Expansion, more programs in offing at SFI site
Images from the Siskiyou Field Institute programs (Photos courtesy of SFI)
Since its 1997 founding, Siskiyou Field Institute (SFI) has provided a specialized source of sorts for members of the public and scientists researching the diverse biology found in Illinois Valley.
For the first four years of its existence, SFI offered specialized classes during summers, said Executive Director Sue Parrish.
But a rash of continued inquiries prompted the creation of new programs geared toward the general public, as well as partnerships with Southern Oregon University (SOU), Oregon Caves National Monument and Rogue Community College.
Last May, SFI and the SOU Foundation took joint ownership of the former Deer Creek Ranch in Selma. That property is now the site of the Deer Creek Center for Field Research and Education, and serves as SFI’s headquarters.
“We waited a long time to get the property,” Parrish said.
The 850-acre property includes nearly a mile of Deer Creek frontage, and includes the headwaters and a majority of Squaw Creek’s watershed. It sits on the Deer Creek basin, and has some of the creek’s flood plain, plus those of Squaw Creek and Clear Creek.
One boundary of the property’s two parcels goes up to Eight Dollar Mountain, and the surrounding area consists largely of U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands.
As such, Parrish said, SFI’s location provides ample research opportunities.
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“There’s a lot of different geology jumbled up here,” she said. “It offers a lot of comparative study areas.”
Parrish said that Eight Dollar Mountain is known for its biodiversity, as there are many plant species that grow only in Illinois Valley. That rarity is due to the presence of serpentine, which is toxic to most plants, she said.
“To be able to understand biodiversity, this is where you want to come,” Parrish said. “It’s a place where plants have the ability to evolve.”
SFI’s facilities are also set to evolve during the next few years. There are plans to add an interpretive center, new classrooms, wetlands and natural labs, outdoor pavilion, research cabins and yurts.
“There’s a lot of infrastructure we’re in the middle of putting in here,” Parrish said.
Researchers from all over the world have utilized the Deer Creek Center, but Parrish said that SFI hopes to offer camping on its site to members of the general public next year.
“There’s a relaxing and magical quality to the property,” she said. “It’s a very special place.”
SFI currently offers a Naturalist Certificate Program, and several other classes will be offered during the next few months.
For more information, visit www.thesif.org or phone 597-8530.
