Foundation News

By Dan Chu and Simba Ndemera, Executive Director and CFO, Sierra Club Foundation

We are fortunate that in challenging times, places like the Horse Camp at Mount Shasta, California, which is owned and maintained by Sierra Club Foundation, serve as respite from the tumult. Public lands and outdoor spaces bring us closer to nature and let us connect across boundaries in ways that our national discourse cannot. However, we often gloss over the hard work done behind-the-scenes to maintain these cherished places.

The dedicated staff and volunteers that make up the Horse Camp’s management team are unsung heroes. Last month, Executive Director Dan Chu and Chief Financial Officer Simba Ndemera visited Mount Shasta for a tour and an update on initiatives at the Foundation’s property. They were treated to an overview of the site’s restoration, including a tutorial on the decades-old solar-powered composting outhouse, and updates to the fire restrictions put in place after the recent years of devastating blazes across California.

A major initiative wrapped up last year when the Bunny Flat Trailhead (which leads to Horse Camp) unveiled beautiful new signage. This joint effort by the Forest Service, the Foundation, and Marrone Construction resulted in new interpretive content and guidance for those traveling in the high country.

Linda Chitwood, the Foundation’s Horse Camp site manager, deserves a special shout-out for all of her hard work coalescing partners to maintain and improve facilities, managing the volunteer and staff caretakers, and, above all, imbuing Horse Camp with the vitality it deserves. Thank you, Linda and the Shasta team!

Left: The innards powering our solar-powered composting outhouse

Right: Linda and Rick Chitwood stand for a photo at the Horse Camp cabin with CFO Simba Ndemera