A Life Expanding Experience

by Wendy Whitson, SLT Board President

When I think about what I love most about living in Siskiyou County, it’s impossible to choose between the incredible natural beauty of our open spaces and wild places and the wonderful people who call this place home. On a deep level, the love of this place is a connection running through our community which crosses political, spiritual, and ideological boundaries and gives us a peaceful place to meet each other.

When I joined the Siskiyou Land Trust Board of Directors a little over two years ago, I hoped that it would give me an opportunity to contribute to my community and get to know a few more people. I really had no idea what a life expanding experience it would be. Here’s a little overview of the unexpected gifts I’ve received from my work on the SLT Board:

♦ Learning about and visiting the incredible variety of natural landscapes included within Siskiyou County;

♦ Knowing that I’m doing my part to make sure what we love about this precious place is persevered forever and learning about the creative conservation tools that are available to make it happen;

♦ Getting to know our volunteers, supporters and partners on a deep level and making real, meaningful new friendships.

♦ Rafting, hiking, skiing, and adventuring with the smart, funny, talented bunch who staff SLT and sit on the Board.

The word is clearly getting out that the SLT Board is a great place to invest time and effort as we have added two new board members since the beginning of the year!

Stuart Somach joined the Board in February. He is one of the most respected water law attorneys in the Western U.S. with over 4 decades of experience. Although he currently splits his time between Sacramento and Florida, Stuart has deep personal and professional ties to Siskiyou County. Before he began his legal career, he lived in Mt. Shasta, was a teacher in Dunsmuir and his wife was raised here. Siskiyou County will always have a large piece of his heart and he welcomes the opportunity to contribute to preserving it through serving on the SLT Board. Thanks to all the lessons we’ve learned about remote participation through the pandemic, we can benefit from Stuart’s experience and connections no matter where he may be!

Ann Womack just joined us on the Board in March and brings a wealth of experience directly applicable to our work. Ann is a professor of Biology at the College of the Siskiyous and holds a BS in Microbiology and a PHD in Biology. She has worked and taught in the areas of biological diversity and soil microbiology and has a passion for the outdoors and preserving our precious natural landscapes. We’re excited about Ann’s deep connection with COS and look forward to engaging more deeply with the college community through her.

We have a couple of additional potential board members in the pipeline so stay tuned for more exciting news. It feels so great to be adding new energy and resources to the SLT leadership team.

Although we are slowing our board recruitment as we approach our desired board size, we’ve got another opportunity for community members who would like to share their ideas and vision about the direction SLT is headed. You can join us in one of three upcoming strategic planning forums to help guide our future. Reach out to Kim Solga at sltcommunications@gmail.com for more information and to sign up to add your voice to our strategic planning process!

With gratitude, Wendy Whitson Board President