NPSO 2019 Annual Meeting

July 12-14     Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains

Field Trips

Friday July 12, 2019    12:00 - 1:00                    Field Trip # 1

Difficulty:     Easy  (.25 mile) - This guided tour will be mostly on flat terrain, but it will be hot, so bring a water bottle and hat.

Elevation:     Located at 1,300' elevation. There will be no elevation gain during the tour; however, the self-guided hiking trails at Pacifica's Nature Center have 100'-200' elevation gain.

Group Size Limit:     30

Trip Description:     Tour the grounds and facilities at Pacifica: A Garden in the Siskiyous, including self-guided trails at the Nature Center and Forestfarm Nursery, with an opportunity to purchase plants after the nursery tour.

Pacifica: A Garden in the Siskiyous is a non-profit with commitments to education, to plants and the environment, to local arts and to the communities and people of southwestern Oregon. It has a nature center, developing botanic garden, event facilities, and Forestfarm Nursery. About half of its 500 acres is substantially unaltered native habitat (including riparian, mixed conifer forest, oak savannah, and chaparral) that serves as the Nature Center. To see more about Pacifica view their website: http://pacificagarden.org.

Forestfarm Nursery, one of the foremost mail-order nurseries in the country, has been donated and relocated to Pacifica. Forestfarm grows over 5,000 plant selections, including a wide variety of native plant species. After the tour field trip participants will be welcome to shop at Forestfarm Nursery. The nursery will only be open on Friday during the Annual Meeting. You can view Forestfarm's extensive plant inventory: https://www.forestfarm.com

Pacifica History

Pacifica: A Garden in the Siskiyous is located on the majority of what was once the Messinger homestead. Simon Messinger of Pennsylvania traveled to Oregon in the 1850s, where he supported his family by ranching, milling lumber, and working a gold mining claim. Messinger was considered a helpful neighbor, one of whose early community functions included crafting coffins. Well-educated, he was also a teacher when needed.

Between Messinger's establishment of the land and its current ownership, the Pacifica property has been owned by a number of notable people, all of whom added their own unique imprint to the land. In the 1940s, the property was purchased by the Lippincott family, artists and art collectors from "Hopi country." They used wood from the property to build the spectacular Pond House, which is still in use today.

In 1954 the land was sold to the Lippert family, who raised cattle and added huge reservoirs. After being purchased in 1964 and split into subdivisions by the McNutts of California, the remaining 420 acres were sold to rock musician Steve Miller in 1978. During his stay, Miller built a large, cedar-lined "barn," the Great Hall, with a state-of-the-art recording studio, both of which are still very active. Miller left in 1985 and the property remained quiet until the late nineties, when it was in danger of being subdivided once again. To prevent the dismantling of this amazing property, it was purchased by its current owners in 1998 and named Pacifica: A Garden in the Siskiyous.

For members of the local community, Pacifica is a lovely place to go hiking, relax with catch-and-release fishing, or just bring a picnic and enjoy! Our scenic location has become a natural choice for weddings with ceremonies held in our pond-side wedding garden and receptions in the Great Hall built by Steve Miller. This central building has become a gathering place for community events and celebrations of all kinds, including classes and workshops hosted by our very own Pacifica Arts Guild. One of Pacifica's proudest achievements is the beloved Caterpillar Mobile Science & Nature Center, a traveling classroom that takes hands-on programs to K-5 schools in Josephine and Jackson Counties.

Meeting Place and Time:     Trip # 1 leaves at 12 noon from Pacifica.

Driving Directions:     Meet up at the Great Hall at Pacifica.

Driving miles from Pacifica to trailhead:     Zero!

Leaders:       Ray Prag, Peg Prag, & Jen Tietjen

Pacifica's Nature Center with Grayback Mountain beyond at the headwaters of the Williams Valley.

Greenhouse at Forestfarm Nursery

©2019 Siskiyou Chapter, NPSO