Like all of the properties SLT manages, Sisson Meadow and the Pollinator Garden both require constant upkeep, work we could not manage without the support of our volunteers. We are deeply grateful for their commitment and for the tireless work they do alongside our dedicated staff. The diverse set of skills our supporters bring to their work was on full display this summer as folks lent artistic, scientific, and sweaty hours of expertise and effort to our mission of stewarding the land we love.
It Takes A Community of Volunteers to Help the SLT Pollinator Garden Thrive
The SLT Garden sign is the original sign built and installed 10 years ago when the garden was established!
Have you noticed the garden by the SLT office this year? A mixture of native plants and edible foods were planted and tended by many community volunteers.
The Siskiyou Land Trust garden is a demonstration of SLT’s commitment to work in partnership with the community and the natural world to care for the spaces that nourish us, body, heart and soul. Gardens bring people together. They add beauty and joy to all who pass by, and offer healing spaces for those who tend to and visit them. SLT Board and staff are so grateful for the many hands that work together to make the SLT Garden a place of peace and refuge.
The SLT Garden brings community and family together, including SLT staff and families. Join us in thanking these dedicated garden stewards:
- Mila Bradley helped re-paint the SLT Garden sign, with paint donated by Raven Stevens. This sign is the original sign that was made and installed by Raven Stevens and Bayla Greenspoon who helped establish the garden a decade ago.
- Laura Bradley, Steve Suttell, and Kristin Davis hung Monarch Waystation and Certified Wildlife Habitat signs.
- Scrub jays, California quail, mountain chickadees, tree swallows and blackbirds that call the Land Trust Garden home love cooling off in the beautiful bird baths and feeders donated by the Mount Shasta Area Audubon Society.
- Thanks to the support of the Mount Shasta Community Resource Center, kids and parents have been gathering in the garden to plant, weed, water and explore nature each week.
- The butterflies, bees, birds and so many insects are in abundance in the over 1500 sq ft. of pollinator gardens that staff and volunteers planted this spring. This was made possible by a huge donation of native plants by the Union Pacific Railroad, a grant by the USFWS Partners Program and milkweed donations from community members Leslie Tift and Caitlin Bean.
Thank you to everyone who has helped in the garden this year, together we planted over 200 native plants!
We can’t do this without your support and we always need more help. If you’d like to volunteer in the garden or Sisson Meadow, please contact Hannah Link for upcoming work dates and times: hannahlink@siskiyoulandtrust.org.
Donations from partners like the Mt Shasta Audubon Society help enhance the garden.
The SLT garden is home to monarchs and milkweed
Volunteers like you can help create a safe and beautiful space for wildlife, plants and people!
SLT staff and garden volunteers after a fun and full day planting native pollinator plants.
Siskiyou Land Trust Partners for First Annual Butterfly Count
Siskiyou Land Trust was proud to partner with the North American Butterfly Association (aka NABA) for Siskiyou County’s first annual butterfly count this July! Centered around the Sisson Meadow, extending to a several mile radius, lepidopterists and community members came together to look for and identify the abundant and diverse butterflies of our area! Several hours were spent hiking, taking pictures and gathering data to help monitor butterfly populations.
The North American Butterfly Association (NABA) has run the Butterfly Count Program in the United States, Canada, and Mexico since 1993. This year Siskiyou County NABA Count Coordinator, Erica Harris organized the first annual butterfly count in Siskiyou County, centered around SLT’s Sisson Meadow. After meeting for a brief orientation, a group of 18 volunteers dispersed to twelve different locations for a total of 45 combined hours. They identified and counted butterflies on four properties stewarded by SLT in and around Mount Shasta, including Hammond Pond, Luginbuhl Ranch Preserve, Sisson Meadow, the SLT Garden Greenway, as well as Panther Meadows and Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens.
In total, an impressive 75 butterfly species were identified across these count sites. The large diversity of species found in the region illustrates the importance of protecting meadow habitats. Butterflies are an indicator of a healthy ecosystem, playing a vital role in pollination as well as being a food source for a variety of birds. Species counts are an important part of understanding the overall health of the area.
Your support makes a difference for Siskiyou Land Trust to continue to host and partner with organizations like NABA who share our dedication to long-term stewardship of agricultural, forest and wild lands in Siskiyou County.
Butterfly enthusiasts surveyed meadows at Luginbuhl Ranch Preserve and carefully noted the species identified.
California sister (Adelpha bredowii californica) at LuginBuhl Ranch Preserve. Larvae of these beauties feed exclusively on native oaks (Quercus species). Photo by Steve Huckabone.
Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) at LuginBuhl Ranch Preserve. Its range covers much of North America and some of Central America. Photo by Steve Huckabone.
All are welcome to join Friends of the Meadow. Come help us fill bags of invasive weeds in just one morning, it takes a village!
Friends of the Sisson Meadow Tackle Noxious Plants
Invasive weeds choke out native plants, that are essential for the food and shelter of our birds, pollinators, and wildlife. Non-native weeds like Himalayan blackberry, while tasty, increase the risk of fire in critical river and wetland areas, posing safety risks. Although removing these weeds is challenging, it is immensely rewarding and gives native species room to thrive.
Help us thank Friends of the Meadow volunteers who consistently show up to steward Sisson Meadow and Mount Shasta Rotary for both their recent $2,000 grant and their volunteer support to maintain and steward the Rotary Path corridor between Lake St. and the Mt Shasta Library.
Special thanks to John K., Chris, Kuanting, Jonathan, Steve S., Steve H., Scott, John W., Seth, Peter, Laura, and Hannah (some pictured here) who have removed at least 35, 55-gallong bags of weeds from the meadow and garden greenway. Your weekly care and dedication makes our corner of the world a beacon of hope, and we’re deeply thankful for your commitment, support, and community!
SLT would love for you to join Friends of the Meadow, volunteer in our garden, and get in touch for ways you can help us care for the lands we all love in Siskiyou County.
Join Friends of the Meadow Thursday mornings 9am-11am. Get in touch with Conservation Coordinator, Hannah Link at hannahlink@siskiyoulandtrust.org to confirm work days and learn about additional volunteer opportunities.
