When the community pitches in to care for SLT’s preserves, the land and the people who help care for them thrive. In taking time to care for the land in community, we generate connection that reaches far. In this time of receiving support from community near and far, let us pause to appreciate the moments we’ve all had connecting with our natural world.
Friends of the Meadow Stewardship
SLT’s Friends of the Meadow is one example of how volunteers and Land Trust staff come together in this way to connect with each other and the beautiful places we’ve protected while enhancing habitat for native plants, pollinators, and wildlife. This year, meadow volunteers removed a small mountain of Canada thistle by hand to support a non-toxic approach to wet meadow stewardship and community. For a place like Sisson Meadow that’s open to the public every day, all day for local community and visitors to Mt. Shasta, only a joint effort of community volunteers and SLT staff can make it possible for everyone to enjoy. If you’ve ever enjoyed strolling the Sisson Meadow boardwalk, sat at one of its benches or picnic tables to contemplate the view and take a break from your busy day, or walked through the meadow for a beautiful path into town – consider what the Land Trust and these community green spaces mean to you.
Friends of the Meadow volunteers pulled an impressive 55 contractor bags’ worth of invasive weeds this year from Sisson Meadow with SLT staff’s guidance and support—equating to 2,000 gallons, or enough to fill a pick-up truck ten times! Each bag represents a step toward enhancing the health of Sisson Meadow’s native ecosystem through community stewardship. While some would call this approach completely inefficient, SLT values community engagement and options other than chemicals for land stewardship. That meant SLT staff and volunteers spent over 350 hours together to remove a plant that could have been sprayed with a few applications and a cost of over $2000 to the organization. SLT is committed to caring for our lands in a non-toxic manner and providing ways for community to connect with our Preserves and each other. Friends of the Meadow are helping to restore biodiversity in this scenic meadow, just a short walk from downtown Mt. Shasta. It’s a labor of love that’s making a lasting impact on the health of this vital ecosystem, the local community, and the thousands of visitors that find the meadow while travelling to this region. Friends of the Meadow volunteer stewardship is wrapping up as winter is approaching; they spent the last opportunity of nice weather to restore a large blackberry removal site with 15 native riparian plants. Work days will begin following winter, stay tuned for the announcement or email Conservation Coordinator Hannah Link at hannahlink@siskiyoulandtrust.org to get in touch now.
Friends of the Meadow and CA Climate Action Corps Gals steward the land they love!
Business Partnerships – Springhill Nursery & Gardens
Springhill Nursery owners, Sandi and Tim Belton have been constant partners of the Land Trust over the years, supporting our work with in-kind and financial donations, and hosting our staff for presentations. Springhill recently lent SLT 20 potted plants to help us beautify our annual event at Luginbuhl Preserve. Also this year, Springhill donated soil to re-pot some of the native plants donated by Union Pacific Railroad to make it through the winter and be ready for planting next spring.
“We believe in the view of Siskiyou Land Trust and in their dedication to educating the local community on the importance of restoring native habitats and the healthy habits of growing your own food. One of many ways this is seen is in their shared garden space with different groups of people, including Boys and Girls Club and other local not for profits, that allows everyone an opportunity to get their hands in the dirt and feel the immediate healthy benefits of growing and nurturing plants.” ~ Sandi and Tim Belton
Thanks, Spring Hill, for brightening our gardens and community!
Red-naped sapsucker, photo by Steve Huckabone
Community Partnership – Mt Shasta Area Audubon
SLT partnered with Mt Shasta Area Audubon this year for a beautiful bird friendly community. This means SLT is leveraging resources to enrich our community and enhance our shared love for the natural world that brings the joys of color and song to our everyday life. Through initiatives like the Christmas Bird Count and engaging nature walks, SLT unites to celebrate the vibrant avian life that graces Siskiyou County.
Thanks to the Audubon Society’s generosity and relationship with the SLT team, the Land Trust Garden now thrives with bird boxes, baths, and feeders that provide vital resources for local wildlife. These features beautify our space and create valuable learning opportunities for families involved in the Family Resource and First Five Siskiyou programs that meet weekly in the SLT Garden. Imagine the joy of seeing children’s faces light up as they discover the wonders of nature right in our garden.
Your support plays a crucial role in making these initiatives possible. By contributing your time and funds, you help Siskiyou Land Trust steward and protect our precious wildlife and inspire the next generation of conservationists. Join us in nurturing this partnership and the beautiful ecosystems we cherish—together, we make a lasting impact!
Habitat Restoration with CalFire Deadwood Crew
As part of our habitat restoration and wildfire resiliency stewardship efforts, SLT contracted the CalFire Deadwood crew to remove over 100 yards of invasive Himalayan Blackberry from both the Sisson Meadow and Garden Greenway. The removal of Himalayan Blackberry and other invasive plant species is important because they outcompete our native trees, shrubs and wildflowers and provide little to no benefit to our native insects, birds and other wildlife and can create ecological deserts if left unchecked. By removing invasive species from the landscape, it provides the opportunity for existing native species to thrive and for us to enhance the landscape by restoring native plant communities that are highly beneficial to our local wildlife. The SLT stewardship team and volunteers are working to restore these spaces through volunteer opportunities in the coming year and would welcome your help!
Floating the Sacramento River with regional Land Trust colleagues and friends
Developing Regional Partnerships
This year, SLT staff embarked on two inspiring journeys to Redding, where we connected with the Shasta and Northern California Regional Land Trusts. These gatherings have been more than just meetings; they have been transformative moments of collaboration and shared vision, all centered around our commitment to conserving the beautiful landscapes of Northern California.
During our discussions, our growing teams began by sharing lessons learned and technical advice to support capacity and efficiencies. This led to exploring potential for a regional conservation project on a landscape scale, envisioning a collective effort to protect vital ecosystems that stretch across our shared territories. By working together, we can create a unified approach to conservation that addresses the challenges faced by these diverse communities and habitats, charting a path forward thriving communities today and for future generations.
Through the exchange of innovative ideas and experiences, we’ve forged valuable friendships and strengthened our network of support. These connections are not just about sharing resources; they empower us to elevate our impact. Since these gatherings, we’ve implemented new software platforms to enhance our project tracking and management, allowing us to streamline our efforts and increase our capacity to protect the land we love.
Your support is the heartbeat of our mission, enabling us to grow and adapt as we face new challenges in conservation. Together, we are preserving our natural heritage and building a resilient community dedicated to this important work. Thank you for being an essential part of this journey.
