There’s snow enough at Crater Lake National Park, but snow-related operations at nearby Diamond Lake Resort were shut down to start the new year, due to lack of the white stuff. Some snow-related activities weren’t happening at Fish Lake Resort, either.

Snow-producing storms are predicted for the higher elevations over the next several days, but things were relatively barren early in the week.

“We have no snow,” Laura Cavaner, an office worker at Diamond Lake Resort, said via phone on Tuesday. “Nothing on the ground. Parking lot’s bare.”

“It’s killing us.”

The tubing hill there is closed. Cross-country skiing isn’t happening, either. And snowmobiling is out of the question.

Snowcat skiing on nearby Mt. Bailey is shut down, too. And Diamond Lake isn’t frozen.

“What a crazy winter,” said Cavaner, who has lived in the area for about six years and remembers only one year when the lake wasn’t frozen over this time of year.

“There’s only one time when the lake wasn’t frozen over in January,” she said.

The elevation at Diamond Lake, about 5,200 feet, is about 2,000 feet below that of Rim Village at the park, where there’s lots of snow. Snowshoeing there was spectacular on Monday.

“It was absolutely gorgeous,” said Shone Ellis, who manages the branch library in Butte Falls and went up to the park with friends.

Elsewhere, lack of snow has delayed the opening of Mt. Ashland Ski Area, where there was about 5 inches of snow on Wednesday morning. Shasta Ski Park remained closed, too.

“Opening Date to be Announced Soon!” Mt. Shasta’s website declared on Tuesday.

At Fish Lake Resort, off of Highway 140 near Mt. McGloughlin, lack of snow means no cross-country skiing or snowmobiling. Fishermen haven’t been out on the ice for about a week, according to resort owner Sarah Mosttler.

“The snow, I think, is supposed to start,” she said Tuesday afternoon. “We’ve already seen snowflakes today.”

At any rate, the resort’s cafe, store and lodge are open. And the coffee’s good.

“It’s worth stopping for,” Mosttler said.

About two years ago, Mosttler and her husband, Keith, bought the place, which features an RV park and cabins, among other offerings. Summers are busy, while things slow down in the winter.

“It’s a totally different vibe,” Mosttler said. “A little cozier, a little homier, a little quieter.”

Libraries in Butte Falls, Gold Hill offer walking groups

The Butte Falls Library is now offering weekly hour-long walks, from 1-2 p.m. on Thursdays, making it the second Jackson County library to start a walking group in the past few weeks.

The Gold Hill Library offers walks from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays.

The walks, which take place rain or shine, are intended to offer socialization and exercise for adults. They start at the libraries, with a library worker along for the journey.

“We just mostly walk around town,” said Shone Ellis, branch manager in Butte Falls.

Ellis, who does a lot of hiking and walking, said a few people have joined her on the strolls and that others have expressed an interest. She’s flexible on pace and destinations.

“We do what anybody wants to do,” she said.

Ellis has dubbed her group the Butte Falls Walking Group 18+. She refers to the outings as “Bookin It.”

Birding events set for North Mountain Park

The city of Ashland is offering a winter bird walk from 8:30-9:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, at North Mountain Park Nature Center Pavilion. Local birding experts will discuss identifying birds by sight and sound.

Vince Zauskey is the instructor. Loaner binoculars are available. Cost is $10. Register by calling 541-488-6606 or visit ashland.or.us/register.

In another birding activity at the nature center, the public is invited to join volunteers with the Rogue Valley Audubon Society to learn about winter birds and help count them as they visit feeders at the park.

The counts, part of Project FeederWatch, are held from 9-10 a.m. on alternate Saturdays through March. The dates are Jan. 6 and 20; Feb. 3 and 17 and March 2 and 16. Meet at the pavilion. Pre-registration is not required. The event is free.

The information collected will be submitted to Cornell University’s FeederWatch project, a nationwide citizen-science bird-monitoring effort.

Public invited to help clear wilderness trail

The public is invited to join the Siskiyou Mountain Club and REI staff on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 13-14, to help clear brush and logs from the Butte Fork Trail in the eastern portion of the Red Buttes Wilderness. Volunteers can help on either day and may camp with others that Saturday night at the trailhead.

A shuttle vehicle will be leaving Gold Hill at 8 a.m. on Jan. 13 and will return by 5 p.m. the next day. The work is easy and no previous trail work experience is necessary. The club will provide tools and leadership.

To sign up, send an email to alex@siskiyoumountainclub.org. Reach the club at 458-254-0657.