CASCADE-SISKIYOU 

NATIONAL MONUMENT 

Exploring on CASCADE-SISKIYOU 

NATIONAL MONUMENT 

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Junior Explorer program introduces young explorers 

like you to the lands and resources the BLM manages. This activity book focuses on the unique 

geology and biological diversity found within Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. 

Rough-Skinned Newt 

You can work through the activities on your own or invite a sibling, parent, or another adult you 

know to join you. After you complete the activities, go to page 21 in the book and say the Junior 

Explorer pledge, sign the certificate, and you’re on your way to exploring and protecting America’s 

public lands. We hope you have fun exploring and learning about this unique area and the wide 

variety of plants and animals that call it home. 

1 
WALK, & PLAY ON DESIGNATED TRAILS. This is helpful in preventing 

damage to soils needed to grow all the beautiful plants and flowers you see. 

EVERYTHING ENTHUSIASTICALLY BUT AT A DISTANCE. Remember 

that Cascade-Siskiyou is home to many unique species and we are the visitors. 

THE TRAIL. BE KIND AND COURTEOUS TO OTHER HIKERS. The monument 

is host to more than a hundred thousand visitors each year! That’s a lot of sharing! 

BE A “PACKER”. IF YOU PACK IT IN - PACK IT OUT. This will help keep 

the monument clean and beautiful. We love bugs as long as they aren’t litter bugs! 

THE FLOWERS! LET OTHERS ENJOY THEM AS WELL BY NOT PICKING 

THEM. Take as many pictures as you want so you can share their beauty . 

TO DO YOUR PART IN PROTECTING the monument’s biological 

diversity. This is a very special place where an amazing variety of plants and 

animals is found. We can all work together to keep it that way. 

It is fun to share your experiences by 

taking or drawing pictures, but leaving behind what you find. 

2 
LEAVE NO TRACE 

BIGFOOT HAS BEEN DOING IT FOR YEARS 

You’ve probably heard the words, “be safe, be 

responsible, be respectful” at school, right? 

Well, the seven principles of Leave No 

Trace are very similar. 

By following these seven simple rules 

you can help preserve the 

biodiversity that makes 

the monument such 

a special place. 

The Seven 

Leave No Trace 

Principles for Kids 

• Know Before You Go 

• Choose the Right Path 

• Trash Your Trash 

• Leave What You Find 

• Be Careful With Fire 

• Respect Wildlife 

• Be Kind to Other Visitors 

To learn more about the Leave No Trace Principles take the LNT interactive online course for kids, 

go to PEAK Online at https:/lnt.org/teach/peak/peakonline 

3 
 

A RECIPE FOR BIODIVERSITY 

You’re probably wondering, “what is biodiversity?” Well, it is short for biological diversity and is the 

scientific term for lots of different living things. At Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, we have 

an amazing variety of plants and animals! 

Five different ecoregions come together here. You can think of an ecoregion as a place where 

certain plants and animals live based on soil-type, temperature, rainfall, and elevation. These five 

ecoregions are the ingredients in our recipe for biodiversity. 

• Cascade Range 

• Great Basin Desert 

• Sierra Nevada Mountains 

• Klamath Mountains 

• Siskiyou Mountains 

Cascade Range Great Basin Desert Sierra Nevada Mountains Klamath Mountains Siskiyou Mountains 

4 
BIODIVERSITY WORD SEARCH 

Listed below are just a few of the plant and animal species that can be found within the monument. 

Now, see if you can find them! 

N O R T H E R N G O S H A W K K N T U P 

P H W S R E D B A N D T R O U T G T F R 

R R U Z C Y R V F O F D V U F R S T S I 

M O U N T A I N M A H O G A N Y O S G C 

T U C R F S R Y E H S N C I X S Q D D K 

Y G C K A L H L G R E A T G R A Y O W L 

M H H E W T T R E E F R O G M G M U L Y 

G S I B Q R T Z G T H B S M R E R G D P 

S K C L X G E L H Y F L R E G B B L K E 

A I K A W L K N E E W R P J V R E A A A 

L N A C E W O P W S L I I W L U A S N R 

A N D K S H M M I T N E G T R S V F G C 

M E E B F E N M S U Y A K T I H E I A A 

A D E E F J F I J E L D K Q U L R R R C 

N N M A R D O N S K I P P E R D L O O T 

D E Y R M A R I P O S A L I L Y K A O U 

E W K L W J C O L U M B I N E L D M R S 

R T L I T T L E B R O W N B A T F R A Y 

Y J E N N Y C R E E K S U C K E R D T Q 

Q S B O P A C I F I C F I S H E R K R F 

BEAVER 

JENNY CREEK SUCKER 

PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS 

RATTLESNAKE 

BLACK BEAR 

KANGAROO RAT 

REDBAND TROUT 

LITTLE BROWN BAT 

ROCK WREN 

MARIPOSA LILY 

CHICKADEE 

MARDON SKIPPER 

ROUGH-SKINNED NEWT 

COLUMBINE 

MOUNTAIN MAHOGANY 

SAGEBRUSH 

DOUGLAS FIR 

NORTHERN GOSHAWK 

SALAMANDER 

SCARLET FRITILLARY 

GREAT GRAY OWL 

TREEFROG 

PACIFIC FISHER 

JUNIPER 

5 
BIRD IS THE WORD 

More than 200 bird species have been reported in the monument! Here, many birds are found near 

the edge of their range. A bird’s range is how far north, south, east, or west they call home. For 

example, the blue-gray gnatcatcher and California towhee are at the edge of their northern range, 

meaning that you wouldn’t likely find these birds farther north than the monument. 

Spell the scrambled bird names correctly in the boxes on the right. The circled letters can then be 

correctly placed to complete the final phrase below. 

WOCKOEREDP 

TUULERV 

EETWHO 

HKWA 

WSLALWO 

EMAPIG M A G P I E 

WORC 

Final phrase “ B I F

F H ...FLOCK TOGETHER” 

6 
FOOD WATER SHELTER SPACE

 These are the four things that all living things require; food to eat, water to drink, shelter for safety, 

and space to grow and live. Match the animals in the center column with the food they need in the left 

column and their habitat in the right column by drawing a line. There may be more than one correct 

answer. Draw an animal of your choice in the blank box, and see if you can identify its food and habitat! 

FOOD ANIMAL HABITAT 

Ant 

Redband 

Trout 

Grey Squirrel 

Blackberries 

Hamburger 

Draw Your Choice 

Black Bear 

Pileated 

Woodpecker 

Human 

Great 

Horned Owl 

Draw Your Choice 

Redband 

Trout 

City 

Meadow 

Forest 

Snag 

Draw Your Choice 

Stream 

7 
 

YOU ARE A TRACK STAR 

Many animals are hard to see because they’re so well camouflaged. Some only come out at night, 

meaning they’re nocturnal. Many animals also make an effort to avoid humans, and disappear before 

we have a chance to see them. This is discouraging if you’re out looking for wildlife, but you can always find 

evidence that an animal has been there. Hike like a detective, look for clues such as scat, fur, feathers, and tracks. 

Tracks found in the mud or sand can help us understand what kind of animals live in a certain area, 

how many animals live in an area, and even which direction they’re traveling. 

Can you discover who left these tracks behind? Write the name of the correct animal below their tracks. 

Golden Eagle 

1. ____________________________ 

Black Bear 

Beaver 3.____________________________ 

Grey Squirrel 

Coyote 5.____________________________ 

2.____________________________ 

4.____________________________ 

What is a beaver’s adaptation 

to living both on land and in 

the water? 

HINT: study its tracks! 

GO FOR THE GOLD Math Challenge Problem 

FIGURE IT OUT! Imagine that in a particular part of the monument there are both salamanders and 

bluejays. Together there are 78 feet and 27 heads. How many salamanders and bluejays live in this 

part of the monument? 

8 
The Monument Cascade Siskiyou National Monument 

 Post today’s weather Sunny and Mild 

Since 2000 

ONE-EYED CHARLEY’S BIG SECRET 

 

Vol. MMXIV No. 1 storied past • bright future 

Hard Living 

Catches Up 

With Stage 

Coach Legend 

No stranger to the Siskiyous, Charley 

Parkhurst was one of the most famous 

stagecoach drivers in history. Charley 

was actually short for Charlotte, but it 

was a secret she kept until her death. 

Born in Vermont, she was orphaned at 

an early age but later dressed as a boy to

escape the orphanage. She found the

masquerade opened a lot of doors that 

were closed to girls and women in early 

19th century America. She worked as a 

stable hand before moving west and 

adopting the rough and tumble lifestyle 

as a stagecoach driver, where she became 

known as One Eyed Charlie. She was 

as tough and gruff as any pioneer 

Old Reelfoot 

Strikes Again! 

 Just to mention the name of “Old 

Reelfoot,” the grizzly, back in the 

1870s and ‘80s, was enough to raise

the hair on a brave man’s neck--and 

to make the frontier women call 

their kids inside their log cabins 

and drop the bar across the door.

 “Old Reelfoot” was one of the 

worst stock-killing grizzlies the 

West has ever known—crafty, and 

with immense strength, he would 

fell a cow with one blow, 

and eat his �ill. For 20 years, from 

1870 to 1890, Old Reelfoot killed 

literally hundreds of cattle.

With a combined bounty of

nearly $1700 on his head, Reelfoot

was no stranger to being hunted but 

on April 10, 1890, Reelfoot’s luck ran 

out. Stock-man Bill Wright had 

sworn revenge after his prized bull 

was killed. He and Purl Bean �inally 

caught up with the giant bear and 

shot him near Pilot Rock. 

man-known for her colorful language and nights at 

the saloon. She could break a man’s nose in a �ight 

as fast as she could break a rowdy horse, and was 

rumored to have shot and killed at least one bandit 

who tried to rob her coach. 

Insert Photo 

She may have also been the �irst woman to vote in 

California. She proudly registered to vote in 1868 in 

order to support Ulysses S. Grant’s bid for U.S. 

President. But in1879 her hard living lifestyle caught 

up with her. It wasn’t until then that her secret was 

known by all. At the funeral home, the mortician 

made an unexpected discovery; One-Eyed Charlie, 

was really a woman. Newspapers at the time made 

much of this scandalous discovery but the facts 

could not be denied. She held her own as one of 

the West’s most colorful characters and �inest 

stagecoach drivers. 

Applegate Trail 

Opens at Last 

In 1843 Charles, Jesse, and Lindsay Applegate 

led their families west along the Oregon Trail 

from Missouri to what was then known as 

Oregon Country. It was a long hard journey, and 

a particularly sad one for the Applegates. Two 

of the Applegate children were lost on the 

journey down the Columbia River. The harships 

they faced along the way in�luenced the family 

to �ind an easier and safer way to the Willamette 

Valley. 

Jesse and Lindsay, along with Levi Scott and a 

host of others, began the task of �inding 

a more southerly route to Oregon in 1846. At 

Fort Hall, Idaho, the new route departed 

from the Oregon trail and headed south along the 

Humbolt River before passing through the

Black Rock Desert in present-day Nevada. The

trail then entered into nothern California 

before crossing into southern Oregon. It

followed Keene Creek to the Siskiyou Mountains, 

then followed the Rogue River and headed

north towards their �inal destination, 

the Willamette Valley.

The trail led weary travelers to the Greensprings, located in the heart of the monument. 

Springs, green glades, lush meadows, and shady 

towering forests were a welcome relief.

Tub Springs, now maintained by the Oregon 

State Parks and Recreation Department, still 

�lows today, providing modern travelers with 

the same plentiful fresh source of water it once 

provided to settlers traveling the Applegate Trail. 

9 
THIS PLACE IS A.MAZE.ING 

10 
PILOT ROCK 

Important both historically and geologically, Pilot 

Rock stands out as one of the most striking features 

of the monument. It rises 570 feet to an elevation of 

5,910 feet. It is popular with hikers and rock 

climbers, and provides important habitat for 

peregrine falcons.

The remnant of an ancient volcano, Pilot Rock is 

visible from much of the Shasta Valley in northern 

California and parts of the Rogue Valley in southern 

Oregon. Over time, the exterior volcano eroded 

away, leaving behind the impressive columnar basalt 

of the ancient volcano’s central vent. Fossil sites 

near Pilot Rock contain leaf impressions and conifer 

cones that became embedded in volcanic ash beds 

25-35 million years ago.

Pilot Rock, like Ship Rock in New Mexico and Devil’s 

Tower in Wyoming, is considered to be a volcanic 

neck or plug. It was exposed after the surrounding 

sedimentary rocks eroded and fell away.

open vent land surface 20-30 

 million years ago 

land surface 

 today 

erosion 

volcanic

 neck 

PEREGRINE FALCON FACTS: 

• There are known nesting sites on Pilot Rock. 

• Like hawks and eagles, falcons are raptors. 

• They are sometimes called "duck hawks". 

• They can dive up to 200 miles per hour! 

• Peregrine falcons can eat songbirds, ducks, and bats. 

• They can catch their prey in mid-air. 

• There are an estimated 1,650 breeding pairs in the United 

States and Canada. 

• Peregrine falcons are found on every continent except 

Antarctica. 

11 
BUTTERFLY COLORING PAGE 

There are nearly 120 butterfly species present in the monument. When you consider that there 

are only 162 known species in all of Oregon, the monument has a pretty amazing assortment of 

butterflies! Butterflies are good indicators of plant diversity since the caterpillars of individual 

species only feed on specific plants, called host plants. 

12 
CONNECT THE DOTS 

Beavers are a keystone species. A keystone species affects many other organisms in an ecosystem, 

and helps to determine the types and numbers of various other species in the community. Beavers 

create and protect biodiversity by creating wetlands. The wetlands they create then become home 

to many other plants, animals, and birds who depend on the beaver for thier own survival. 

Connect the dots and color this busy beaver! 

FORMER BOX-O RANCH 

After being gone for decades, beavers have returned to Jenny Creek. The BLM and others have 

worked hard to restore riparian areas along Jenny Creek in and around the old Box-O Ranch. The 

absence of cattle, riparian restoration efforts, and less human activity, have made Jenny Creek a 

wonderful habitat for beavers, redband trout, and the Jenny Creek sucker. It’s also a great place for 

birding! 

INTERESTING BEAVER FACTS: 

• Beavers live in lodges, not dams 

• Beavers can swim almost twice as fast as an 

Olympic swimmer (that’s impressive!) 

• Beavers don’t eat wood, they eat cambium. 

Cambium is the juicy nutrient-filled tree layer 

below the bark 

• Beavers’ ability to change the landscape is second 

only to humans 

13 
HOW THE PEOPLE 

In the days when the first people lived, they used to go hunting with arrows that had 

pine-bark points. They did not know where to get obsidian, or they would have used it, for 

obsidian makes a sharp, deadly point which always killed the animals that were shot. 

Ground Squirrel was the only one that knew that Obsidian Old Man lived on Medicine Lake, 

and one day he set out to steal some obsidian. Taking a basket filled with roots, he went 

into Obsidian Old Man’s house and offered him some. Obsidian Old Man ate the roots and 

liked them so much that he sent Ground Squirrel out to get more. While Ground Squirrel 

was digging for them, Grizzly Bear came along. 

“Sit down, “ Grizzly Bear said. “Let me sit in your lap. Feed me those roots by the handful.” 

Ground Squirrel was very much afraid of huge Grizzly Bear, so he did as he was told. Grizzly 

Bear gobbled the roots and got up. “Obsidian Old Man’s mother cleaned roots for someone,” 

he said as he went away. 

Ground Squirrel returned to Obsidian Old Man, but there were only a few roots left to give 

him. Ground Squirrel told him what Grizzly Bear had done and what he had said as he 

departed. Obsidian Old Man was extremely angry at the insult to his dead mother. 

“Tomorrow we will both go find roots,” he said. 

So early the next morning they set off. Obsidian Old Man hid near the place where Ground 

Squirrel started digging. Soon Ground Squirrel’s basket was filled, and then along came 

Grizzly Bear. 

“You dug all those for me!” he said. “Sit down!” 

Ground Squirrel sat down, as he had the day before, and fed Grizzly Bear roots by the 

handful. But just then Grizzly Bear saw Obsidian Old Man draw near, and the bear got up 

to fight. At each blow, a great slice of the grizzly’s flesh was cut off by the sharp obsidian. 

Grizzly Bear kept fighting until he was all cut to pieces, and then he fell dead. So Ground 

Squirrel and Obsidian Old Man went home and ate all the roots and were happy. Early next 

morning, Obsidian Old Man awakened by Ground Squirrel’s groaning. 

“I am sick. I am bruised because that great fellow sat upon me. Really, I am sick,” he was 

groaning. 

Obsidian Old Man was sorry for Ground Squirrel. “I’ll go and get wood,” he said to himself. 

“But I’ll watch him, for he may be fooling me. These people are very clever.” 

14 
GOT ARROWHEADS 

A SHASTA LEGEND 

So he went out for wood, and on the way he thought, “I had better go back and look.” 

When he crept back softly and peeped in, he saw Ground Squirrel lying there, groaning. “He 

is really sick!” Obsidian Old Man said to himself, and went off in earnest, this time for wood. 

But Ground Squirrel was very clever; he had been fooling all the time. As soon as Obsidian 

Old Man was far away, he got up. Taking all the obsidian points and tying them up in a 

bundle, he ran off. 

As soon as Obsidian Old Man returned, he 

missed Ground Squirrel. He dropped the 

wood, ran after him, and almost caught 

him but Ground Squirrel ran into a hole 

in the ground. As he went, he kicked 

the earth into the eyes of the old man, 

who was digging fast, trying 

to catch him. 

After a while, Obsidian Old 

Man gave up and left. Ground 

Squirrel came out the other 

end of the hole, crossed the 

lake, and went home. 

He emptied the bundle 

of points on the ground 

and distributed them to 

everyone. All day long 

the people worked, tying 

them onto arrows. They 

threw away all the old bark 

points, and when they were 

hunting they used the new 

arrow points and killed a great 

many deer. 

Dixon, Roland B. 1908 Achomawi and Atsugewi Tales. Journal of American Folk Lore, Vol. 21, pp 159-177 

15 
MAD LIBS 

My family and I were on the _________________ vacation ever. We decided to visit Cascadeadjective 

Siskiyou National Monument in southern Oregon. As we were driving towards Hyatt Lake 

the most 

____________ thing happened, we saw a(n) ______________. It was ______________. 

adjective animal adjective 

When we got to the campground I went straight to the ________________. We looked 

place (outdoors) 

at the wildflowers and and I got to see a(n) ____________ butterfly. It was really ___________. 

adjective adjective 

We must have seen ___________ different butterflies, and I even found a few ____________ 

number adjective 

wild strawberries growing. They were ______________! 

adjective 

The next day we decided to hike a section of the Pacific Crest Trail. We packed some 

___________ and plenty of ___________and headed for Hobart Bluff. There were a lot of 

food liquid 

____________ in the trees and _____________ everywhere. I saw the tracks of a(n) 

plural noun plural noun 

______________ which was pretty cool. The hike was ____________ and the views were 

animal adjective 

_____________. ____________ even saw a golden eagle soaring overhead. 

adjective person 

When we returned to camp I was ready to do some fishing. I tied a(n) _____________on noun 

to my line and cast into the lake. I felt a tug and reeled in a ___________ inch trout. 

number “_________” 

exclamation 

I exclaimed, “that is the ___________ fish I ever saw!” We decided to take it back to camp for 

adjective 

dinner. __________ cooked it over the fire with some _____________ and _____________ , name food food 

it was delicious. 

We awoke early the next morning and packed up camp, it was time to drive back to 

____________. I can’t wait to return again next __________, what a fun trip! 

place season 

16 
 

 

 

 

 

GLOSSARY and KEY 

ADAPTATION • a change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment 

BIODIVERSITY • the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem 

CAMOUFLAGED • an animal’s natural coloring or form that enables it to blend in with its surroundings 

CENTRAL VENT • the place in the earth’s surface from where lava and gas are erupted 

CHEMICAL REACTION • a process that involves rearrangement of the molecular or ionic structure of a substance 

COLUMNAR BASALT • volcanic rock that shows the vertical cracks or fracturing formed by rapid cooling 

ECOREGION • a major ecosystem defined by distinctive geography and receiving uniform solar radiation and moisture 

ECOSYSTEM • a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment 

ENVIRONMENT • the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates 

EROSION • the process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents 

GEOLOGY • the science that deals with the earth’s physical structure and substance, its history, and the processes that act on it 

HABITAT • the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism 

INDICATOR SPECIES • an animal or plant species that can be used to infer conditions in a particular habitat 

KEYSTONE SPECIES • a species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if it were removed the 

 eco system would change drastically 

LAVA • hot molten or semifluid rock erupted from a volcano or fissure, or solid rock resulting from cooling of this 

NUTRIENT • a substance that provides nourishment essential for growth and the maintenance of life 

ORAL TRADITION • the cultural and historical traditions passed from one generation to the next by word of mouth with

 out written instructions 

RANCHERIA • (in Spanish America and the western US) a small Indian settlement 

RESERVATION • an area of land set aside for occupation by North American Indians 

SEDIMENTARY ROCK • rock that has formed from sediment deposited by water or air 

SOIL TYPE • how soil is defined based on the percentage of sand, silt, and clay in its make-up 

TOPOGRAPHY • the arrangement of the natural and artificial physical features of an area 

VOLCANIC ASH • the tiny particles of rock, minerals, and volcanic glass created during volcanic eruptions 

VOLCANIC PLUG • a column of igneous rock formed by cooled lava in the central vent of a volcano; later exposed by 

 erosion 

BIOLOGY • the study of living organisms, divided into many specialized fields 

CONIFER • a tree that bears cones and evergreen needlelike or scalelike leaves 

CAMBIUM • a cellular plant tissue 

DIVERSITY • a range of different things 

ELEVATION • the height above a given level, esp. sea level 

HOST • an animal or plant on or in which a organism lives 

IGNEOUS ROCK • rock having solidified from lava or magma 

LANDSCAPE • all the visible features of an area of countryside or land 

LODGE • a beaver’s den 

NOCTURNAL • done, occurring, or active at night 

ORGANISM • an individual animal, plant, or single-celled life form 

RANGE • the area over which a thing, esp. a plant or animal, is distributed 

RESTORATION • the action of returning something to a former condition 

RIPARIAN • of or relating to wetlands adjacent to rivers and streams 

SNAG • a dead tree 

17 

WETLAND • land consisting of marshes or swamps; saturated land 

WILDERNESS AREA • a region where the land is in natural state; where impacts from human activities are minimal 
Bureau of Land Management 

Junior Explorer 

As a Bureau of Land Management Junior Explorer, I promise to: 

• do all I can to help preserve and protect the natural and cultural resources 

on our public lands, 

• be aware of how my actions can affect other living things and t he evidence of 

our past, 

• keep learning about the importance of nature and our heritage, and 

• share what I have learned with others! 

Date Explorer Signature 

18