The Hinkle Lake Botanical Area hosts some of the Siskiyou Crest’s most spectacular high mountain meadows.           Hinkle Lake and the Hinkle Lake Botanical Area are located in the Oregon section of the Kangaroo Roadless Area, adjacent to the Red Buttes Wilderness, above Carberry Creek in the Upper Applegate River drainage. The Hinkle Lake Botanical Area is a place of spectacular beauty,set aside for its significant botanical diversity and quality of habitat. The meadow system surrounding Hinkle Lake is one of the largest in the Red Buttes region, and it hosts numerous rare and endemic species. One particularly rare species, known as the Alpine Liverwort (Chilosyphus gemmiparus), is found in only six other locations worldwide. Unfortunately, in the Hinkle Lake Botanical Area, Alpine Liverwort habitat is being severely degraded by illegal Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) use. ...

A new hiking and natural history guide to the Siskiyou Crest.   An invaluable and detailed tool for exploring this little known, yet wonderfully diverse region. The Siskiyou Crest: Hikes, History & Ecology explores the sunlit oak woodlands, ancient old-growth forests, scrubby slopes of chaparral, pristine mountain lakes, and the rugged, flower-filled ridgelines of the Siskiyou Crest. The author examines the region’s wild character, unique biological diversity, unusual botany, fire ecology, natural history, and human history with each hike description and introductory chapter.  76 Hikes 19 Roadless Areas The Red Buttes Wilderness The Siskiyou Wilderness The entire proposed Siskiyou Crest National Monument  The book outlines the region’s many threats and potential solutions to these threats, including the proposed designation of the Siskiyou Crest National Monument. Take this book along on any Siskiyou Crest adventure! Books are...

Fritillaria glacua (Siskiyou fritillaria) growing from rocky scree on Goodbye Ridge in the Kangaroo Roadless Area Summer in the Siskiyou Mountains is prime time to enjoy the region’s renowned botanical diversity. Whether hunting rare wildflowers or enjoying common, yet colorful species, the Siskiyou Crest offers some of the West Coast’s most diverse flower displays. Many species found in the region are endemic to the area, meaning they are found only in the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains. In this post I have featured a few species endemic to the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains. Look for them while you are out and about this summer.  Lillium bolanderi (Bolander’s lily) growing from serpentine boulders along Clear Creek in the Siskiyou Wilderness Castilleja schizotricha (Split-hair paintbrush) growing on serpentine balds near the summit of Big Red Mountain Lewisia cotyledon (Siskiyou bitterroot) near Cook and Green Pass in the...

View of Red Butte from Bee Camp at the current end of Road 47N80. Road 47N80 is an obstacle to wilderness designation and should be closed to all motorized traffic.       The Klamath National Forest (KNF) has announced the development of a road rehabilitation project in the Seiad Creek Watershed, adjacent to the Red Buttes Wilderness and the Kangaroo Roadless Area. The project is being called, “The Seiad Legacy Roads Rehabilitation Project.” The goal of the project is to improve water quality by reducing road related sediment sources in the watershed. The KNF has proposed a variety of treatments including culvert removal, road decommissioning, road re-contouring, fill removal, and the construction of water bars.      This project is designed around identifying what the KNF has deemed “legacy roads.” Legacy roads serve little to no real purpose and degrade numerous important biological and social...

     The Cleopatra Mine, a large-scale strip mine proposed on Cleopatra Ridge, deep in the South Kalmiopsis Roadless Area, has the potential to impact the world renowned fisheries and water quality of both Baldface Creek and the North Fork of the Smith River. The mine project would degrade wilderness quality lands in the South Kalmiopsis Roadless Area, likely precluding future wilderness designation.      The area is extremely remote, wild, and inaccessible; yet the McGrew Trail, a long abandoned stage coach route through the area, can provide hikers and backpackers access to the stark peridotite ridges and clear mountain streams of the South Kalmiopsis Roadless Area.       It is my contention that these places must be loved if they are to be saved. The public who owns this land must know what is truly at stake, so explore Baldface Creek and speak out for its permanent protection! The link below explores the issue and...