We will meet at 9am at the Rite Aid in Ashland located at 2341 Ashland Street, and make our way into the Monument from there.

Undergraduate students from Oregon State University are using the natural diversity of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument to practice describing soil properties for their soil judging competition with other universities across the nation, using soil pits dug by BLM staff. At the same time, graduate students are completing a study to understand the ecological and landscape controls on soil health using the same soil pits. We will be going to the site of these pits to see firsthand how soil properties can change over very short distances, and how such slight changes can have strong controls on what type of ecosystem develops over time. Pits are located off trail approximately one hundred yards away from the road.

Matthew McClintock completed his Earth Science bachelor's degree at the University of California, Merced in 2012 and earned his Master's in Soil Science from Oregon State University in 2014 by measuring trans-Atlantic dust deposition using trace elemental signatures. After working for the USDA in Victorville CA for four years mapping soil properties in stunning locations such as Mojave National Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park, Matthew moved to the Rogue Valley in 2019 to join the BLM as a soil scientist, where he has enjoyed putting down roots and starting a family. Currently, Matthew works to protect soil resources across the BLM's Ashland Field Office, including the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, and he enjoys the occasional backpacking trip.

The Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument's mission is to support the protection, restoration and conservation of the Monument through service, advocacy and education.

The Science of Soil: The Foundation of the Monument's Biodiversity