Author: Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument

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.

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.

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.

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!
 

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.

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!

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.

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.   
     

  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.