Friends of H.O.M.E.
As supporters of the Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center, we present this campaign for the Honor Our Mountain Environment (H.O.M.E.) stewardship program. H.O.M.E. assists the US Forest Service with maintenance and restoration of Panther Meadows. The program promotes good stewardship, provides trail maintenance and wilderness monitoring, and oversees the health of the bioregion’s forests and watersheds. Thank you for donating to preserve the biodiversity of our magnificent Mountain!
Read on to learn about the imperative for funding H.O.M.E. to support the protection of Panther Meadows and Mount Shasta.
Mount Shasta, the majestic 14,179-foot snowcapped volcano in northern California’s Shasta-Trinity National Forest is sacred to Native American tribes and a popular destination for travelers from around the world. Every summer, outdoor enthusiasts, naturalists, and spiritual seekers are particularly drawn to the splendor of Panther Meadows with its alpine wildflowers and crystalline springs that water this volcanic mountain’s southwestern flank.
In recent decades, there have been numerous threats to the integrity of the fragile mountain meadow ecosystem, including the proposal to build a large ski-condominium resort adjacent to Panther Meadows, potential geothermal operations on the mountain, and the impact of people in large gatherings trampling upon, damaging and destroying meadow vegetation.
In response to the threat of the ski resort, the Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center was established in 1988. The Ecology Center formed alliances with local Native American tribes and the public, and successfully thwarted the proposed ski resort. Through the institution of cultural designations by the National Register of Historic Places, the initiation of the Panther Meadows Restoration Project, and the Ecology Center’s creation of the Honor Our Mountain Environment (H.O.M.E.) program in 1996, the meadows have been mostly restored.
H.O.M.E. has provided particularly effective educational and restoration efforts. Skillful on-site interpreters have educated visitors about the unique and fragile nature of the Meadows, its flora and fauna, geological and hydrological processes, and the ongoing sacred and cultural significance of the land to Native Americans. In-person communication with visitors has contributed to their relating to nature with respect, stepping lightly on trails and supporting the integrity of this pristine mountain environment.
Due to the lack of funding for H.O.M.E. and USFS 's limited available funds, the monitoring of Panther Meadows has greatly diminished in recent years. In addition, 2020 brought a significant increase in visitors to the Meadows, which heightened concern for the stability of its ecosystem. In response, the Ecology Center decided to bolster the H.O.M.E. program beginning in 2021. Educational and monitoring activities of the meadow will include trail maintenance, support for campground cleanliness, and trail hosts who educate visitors about the land, leave no trace ethics, fire safety, and campground use. H.O.M.E. will expand its educational reach through signage along meadow trails and interpretive pamphlets in kiosks at trailheads about the Meadows’ ecosystem, the Native American tribes’ history and culture, and the Mount Shasta Bioregion’s forests and watersheds.
We have initiated this GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to directly support the activities of H.O.M.E. Please join in the longstanding commitment to care for Panther Meadows. Meadow regeneration exemplifies that we can effectively rebalance our human relationship with nature. Thank you for considering making a contribution. Please share this GoFundMe message far and wide and invite others to take part in protecting and preserving the bioregion of beloved Mount Shasta.
For information about H.O.M.E.: https://mountshastaecology.org/h-o-m-e/
Update April 11, 2021
Dear Donors to H.O.M.E.,
Hooray! We are delighted by your response to the launch of the GoFundMe for the Honor Our Mountain Environment program.
Thank you for taking part in preserving the ecological integrity of Mount Shasta; we appreciate your enthusiasm for this endeavor.
You are now a Friend of H.O.M.E. and co-creator of this momentous way to support the Mountain's splendor and stewardship.
We wish to share what is precious and meaningful to us about Panther Meadows; our stories are on the Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center's website at https://mountshastaecology.org/2021/03/26/friends-of-h-o-m-e-susan and Shanti's story is in the column on the right.
with gratitude and a Mountain of love,
Shanti and Susan
Update April 20, 2021
Thank you to everyone who has donated to the H.O.M.E. program!
We’re delighted to have received enough funds to begin funding H.O.M.E.’s projects. Your donations are being used to:
- Train volunteer Trailhead Hosts in coordination with Shasta-Trinity USFS. Hosts will be stationed at medium and high-use trails throughout the National Forest. They will inform visitors about how to be good stewards and collect data on trail usage to meet the changing needs of the environment. For more info click here.
- Purchase equipment for the Trailhead Hosts such as chairs, tables, and maps.
- Create and purchase signs for Panther Meadows.
This summer, an increase in visitors to the Mountain is expected. Implementing the projects of H.O.M.E. is critical to minimize the human footprint on the Mountain's ecosystem. Fundraising continues for all of H.O.M.E.’s projects: Panther Meadows Trail Maintenance, Trailhead Host Training, Wilderness Solitude Monitoring, and Forest and Watershed Watch: Protecting Biodiversity.
Matching Grant!
A donor has generously offered a $2000 matching grant to inspire people to contribute and bolster raising funds for H.O.M.E. If the total amount of funds raised by April 27 reaches $6,000, the donor will donate another $2000!
Panther Meadows
The fragile Mountain Heather and Alpine Laurel shrubs have woody stems that break when stepped on. Mountain Heather can take hundreds of years to reach small shrub height. Great care must be taken by visitors to follow well-worn trails and avoid walking, resting, or sitting on plants.
Thank you for your support of H.O.M.E. and good stewardship of our Mountain.
Update June 20, 2021
Dear Donors of H.O.M.E.,
Excitement is a-buzz as the gate to Bunny Flats will open on July 1st! The closed gate has protected snowmelt moistened earth and budding new life from human footprints. Soon we can meander upon Mount Shasta's alpine trails and sleep under the stars at Panther Meadows campground.
With the increased funding of H.O.M.E., three volunteers have been trained to be trailhead hosts! They will welcome visitors to trails on the Mountain and around Shasta Trinity National Forest, document the use of trails, and provide education about fire safety and the bioregion's fragile ecology. Also, work is underway to design, approve, order, and install signage for trails and kiosks.
Matching Grant!
Since the success of our last matching grant, another donor has generously offered a $1000 matching grant to further energize fundraising for H.O.M.E. If the total amount of funds raised between Summer Solstice and July 1 reaches $10,000, the donor will donate another $1000! We only need to raise $1,620 to receive the gift of $1,000!
As Mount Shasta surges with new life, we are grateful to care for the Mountain through efforts funded by you.
Update #5 July 16, 2021
Thank you to all who donated, and to our generous Donor who gave $1000!
We are over 20% towards our goal to fully fund the H.O.M.E. Program, and the money donated has already been put to good use to get the Trailhead Host and signage projects underway. Please keep spreading the word and sharing the GoFundMe link so the H.O.M.E. Program can continue its mission to educate and preserve the biodiversity of the Mountain and the bioregion.
More updates to come…
Update July 12, 2021
Dear Donors,
Due to the Lava Fire on Mount Shasta that began on June 24, the donor of the matching grant offered to extend the deadline for raising a total of $10,000 to July 15th.
Less than $250 is needed to meet the $10,000 goal in order for us to receive the grant of $1000!
We are grateful for the growing support for H.O.M.E.; your participation in preserving Mount Shasta's bioregion matters.
Update July 16, 2021
Thank you to all who donated, and to our generous Donor who gave $1000!
We are over 20% towards our goal to fully fund the H.O.M.E. Program, and the money donated has already been put to good use to get the Trailhead Host and signage projects underway.
Please keep spreading the word and sharing the GoFundMe link so the H.O.M.E. Program can continue its mission to educate and preserve the biodiversity of the Mountain and the bioregion.
More updates to come…
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