In 2022, the Siskiyou Economic Development Council (SEDC) was awarded $2.1 million from the California Jobs First Program to reimagine Yreka’s shuttered Carnegie building as a high-performance, energy-efficient anchor for industry and job creation in Siskiyou County. The project will open in Fall 2025 as a pilot for healthy, climate-resilient buildings in the region’s commercial corridors.

As the SEDC leads a growing pipeline of projects to revitalize underutilized and abandoned buildings, it is addressing environmental remediation, improving energy efficiency, and advancing adaptive reuse strategies. These efforts are designed to eliminate barriers to sustainable placemaking, support business incubation, and restore vitality to rural main streets across Siskiyou County.

Siskiyou Farm Co is a growing network of agricultural producer brands, in Siskiyou County, working together to build a strong regional food identity rooted in place, quality, and sustainability. These producers are shortening transportation lines—bringing food closer to consumers while reducing emissions and transportation costs.

As a California Jobs First Catalyst Award recipient ($140,000), the collective effort behind Siskiyou Farm Co supports future-facing climate jobs in agriculture. From regenerative practices to on-site value-added processing and local distribution hubs, these producers are building the infrastructure for a climate-smart agricultural economies. This work strengthens farm and ranch viability in Siskiyou County and connects local food to the California marketplace.

Climate Collaborative member Kory Hayden participated in the Center for Community Investment (CCI) Climate Fellowship program. Over the 15-month scope of work, Kory learned strategies and practices to direct investment toward climate and resiliency projects in Siskiyou County. She proposes a multi-project capital absorption strategy focused on energy efficiency, adaptive transportation, and main street reuse, that is unique to the needs of historic buildings in Siskiyou County’s commercial corridors. This work will culminate in the release of a Climate Resiliency Plan and successful applications for funding.

The Siskiyou Economic Development Council (SEDC) was awarded an Innovation Hub designation by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA), which includes $1,500,000 in funding, to support innovation and climate resiliency in agriculture, outdoor tourism and clean energy sectors in California’s North.

The SEDC directed a $10,000 Innovation grant to Jefferson Bike Company, in Yreka, to support their business plan to engage community, youth and riders in biking in Siskiyou County.

The award will help position the Jefferson Bike Company as a central hub for local bike events and trainings, and help the region appeal to travelers along the Interstate-5 corridor between San Francisco and Portland.

For two decades, the Siskiyou County Economic Development Council (SEDC) has partnered with the City of Mt. Shasta to direct EPA Brownfield funding to assess and clean-up a 127-acre former mill site to prepare it for its next possible use. The Landing is now officially clean, marking a major milestone for the City of Mt. Shasta and the SEDC who are near the close of a current EPA Brownfields grant ($707,740). We are excited about future resiliency opportunities and proud of the years of work invested in preparing the site.

The Siskiyou Economic Development Council (SEDC) applied for a Blue Sky solar award with Pacific Power, to bring a solar array to downtown Yreka. The array and back up battery system is a central feature of a new business innovation campus, opening in October 2025. The project includes Energy Star appliances, upgraded lighting, and environmental remediation transforming the rehabilitated Carnegie building into a model of climate resilience and sustainability. The project is also expected to qualify for Pacific Power’s Wattsmart incentive.

In 2023, the Siskiyou Economic Development Council (SEDC) was awarded $5 million from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to administer their Healthy Soils Block Grant Pilot Program (HSP). This program helped several Siskiyou County agriculture producers to implement healthy soils practices on their operations.