Ishi Wilderness project   In the summer of 2009, Shasta Land Trust completed the donation of two properties to the U.S. Forest Service.  The properties were owned by SLT since late in 2007, when they were purchased from a willing seller.  The two parcels, located in eastern Tehama County, total almost 650 acres and will now be included in the U.S. Forest Service Ishi Wilderness Area.  The parcels are rugged and difficult to access, but include land of historic and biological importance. These remote parcels include portions of Deer Creek canyon and Big Dry Creek canyon.  The Ishi Wilderness Area is one of the lowest elevation Wilderness Areas in the continental US, and supports a diverse array of wildlife and plant species.  It was also on some of these lands that the remaining members of the Yahi Native American tribe were able to survive into the previous century.      The Ishi Wilderness Area is distinguished from most land included in Forest Service Wilderness Areas in that it is located at a very low elevation.  Because it contains rivers and canyons instead of only rocky mountain peaks, Ishi Wilderness is known as one of the most biologically diverse Wilderness Areas in the federal system.  The largest migratory deer herd in California winters within the Ishi Wilderness Area, and many other species of wildlife, large and small, are known to occur there.    Shasta Land Trust’s purchase of two properties for inclusion within the Wilderness Area comprised one component of a multi-step acquisition which added additional buffers to the Ishi Wilderness using Conservation Easements and other purchases.  The success of the entire project displays the significant accomplishments possible when many groups come together to achieve common goals.  Partners for this project include The Nature Conservancy, Northern California Regional Land Trust (located in Chico), the U.S. Forest Service, and local landowners.