The Mt. Ashland Ski Area map, first painted more than 20 years ago by artist James Niehues, has been updated to show the name of the Karen and Sid DeBoer Lodge and to show the name and location of the Mercutio run, along with other typographical changes. The map will need updating again after the new Lithia Chair is built beginning next year near the Poma trail. The DeBoers contributed toward the lodge and lift. Prints of the original map are available online at jamesniehues.com.

The latest rendition of a hand-painted map of the Mt. Ashland Ski Area is out, with new text and graphics.

The map, which is distributed online and in printed form, was initially painted in 2002 by renowned artist James Niehues, who has painted hundreds of maps for locations around the globe.

“It’s slightly changed,” Abigail Coombs, marketing coordinator for the ski area, said about the Mt. Ashland map. “We just added a few things, to make sure it was easier to read.”

Added to the map is the name of the lodge, the Karen and Sid DeBoer Lodge, named for the Rogue Valley couple that contributed toward the lodge’s renovation six years ago.

Also added to the map is the name and route of a trail, Mercutio, between the Juliet and Romeo runs. Mercutio is a character in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

“It’s been a trail,” Coombs said about the Mercutio run. “It’s never been officially named.”

The new map also highlights that first aid is available at the lodge and that backcountry areas are not patrolled by ski area personnel.

“We want people to know it’s unpatrolled,” Coombs said.

The map will be updated again when a new lift, the Lithia Chair, goes in near the Poma run, to serve beginner and intermediate skiers. The DeBoers also contributed toward that project, set to begin next year, the first new chairlift on the mountain in more than 30 years. Sid DeBoer is chairman and founder of Lithia Motors.

The ski area, which is owned by the nonprofit Mt. Ashland Association, was built in 1963 and opened in 1964. This ski season, set to begin Dec. 9 if there is enough snow, is being celebrated as the area’s 60th year. The ski area is hosting a free winter kickoff open house from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

BLM proposes removal of dead, dying trees

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is proposing to remove dead and dying trees along BLM roads and in strategic areas in southwest Oregon to improve safety and keep access open for community members, emergency services and firefighters.

The agency’s Medford District office issued an announcement Thursday, noting that there’s been more Douglas fir die-offs in the past four years than the last four decades in Southwest Oregon. It’s preparing an environmental assessment for the salvage and removal of dead and dying conifers and is seeking comment on issues, impacts and alternatives. It’s asking the public to identify where trees are dying along major roads and in other notable areas, saying it is concerned about public safety along roads, increased fire risk, changes in wildlife habitat and economic impacts.

“Our top priority is to decrease risk to our local communities,” said Elizabeth Burghard, district manager, according to an agency news release. “We are very concerned about the impacts of Douglas fir mortality on safe and effective wildland firefighting. We need the public’s help to decide where and how to take the most effective action.”

BLM foresters hope to remove dead and dying trees while the timber still has commercial value.

“By taking action now, we can sell the trees before they decay,” said Burghard. “The trees can pay their way out of the forest.”

“If we wait too long, these necessary treatments will come at a much higher cost to taxpayers.”

The environmental analysis will cover an estimated 5,000 acres. Work could begin in late 2024.

For more information, go to eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2027249/510 or contact Todd Bowen of the BLM, at 541-618-2365 or tbowen@blm.gov.

Ashland gets funds for new EV-charging stations

The city of Ashland has been awarded $93,500 in rebates toward the purchase and installation of 22 electric vehicle charging ports in public areas next year, according to an announcement from the Oregon Department of Transportation.

The funding is from a first round of rebates administered by ODOT, under its Community Charging Rebates program. The money pays up to 75% of eligible costs.

A second round of funding is set for March. Eligible businesses, nonprofit organizations, public entities, tribes and owners of multi-family home complexes may apply.

Nearly 70,000 electric vehicles are registered in Oregon, up from 38,000 in 2021, according to the Oregon Department of Energy. In the first quarter of 2023, electric vehicle sales in Oregon exceeded 16 percent of all new vehicle sales, according to the department.