remoteness and stillness of the area really allows one to appreciate the monument in its rawest form.

The expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument continues to draw legal actions. Lawsuits challenging the Monument expansion have been filed by the Western Oregon counties and the timber industry.

Listen to the discussion by Dave Willis from the Soda Mountain Wilderness Council and Susan Jane Brown of the Western Environmental Law Center discuss the issue. Show your support to Oregon Wild, the Wilderness Society, the Soda Mountain Wilderness Council and others for their actions to protect the Monument.

Keep on top of the pertinent details by reading our synopsis.

February 16, 2017 Oregon Courthouse News: Counties Fight Monument Expansion

February 27, 2017. Mark Freeman / Medford Mail Tribune: Environmental groups to defend monument expansion

March 14, 2017. Brandi Buchman / Courthouse News Service: Timber Industry Says Cascade-Siskiyou Protections Threaten Loggers

March 15, 2017. Conrad Wilson / Oregon Public Broadcasting: Judge rules groups can intervene in Cascade-Siskiyou lawsuit

Charles Schelz, an ecologist for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, hosts the fifth Monument Science Symposium*.

Emily Burke, SOU ornithology student, presents her research findings on the habitats of native and invasive owls.

University of Oregon geology students Kieran McCann and Martin Harris and SOU student Kendra Madaras-Kelly discuss their work mapping geological faults, contacts between the Western and High Cascades, and geohydrology of the Jenny Creek area.

BLM biologist Chris Volpe gives the status of the Jenny Creek sucker, an isolated population in the eastern part of the monument.

Scot Loring gives a brief summary of Friends 2016 Bioblitz: Fungi, and Michael Parker, chairman of the SOU Biology Department, will update attendees on how the monument expansion increases research opportunities for students and professionals.

If you go: Get the Free Parking Code to park on SOU Campus.

*Formerly titled Community Science Forum. This event is sponsored by Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.

2017 is the first year Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument (CSNM) is participating in the Bureau of Land Management Artist In Residence (AiR) program. AiR provides artistic and educational opportunities that promote deeper understanding and dialogue about the natural, cultural, and historic resources on public lands. They can provide new ways to look at and appreciate public lands managed by the BLM.

Seeking Visual Artists only. Artistic expertise, professionalism, and creative uses of artistic media are encouraged. Selected artists receive a one to two-week residency at CSNM facilities during the summer. Professional visual artists only may apply in the pilot year 2017. Painters, photographers, printmakers, illustrators and graphic artists will be given equal consideration.

Other requirements of the residency include the artist donation to the BLM the use of of an original piece of artwork from their residency in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. During their stay, artists share their vision in one 45-minute public presentation. Read all details in the application.

Completed Applications Due By: March 31, 2017.
Download Application and details.

Contact Cascade-Siskiyou AiR program coordinator:
Email: Christine Beekman, BLM
Tel: 541-618-2320. 

The Artist-in Residence in Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument drew national media attention after a tweet from former President Clinton.

Are you getting cabin fever? Have you spent enough time in the valley this winter and are ready for a change? Your monument is waiting for you and winter is a perfect time to visit! Whether it is a scenic drive, a snowshoe hike or a cross-country ski, the quiet months of winter can be a perfect escape. Many days the air in the valley gets trapped by an inverted cloud layer and produce grey, dreary skies. A short drive up to the monument can reveal a completely different day with blue skies and warmer temperatures.

Winter in the monument usually means there is a layer (or two) of snow. Animal tracks in the snow can read like pages in a book, telling the story of the comings and goings of critters found in the monument. Look closely for signs of some of our more common winter residents including snowshoe hare, coyote, chipmunks and squirrels.

While looking for tracks and other signs of animal activity, be sure to keep your eyes open to one of the more spectacular events that reveal itself in snow. The Great Grey Owl, the largest owl by length, is a year-round resident of the monument. In its search for prey, it can use its keen sense of hearing to detect movement of a rodent that can be more than 2 feet under snow. As it dives from the sky into the snow, it leaves behind what is called a “plunge hole”. To the casual observer a plunge hole might look nothing more than a messy ditch but it is much more than that. The straight-down portion of the hole is often accompanied by the imprints of the owl’s wings, giving it more of a batman appearance in the snow. If you find yourself looking onto a plunge hole, you can marvel at this creature and wonder if it was successful in getting its meal!

By Christine Beekman, Interpretive Specialist
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument

Photos courtesy of BLM.

Charles Schelz, BLM Ecologist, has worked throughout the West for 30 years. A botanist and ecologist, he has worked primarily for the National Park Service and Forest Service. He has been an instructor at San Francisco State University; and a consultant with The Nature Conservancy and other private and public organizations. His primary interests include ecological condition and change, research, restoration, and collaboration.      

As the ecologist at Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, Charlie Schelz will be involved in the inventory and monitoring of the biodiversity. He will work closely with a wide variety of groups, students, youth, and researchers; surveying, and developing studies that help us understand species composition, and ecological structure and function, or how all the pieces work together. He will use this information to better manage the monument for biodiversity, and to accomplish this through collaboration with a diverse array of local, national, and international groups.

Contact: Charles Schelz, Ecologist, Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
3040 Biddle Road, Medford, Oregon  97504   Tel. 541.618.2244

The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument was expanded on January 12, 2017. Here is an excerpt from the BLM Fact Sheet and FAQs.  

Fast Facts
• Original monument is approximately 65,000 acres in southwestern Oregon
• Managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
• Expansion is approximately 42,000 acres in Oregon and 5,000 acres over the border in California

What is the effect of the President’s proclamation? The President’s proclamation expands Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, and the expansion is comprised entirely of existing federal lands.

How does the expansion impact public access, including vehicle use? The expansion allows for public access, including hunting and fishing, which will continue to be managed by the State of Oregon and the State of California.

What lands does the expansion add to the monument?  The expansion of the monument includes areas identified for their ecological contribution to the purposes for which the original monument was established, including the Horseshoe Ranch and Jenny Creek areas in Siskiyou County, California; the upper Jenny Creek Watershed; the Grizzly Peak area; Lost Lake; the Rogue Valley foothills; the Southern Cascades area, including Moon Prairie and Hoxie Creek, all in Jackson County, Oregon; and some of the area surrounding Surveyor Mountain, including Old Baldy and Tunnel Creek wetland in Klamath County, Oregon. Together, these areas represent approximately 48,000 acres of public lands – 42,349 in Oregon, and 5,275 in California.

By Christine Beekman, Interpretive Specialist, Cascade-Sisskiyou National Monument

BLM updates about Monument Expansion are linked on the Expansion page of Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument website.