The Wilderness Land Trust has transferred its 637-acre Little Castle Lake property, which includes a popular trail to Heart Lake, a portion of Castle Lake and all of Little Castle Lake, to public ownership with management by the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
WLT completed purchase of the property in 2019 to protect it from logging and development that threatened old growth forest, critical habitat and a major source of clean water for California and the west. The property straddles the Castle Crags Wilderness boundary and represented the largest remaining private parcel in the federally designated wilderness.
The purchase and transfer of this property was made possible through partnerships with the Siskiyou Land Trust, the USFS Shasta Trinity National Forest, the Mt. Shasta Trails Association and The Conservation Alliance.
“The Shasta-Trinity National Forest had been working to acquire the Little Castle Lake parcel for more than two decades,” says Rachel Birkey, forest supervisor, Shasta-Trinity National Forest. “Thanks to The Wilderness Land Trust, this parcel is now a living legacy for the American people. The land truly takes your breath away.”
“The Wilderness Land Trust proudly protects wild places like Little Castle Lake so we can all enjoy trails, views of old growth forest, sparkling clear lakes and towering Mt. Shasta. Pacific fishers, spotted owls, bears, deer, mountain lions and bald eagles call this place home. Now, no one can build a house or cut down timber and this land is protected forever,” says Aimee Rutledge, vice president and senior lands specialist at Wilderness Land Trust.
For locals and visitors, the property transfer means the popular Heart Lake Trail will remain open. Over the winter, the Trust coordinated with the U.S. Forest Service and Mt. Shasta Trail Association to create and build an official trail leading from Castle Lake to Heart Lake to protect the land from overuse. Now that the property is transferred to the public, the trail will be owned and managed by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Castle Crags Wilderness.
“Visitors can already see an immediate change to this property thanks to the trail work completed this year by the Mt. Shasta Trail Association. Getting this work done before what promises to be a very busy summer will reduce the impact of hikers and help restore and preserve fragile alpine plants. It’s just an immense benefit to the land, our community and visitors,” says Renee Casterline, executive director, Siskiyou Land Trust.
Since its founding in 1992, The Wilderness Land Trust has permanently protected nearly 53,000 acres and added 494 parcels of land to 108 designated wilderness areas. It is the only national conservation organization solely dedicated to purchasing private inholdings within wilderness areas and returning these properties to public ownership, thereby ensuring that our nation’s wilderness areas remain forever wild for future generations.
Visit wildernesslandtrust.org for more information about SLT’s partnership and WLT’s many projects.
