Our first volunteer activity of 2026 kicked off yesterday at the Whiskey Springs Campground outside of Butte Falls, OR. The crew helped to clear campsites, including cutting out downed trees and other woody material.
Among the volunteers was Kristen Flemington, a Siskiyou Mountain Club member out of Ashland who took the day off work to participate.
“Schedules are a quirky thing,” she says. But that didn’t stop her from making the trip happen.
Nine months ago, Kristen first became involved with SMC as part of a women’s only chainsaw course. The field training for her certification took place at the Whiskey Creek Campground, where she and other participants learned to operate chainsaws under supervision from SMC staff.
Kristen (second from right) participates in a Mother's Day women-only chainsaw training field evaluation in 2025.
On this most recent trip, she returned to the site of her training and got to pick up a chainsaw again. Together with staff member Ryan Decreceni, she helped remove some fallen trees from the campground. “The staff is great and super inclusive,” she says. “Especially for women who are interested in chainsaws.”
Before and after image of Kristen's cleanup of a campsite fire ring.
But Kristen wasn’t only bucking trees. She “wore a lot of hats,” Trevor explains, “which is emblematic of these volunteer day trips. You get your hands in a lot of different roles.”
During the rest of the day, Kristen walked to each campsite and cleaned out fire pits. Then, she scouted the small loop trail around Beaver Swamp, a small pond in the vicinity of the campground.
Kristen bucks a log under guidance from SMC staff member Ryan Debreceni.
When all was said and done, the crew got “good work done,” says Trevor. “It was a good day.” But there’s still more work to be done. A longer weekend trip will be needed in the future to “clean up roadways, paths, picnic tables, and tent pads.”
While her schedule is tight, Kristen is committed to getting out on another volunteer trip, whether that means returning to Whiskey Creek or heading somewhere new.
“It’s a very warm and inclusive environment,” she says. “For me, when a lot of things feel out of control in the world, it’s very nice to directly help. That feels really positive.”
Before and after the crew's cleanup of fallen logs leading to a camp latrine.
The trip to Whiskey Creek was a part of Siskiyou Mountain Club’s recurring Monthly Stewardship Days, held on the third Thursday of each month. We dispatch crews for just a day to work trails, campgrounds, and other areas of our public lands that need care. It’s a perfect, mid-week, bite-sized bit of service.
If you’re interested in these trips, stay tuned on our calendar, or reach out to Trevor (trevor@siskiyoumountainclub.org). He’ll get you on a special email list specifically for the Monthly Stewardship Days.
