Siskiyou Land Trust is participating in a historic conservation collaborative with partners EcoTrust Forest Management (EFM) and Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC) on 40,000-acres of Scott River Headwaters forest in Northern California’s Mid-Klamath basin. This swath of forest makes up much of the Scott Valley viewshed where private timber lands abut Klamath and Shasta-Trinity forests.
The project areas are composed of four forest tracts , three of which are directly adjacent to wilderness areas (Marble Mountain Wilderness and Russian Wilderness), and one that are just downstream of the Trinty Alps Wilderness near Callahan. The forest includes a slice of the world’s most diverse conifer forest assemblage, 275 miles of headwaters stream, over 700 acres of alpine meadow, and several wilderness trailheads linking to the Pacific Crest Trail. This collective effort will help link 770,000-acres of designated alpine wilderness with 25,000 acres of conserved ranchlands in the Scott River valley below, further enhancing conservation values and climate resilience for all who inhabit and visit this vast landscape.
Three of the four easements closed in December of 2020. The final section, the Shackleford block, is still in process.
There is tremendous diversity here: Cal Fish and Wildlife’s Areas of Conservation Emphasis tool ranks this property high for aquatic biodiversity and climate change resilience. With more than a dozen streams and the South Fork of the Scott River running through it, this project employs practices that contribute to the health of Endangered Species Act listed salmon, the aquatic community and the diverse communities on the land.
The Wildcat block, one of three project areas, sits towards the south end of Scott Valley up against the Russian Wilderness. Sugar Creek, French Creek and the South Fork Scott River run through this 8,269 acre block. The Sugar Creek drainage is home to “the Miracle Mile” – one of the richest conifer assemblages on Earth, according to conifer expert Michael Kauffmann. Funding for this conservation easement has been secured through Wildlife Conservation Board’s Climate Change Initiative program.
The Whiskey block, encompassing 18,683 acres, sits near the city of Etna and the Marble Mountain Wilderness. It includes Kidder, Patterson and Crystal Creeks, as well as Etna Creek, which provides water to the city. The Whiskey block CE was selected for Cal Fire Forest Legacy program funds in spring 2019.
The Shackleford block, at 12,214 acres, sits farthest north along the western edge of the Scott Valley and is adjacent to the Marble Mountain Wilderness. Within it lies Big Meadow, which provides habitat for rare and threatened species, the access point to Shackleford Falls and aspen groves. SLT and EFM are working on a strategy to fund a conservation easement.
Bouvier Ranch, at 1,596 acres, lies upstream of Callahan on the South Fork of the Scott River, the most important source of cold, clean water flowing into the main stem of the river. The relatively small Scott River watershed is the most important producer of coho salmon in the entire Klamath Basin. Inspired by the opportunity to create positive change for salmon recovery, Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC) purchased the property when it went up for auction in 2017 and began a partnership with SLT to place a conservation easement on the 1,596-acre ranch. The easement will preserve the pristine streams on the ranch, improve their quality by changing forestry practices, limiting water diversions at critical times, and ensuring that restoration work on the river can continue. The conservation easement will support sustainable forest stewardship practices and prevent habitat fragmentation.
