About This Project

The biodiversity in Siskiyou County is inadequately documented because of prior inaccessibility. We seek to explore some rare wet meadow systems, as well as a California Pitcher Plant fen, nestled in the forest of one of our properties. We hypothesize that we will discover potential species variants of the pitcher plant, along with other species found around the fen. We also predict that we will uncover unique plant and invertebrate species not otherwise associated with these ecosystems.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Siskiyou Land Trust has access to a variety of rural landscapes with unique climates and ecosystems that host several plant and insect species. For this project, our goal is to focus mostly on wet meadow systems in some of the properties we steward. These particular landscapes are vulnerable and are becoming more rare. Over a number of months, and through seasonal changes, we set out to observe the species that are more commonly found in these areas as well as unique species that are less associated with these ecosystems. It will be useful to have a more thorough inventory of the biodiversity throughout these systems. We will be sending our samples to Still Water Sciences for analyses. Our findings will help to inform our conservation and restoration efforts to further nurture the biodiversity in these precious landscapes.https://www.cnps.org/wp-conten...

What is the significance of this project?

Some of these landscapes are undergoing revamps with prescribed burns and conifer removal. Before and after the revamps, these areas will be ideal for our team of AmeriCorps fellows to observe, as we search for specimens worthy of archiving for our records, as well as the California ATBI database. When we obtain interesting findings, we can submit them to the stewardship department so we can plan ways to protect them. If they are foreign and/or invasive, we will formulate plans to minimize or eradicate them. As this is also intended to be a learning opportunity for our climate focused fellows, this research will give them a chance to observe how our changing climate may need to be considered as we develop conservation plans for our findings. We can also explore whether the biomimicry of reintroducing fire to one of these landscapes improves the overall health and biodiversity of that particular meadow we will be exploring.

What are the goals of the project?

Our intention is to get our fellows out into the field to do research work. This will be a beneficial project to help hone in on their observation skills and get them motivated about the conservation work we do as a land trust. We would also like to make record of the biodiversity within the properties we steward. We will use these funds to provide our team with sample collection kits. We will also be able to pay our team lead to take the fellows out into the field to collect samples, as well as prep the samples to be mailed out. It will also help pay for postage so we can send the samples to Still Water Sciences. Our goal is to find several viable samples between January 5th, 2026 and August 1st, 2026. This professional development will be incredibly beneficial to our cohort of Climate Action Corps fellows and will provide them with valuable skills in field research.