Tony Kerwin, a retired wildlife biologist for the Bureau of Land Management, leads a past hike to view bats at the Table Rocks, where he will lead another hike Sept. 23 to educate people about the winged creatures and how they fit into the ecosystem. 

Learn about bugs, bats, rocks and stars during free educational hikes offered on Saturdays in September and October at the spectacular Table Rocks.

The hikes are led by specialists — including an entomologist, an astronomer, a biologist and a geologist — and are being offered by The Nature Conservancy and Bureau of Land Management. The outings are free, but space is limited and registration is required.

Register for the hikes online at at https://tinyurl.com/TableRocksFallHikes2023. Registration opens Friday, Sept. 1.

Two of the hikes — about bugs and the night sky — are scheduled for Sept. 16, followed by an evening hike Sept. 22 to view bats on a lower-elevation loop trail.

The last hike in the series is offered at 9 a.m. Oct. 14 at Upper Table Rock, where Jad D’Allura, a former professor of geology at Southern Oregon University, will discuss the dramatic past of the Table Rocks, which are capped by an ancient lava flow.

“The top is the most spectacular,” D’Allura said in a telephone interview.

Interestingly, nearly to the top of the rocks is river rock that once was the riverbed of the Rogue River until lava flowed into the river valley and cooled. Now, that riverbed is 600 feet up, capped by the old lava flow, with surrounding rock and soil eroded away.

“That’s where the Rogue River was flowing before the lava covered it,” said D’Allura.

The Table Rocks, located about four miles north of Medford, encompass a 4,864-acre site that is jointly owned, managed and protected by the the BLM and The Nature Conservancy. The Lower Table Rock trailhead is at Wheeler and Cornerstone roads, while the Upper Table Rock trailhead is at Modoc and Touvelle Road.

Details about the other three hikes include the following:

• Entomologist Bill Schaupp, formerly of the forest health protection division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will lead a hike to observe insects and discuss their role in the environment and how they live, at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 16 at Lower Table Rock.

• Astronomer Joe Stodola of the Grants Pass Astronomers will lead a hike at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 to view the night sky from atop Lower Table Rock. Bring flashlights, binoculars and a roll-up pad to lie on, if you have them.

• Retired BLM wildlife biologist Tony Kerwin will lead a night hike at 7 p.m. Sept. 23 to learn about the mysteries of bats as they come out to feed on insects in the area of the half-mile Lower Table Rock Loop Trail. He will entertain with some bat lore and will dispel some misconceptions about bats, which are critical to the ecosystem.

Schaupp, the bug expert, said he expects to discuss the extraordinary diversity of insects. He’ll bring along some props and scout the area ahead of time. He knows of a few diseased trees that have succumbed to the weather and wood-boring beetles.

“It’s a lot of fun,” he said. “There’s a little bit of steepness, but the trail’s really not difficult.”

He’ll stop and talk along the way. One subject he expects to discuss is how insects survive the winter.

“I try to find out what’s people’s level of knowledge,” he said. “My background has to do with pests. I can’t get away from my training. I’m not the best at butterflies.”

Insects do everything from promoting plants to eating them, he said.

“They keep plants from overwhelming us. They eat each other.”

Stodola, the astronomer, said people on his hike can get a little exercise, but he’ll take it as slow as the slowest person. At the top, people can get a view of city lights as well as stars above.

“The Table Rocks close at dusk,” Stodola said. “We get to kind of sneak up there and do something fun and interesting. You get a view from a place where normally no one would go, because it’s closed.”

“We’ll be looking for meteors,” he continued. “We’re going at a new moon, so the skies will be nice and dark. I take a laser pointer, so I can kind of scribble across the sky and show people the constellations.”

People who lie down and look up can get a great view.

“When you’re lying down like that, the whole sky is above you,” Stodola said. “It’s just a perfect view.”

Hikers are advised to wear sturdy shoes and gear appropriate for the weather. The hikes are up to three miles long with a moderate grade to the top. Hikes can last three to four hours and begin at the trailheads, where restrooms are available. No drinking water is available, and parking is limited. Dogs and bicycles are not allowed on the trails.

For more information, call the BLM at 541-618-2200 or The Nature Conservancy at 541-708-4990.