A bunch of good news to catch you up on what Siskiyou Land Trust has been working on lately. Progress with grants and easements, help for an endangered flower unique to Siskiyou County, and community support from our Spring Fundraising mailing!
SLT is awarded major grant to protect ag lands in Siskiyou County
The mission to preserve agricultural lands in Siskiyou County took a giant leap forward this April when SLT was selected as one of 85 nationwide partners and awarded a $6.4M grant within the Regional Conservation Partners Program of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). SLT will work with the NRCS to create at least 5 agricultural conservation easements (CEs) in the tributary watersheds of the Klamath and the Sacramento Rivers.
This 5 year project will protect working ranches in our economically struggling region while addressing drought impacts of climate change on water quality, with a particular focus on endangered coho salmon habitat.
This is a major conservation win for our area, bringing in funds for landowners who are committed to protecting lands from subdivision and habitat fragmentation. The grant provides at least half of the funding needed for these complex conservation easements that create long-term benefits for communities, watersheds and regional resources.
The program will launch later this summer with outreach in the Shasta, Scott, Upper Sacramento and Willow Creek (tributary to the Klamath River) watersheds to provide information to landowners interested in protecting land in perpetuity with a conservation easement. Look for more info in the months to come.
It was a busy spring for grant applications
In addition to the huge RCPP grant, the staff at SLT has busily completed several grant applications and pre-proposal submissions for CE projects. These include three applications to CalFire Forest Legacy Program for forestry lands, three pre-proposals for agricultural easement projects to State of CA funding sources, and an application for funds to purchase a property in south Siskiyou County with especially high conservation values. Watch for more news through the coming months as we make progress, both in the office and out in the field, to set up these easements.
Helping save the endangered Yreka Phlox
The Yreka area is home to a rare, endemic plant. The Yreka Phlox (Phlox hirsuta) occurs only in a few isolated pockets outside of the city. SLT is working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife on a project to protect those remaining occurrences from destruction through subdivision and other activities. Grant funding provides the opportunity for SLT to work with willing landowners to purchase land or CEs with documented populations of Yreka Phlox. This state and federally listed endangered species is found only on certain hillsides in northern Siskiyou County, and although the population has been slowly recovering, loss of habitat is the biggest threat. Purchased land will become a preserve, purely to protect the species and ensure natural habitat for this beautiful plant.
Results from the 2021 Spring Fundraising mailing
Thank you for your support! A packet of information was sent out to 450 SLT supporters on April 28, sharing recent SLT accomplishments and asking for continued support. Since Covid restrictions have prevented our annual dinner event these past two years, this mailing will be our only community fundraising outreach until Giving Tuesday in November.
Through the month of May, this appeal has brought $3225 in donations, plus 2 new monthly scheduled donors. We sincerely thank the folks who were able to make a financial gift. It is a wonderful feeling to know we have our community behind us!
If you didn’t get that post office mailing and would like to, just drop us an email by replying to this e-newsletter. And if you are feeling particularly generous and spontaneous, click https://secure.
