On the ground for forest conservation easements

Dear Friends, 
As we work together to support our communities during covid-19, we know that some have experienced greater hardships and losses. We send thanks to the heroes in healthcare, public safety and essential services, food production and distribution – all the helpers! We look forward so much to the opening of businesses and schools when it is safe to do so.

Many things have changed at SLT in response to covid-19 safety. Here are just a few of our Shelter In Place changes:

  • SLT staff now work mainly from home, scheduling brief solo trips to the office or site visits with appropriate social distancing. But work they do, continuing conservation easement processes, grant applications, and so much more!
  • Shelter-in-place restrictions have lead to remote, yet remarkably productive Zoom board meetings.
  • Our remaining programs in the regular Slideshow Series were canceled till next season, but online webinars have stepped in to fill the gap! Our first webinar on Monarch butterfly support took place April 23, and a second webinar A Journey to the Miracle Mile is scheduled for the evening of May 14.
  • The annual Spring Solstice Dinner has been postponed until we can again meet safely in large groups…perhaps an Equinox Celebration this coming fall!

Accomplishments continue step-by-step! 

  • The Thompson Creek easement on the Klamath River was finalized in April, protecting 67 acres of essential watershed in perpetuity.  
  • We’re nearing completion on a second easement with the Spencer family to protect another ranch in Scott Valley.
  • SLT staff has begun to locate and document monitoring photo-points on the Wildcat and Whiskey blocks on the Scott River Headwaters project in the mountains above Scott Valley, with mapping trips onto these remote and beautiful lands. 
  • We’ve received funding from the Department of Conservation to develop future agricultural easements.
  • SLT is exploring a collaboration to protect the endangered Yreka Phlox plant on it’s unique habitat in the hills near Yreka. 
  • We’ve applied for funding for a number of restoration projects in Sisson Meadow, including creating a Monarch butterfly waystation and some simple measures to improve wetland function. 

And now spring has blossomed with all its glory. We hope you’ve found great comfort walking solo in the outdoors, on the land we all love. The boardwalk in Sisson Meadow has never been so well appreciated! There’s beauty in every day, and it’s important to take time to be thankful for it and each other.  Please know that we are grateful for all of you and your passion for the environment and conservation. We need nature now more than ever.

      In gratitude,
      Renee Casterline,  SLT Executive Director
 

On the ground for forest conservation easements

The work of establishing a conservation easement for a piece of land is lengthy and involves many elements. A critical part if this process is the creation of the Baseline Conditions Report, involving many trips onto the land to map monitoring photo points. Learn how SLT is currently doing this work on 26,800 acres of forest the mountains below the Russian Wilderness in western Siskiyou County…READ MORE 
 

Gardening for Community

The learning garden team at SLT’s Garden Greenway was in the process of starting work when the shelter-in-place order was issued, changing the hopes and plans for the summer. Learn how the garden is being planted to benefit community members in need…READ MORE
 

Miracle Mile Webinar May 14th

Join SLT’s upcoming webinar with biologist Michael Kauffmann to virtually explore the one-square-mile section in the mountains west of Callahan and Etna that’s called the Miracle Mile. With 18 different conifer species, this is of the richest conifer assemblages on Earth! The webinar will be on Zoom at 7pm Thursday evening May 14…….READ MORE and REGISTER HERE.

Support our work

Our small organization is busy doing great work in our communities and in the vast landscapes that surround them. We’re at a high mark for number of conservation projects underway and in July we’ll add even more to that list of active projects. Covid-19 has put distance between us, but even still, our supporters are at the core of our work – you make all of this possible. Our local fundraising events and gifts from donors make up almost 50% of our annual budget. The dollars you donate provide the funds to pay for nearly half our staff time that’s spent on landscape scale conservation, open spaces and community projects. If you are in the position to donate, your gift will make a huge impact in this uncertain time…..CLICK HERE TO MAKE A GIFT.
 
Thanks and be well!