Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center

Help us remain vigilant in our effort to preserve, protect, and restore the Mount Shasta Bioregion with a contribution. Invest in the future of Mount Shasta's bioregion! Whether you live here and experience the splendor of this majestic place every day or vacation here, your contribution will help build upon the foundation that treasures the region's natural resources and recreational opportunities. 

So much to celebrate this year, but the work must not slow down!

We successfully achieved National Monument designation for the Medicine Lake Highlands: Sáttítla Highland National Monument! This milestone, watching President Biden sign the proclamation, comes after nearly thirty years of resisting industrial geothermal development and standing in litigation against CalPine alongside the Pit River Nation. After taking a well-earned breath, we are now focused on contributing to a strong management plan and advancing additional protections through Outstanding National Resource Waters (ONRW) designation. We remain a trusted partner to the Pit River Tribe for tours, public education, and ongoing collaboration.

Through volunteer power and coordinated work with agencies, we completed 3.6 miles of fuels reduction this year — with more on the way. These projects improve ingress and egress across South Siskiyou, strengthening safety for residents and emergency responders. We delivered free wildfire-preparedness and home-hardening events, supported green-waste days in Dunsmuir and Clean & Safe Mt. Shasta, and recently co-hosted a biochar workshop teaching participants how to create and use biochar, complete with giveaways of the finished product.

Working with a small but dedicated coalition, we also successfully stopped two proposed industrial wood-pellet plants. These facilities would have destroyed an estimated 1.3 million acres of forest and produced significant air and noise pollution from the harvest zones all the way to the Port of Stockton. Burning forests for fuel would have generated even higher climate emissions than coal—an unacceptable setback for climate and ecological health.

This year marked an all-time high for educational programming, with over 30 educational events offered. We expanded meaningful environmental education for youth and adults—outdoors, in classrooms, and through new collaborations with local schools. We also launched the Mt. Shasta Seed Library in partnership with the Mt. Shasta Library!

We installed two new interpretive signs in Panther Meadow this season—beautiful works of art paired with ecological and cultural teachings that inspire stewardship. Next year, we’ll update the kiosk information at the Lower and Upper Trailheads in partnership with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

The South Fork preliminary injunction halted logging in Northern Spotted Owl habitat. While this is a temporary relief and the case is still awaiting a final ruling, the injunction gives us cautious optimism and validates at least one of the core merit issues.