A decade of on-the-ground stewardship at Alex Hole Meadow

Written by Leo Helm in June 2026

The 10th year of KS Wild stewardship at Alex Hole was a rewarding one. We were subjected to everything the Siskiyou Crest in May could throw at us — with some late snow, fog, and high winds — but it was another successful year protecting a special place on the Crest.

Alex Hole is a spring-fed wet meadow, located in the shadow of Condrey Mountain in the California section of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. It drains to Elliott Creek and the Applegate River. Despite being located on the Siskiyou Crest and adjacent to the Pacific Crest Trail, it's relatively obscure except to botanists, since it can be a drive of two hours or more from the Rogue Valley on dusty forest roads. The site is frequented by elk and migratory birds.

Unfortunately, Alex Hole has a persistent illegal cattle problem. The site is on the lush north slope of the Siskiyou Crest, only about a quarter of a mile from the drier south-facing slope of the Klamath National Forest. Cattle from Klamath allotments drift over the Crest seeking water and greener grass on the other side. The illegal grazing has continued for years. Efforts by KS Wild and others to designate Alex Hole as a botanical area and to halt illegal grazing never succeeded.

Every summer since 2017, KS Wild staff and volunteers have partnered with the Forest Service to maintain a seasonal cattle fence around the Alex Hole meadow. The work involves reinstalling T-posts damaged over the winter, and raising the wire fence for the summer months. In 2026, we were joined by Forest Service range and botany personnel. The high winds over the Crest died down, letting us hike down to the meadow. Once we began, the day's work went by quickly. The posts, which are frequently bent and uprooted by snow, were in good shape after a low snow year. The fenced-in area is a pentagon, with fencing on four sides and a natural cliff barrier on the south side. We raised and tensioned the barbed wire in only a few hours, by which time the sun had come out over the meadow.

The never-ending struggle against the cows can be exhausting, but the fence project at Alex Hole is immensely rewarding work. I never visited Alex Hole before the fence project began, but I can tell that the meadow is thriving. The willows are growing tall, and the stream is meandering and running clear. This year, we saw carpets of larkspur, marsh marigold and lupine, and a few yellow glacier lilies soggy from the morning's snow. Looking down from the top of the cliff that forms one side of the cattle barrier, you can make out the polygon of the fence. The meadow is so small, yet it's special that you can see the entire place from atop the cliff.

Looking forward to the next ten years, I hope to see greater recognition of the site from hikers, conservationists, and agencies, and better protections for the Siskiyou Crest in general. Alex Hole is an incredibly special place that deserves protection as a botanical area, and the Crest badly needs better cattle management. I'm grateful for the passion of Forest Service workers doing their best to protect the diversity of plants at Alex Hole and the Crest, and of the KS Wild staff and volunteers who have dedicated their time to this project over the years.

You can help protect a botanical gem

There are numerous ways you can help us in this work to partner with the Forest Service and provide resources that protect places like Alex Hole across the Klamath-Siskiyou region.

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