Sisson Meadow

The Sisson Meadow property was purchased in January of 2003 to protect a remarkable 7.5 acre wetland parcel near the center of Mt. Shasta City. Adjacent to Sisson Elementary School, this parcel offers a unique opportunity to develop trails and boardwalks for environmental and education opportunities and to restore the wetland resource values of the property. The above conceptual plan was developed by SLT founder, Tom Hesseldenz, and will be implemented in partnership with local science classes, planning agencies, and volunteers.

The official "unveiling" was held in spring of 2003, with a public event promoting the work of the SLT, encouraging volunteer efforts to implement the proposed improvements, educating the public about the importance of wetland conservation, and providing participants an opportunity to become a supporting members of the SLT.

Sisson Meadow Project Plan - January 2005

SLT's plans to enhance and "develop" Sisson Meadow are on the way toward completion. The seven acre mostly wetland property situated in the middle of Mt. Shasta City near schools and the City library was acquired by SLT in early 2003. SLT was honored to have been awarded an additional grant to enhance the property by the creation of a boardwalk and interpretive trail system, the restoration of the creeks that run across the property, and the creation of a marsh to enhance the wetland habitat values of the property.

A site visit with an official from the State of California Resources Agency, which is the granting entity, took place on November 2, 2004. The enhancement plans were discussed and favorably received by the State. The next steps will be to begin the environmental review and permitting processes. This project should make all SLT members and supporters very proud, as it not only represents a tremendous value to our community, but it also reflects the positive stature that SLT has garnered in the eyes of State environmental grant-makers.

SLT Board member Syd Sloan, who is an environmental education professional, reminds us that "to have immediate and direct access to a wetland habitat is an environmental education dream-come-true. School children from all over Siskiyou County and elsewhere can personally experience a wetland habitat and the myriad of life processes that go on there. Understanding how the natural world works from a young age can only help our entire society as a whole." Watch for volunteer opportunities in 2005 to help with the Sisson Meadow enhancement project.

Sisson Meadow Project Underway - September 2006

What began as one individual’s dream over ten years ago is now becoming a reality which will benefit an entire community for years to come.

In the early 1990’s, local landscape architect Tom Hesseldenz envisioned preserving 7.5 acres of wetlands and a scenic open meadow in the heart of Mt. Shasta so that it could be preserved and restored in its natural state, as well as enhanced with walking trails and other features to provide environmental education opportunities for students, residents and visitors. As a means to that end, he and his wife Syd helped form the Siskiyou Land Trust (SLT)…a local non-profit organization whose mission is to promote long-term land stewardship in Siskiyou County.

Although Tom and Syd have since left the organization to pursue their individual careers,  SLT has grown and continued to work on making to make this dream come true.

In 2002, SLT secured a grant to purchase this property, now named Sisson Meadow…a beautiful 7.5-acre open-space parcel that boasts two year-round creeks, lush grasslands, wetlands and a historic barn…all located next to Sisson School, and bordered by Lake and Castle Streets.

In 2005, SLT was awarded a second grant to begin restoring and enhancing the property.

Early in Setember 2006, after completing all necessary planning and permitting processes, work was started at Sisson Meadow. The goals of this current work include:

1. Creek Restoration – This involves excavating new creek channels to restore water flows to their natural flow paths, while filling current manmade ditches.

2. Marsh Construction – This will create a new small pond (which historically was located in this general area and gave Lake Street its name) with inlet/outlet channels, as well as removing some brush and non-native vegetation.

3. Boardwalk/Trail creation – This will establish walking trails for the public through the wetland meadow to and from the marsh.

4. Re-vegetation – This includes removal of non-native plants, and planting native plants in all disturbed areas.

Sisson Meadow Restoration Completed - December 2006
In 2002, the Siskiyou Land Trust obtained a grant to purchase beautiful Sisson Meadow…a 7.5 acre parcel in the heart of Mt. Shasta City that boasts numerous year-round springs, lush grass and wetlands, a magical view of Mt. Shasta and surrounding mountains, and a historic wood barn. In 2005, another grant was secured to build boardwalks and trails here, restore creeks to their original meanderings, create an upland pond, reestablish native plants in Sisson Meadow and remove non-native species.
With the help of many volunteers and members, we’re extremely proud to announce we’ve now completed this phase of restoration and trail building.

We’d like to extend special thanks to all of you who showed up on our volunteer workdays…your help and hard work was invaluable! Special thanks also go to Tom Hesseldenz of THA, Buzz & Rick Knight of Timberworks, Rick Poore of Streamwise, Sandra Spelliscy of the Mt. Shasta City Council, and Julian Colscott of North State Resources.


We're proud to have accomplished this first step...now it's on to restoring the old Sisson Barn!