Send us news about your upcoming events Want to publicize your upcoming outdoors event for free? Send details to writer Shaun Hall at 541-761-6726 or

shaunmichaelhall@gmail.com

. Submissions about upcoming events are encouraged.

Editors’ note: See full listings and web hyperlinks at rv-times.com/outdoors

Help the Rogue River Watershed Council from 10 a.m. to noon on Feb. 12 and March 1 with willow staking along Bear Creek at Lynn Newbry Park in Talent.

Willow staking is the planting of willow cuttings to grow trees that promote soil stabilization, primarily along waterways. Bring work gloves and wear appropriate attire. Feel free to bring loppers or pruners.

If rain or snow cancels the Feb. 12 outing, the event will take place Feb. 13. The March 1 event is geared toward families and children.

RSVP at buff.ly/4ilAh1v. Reach the watershed council at 541-423-6158.

Water problem closes ski area

The Mt. Ashland Ski Area will be closed at least through Wednesday, Feb. 5, due to an inoperable water main and pumps, according to a Monday announcement from ski area management.

Updates will be provided as the nonprofit ski resort attempts to resolve the problem, according to the statement, posted online to mtashland.com.

Learn about the importance of old-growth forests

Join the Williams Community Forest Project and geologist Chas Rogers at 6 p.m. Wednesday for a presentation about the value of old-growth forests.

Learn about how forests protect Earth’s ecosystems by providing ways to store water, cool temperatures and release oxygen. The presentation is at the Williams Grange, 20100 Williams Highway in Williams.

In other news, members of the group are planning a work party outing to help maintain the Layton Ditch Trail, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Meet at the Williams Grange.

For more information, visit williams community forest project.org.

The story of the Blue Ledge Mine

Join Laura Ahearn, president of the McKee Bridge Historical Society, at noon Wednesday at the Medford library or at noon Feb. 12 at the Ashland Public Library as she presents a wide perspective on the Blue Ledge Mine, which once promised unbounded riches but is now a Superfund site containing hazardous materials adjoining the Red Buttes Wilderness.

Learn about the romances, scandals, heroes and ordinary people who worked and lived in a remote part of the Siskiyou Mountains. Learn about the mine’s connections to the orchard boom, socialism and World War I.

Ahern will speak as part of the “Windows in Time” lunchtime lecture series. The session can be viewed online, too, and on the library’s YouTube channel.

Registration is required for the Medford talk, at bit.ly/3Q3UtrT. For more information, contact the Medford library at 541-774-8690 or the Ashland Library at 541-774-6980.

Extension Service hosts online series about wildfire

The Oregon State University Extension Service is hosting a continuing series of online presentations about wildfire in Oregon. The next presentation is at 6 p.m. Thursday with a discussion about fire ecology and soils.

Other sessions are set for Feb. 20 and 27 and March 6, 13, 20 and 27. Once registered, participants will receive information on how to connect through a personal computer, tablet or smartphone.

Upcomings sessions are Western Cascades and Coast Range forests, Feb. 20; Oregon’s dry forests, Feb. 27; Southwest Oregon forests, March 6; Eastside forests, March 13; sagebrush ecosystems, March 20 and oak savannahs and woodlands, March 27.

For more information and to register, visit blogs.oregonstate.edu/fireeco/.

Connect with community organizations at JoinFest

Learn about the power of connection and belonging on Thursday when Rogue Community Health, AllCare Health and Rogue Community College host JoinFest, an event highlighting the importance of civic engagement and community connection.

The event is set for RCC’s Grants Pass campus, 3345 Redwood Highway. From 4-6 p.m., visit booths from local clubs and organizations. At 6 p.m., watch the documentary film “Join or Die,” an exploration of community engagement.

Rogue Community Health is a Jackson County health care provider. Register at roguecommunityhealth.org/joinfest/.

Trail Alliance hosts community movie night

The Southern Oregon Trail Alliance has scheduled a family-friendly movie night on Friday at BikeKraft, 1448 Williams Highway in Grants Pass, as a way to reintroduce the trail-building organization and its projects to the community.

The 45-minute movie “Fire Lines,” about trail stewardship, will be shown. Free popcorn and drinks will be available.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with a SOTA presentation set for 6:45 p.m. and the movie showing scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., followed by additional time to meet and chat.

For more information, visit SouthernOregonTrails.org.

All about butterflies, moths and a new garden

Learn about butterflies and moths with John Jackson of Bugs-R-Us from 1-2 p.m. Saturday at the Talent library, 510 First St. in Phoenix. The library will be planting a butterfly garden this year.

Jackson’s program will highlight lifecycles and the importance of butterflies and moths in the environment. Visitors will receive butterfly stickers and handouts detailing differences between butterflies and moths. Children 3 years and older are welcome.

For more information, visit bit.ly/3WxQDe0.

Take a photographic journey through botanical areas

Join the Applegate Siskiyou Alliance from 1-2:30 p.m. Sunday in Ruch for a photographic journey through botanical areas of the Siskiyou Crest, which is a series of ridges, slopes and canyons stretching from Mount Ashland west to the Smith River.

The crest is home to 31 officially designated botanical areas, which contain concentrations of rare species and plant communities. The goal of the areas is to protect and enhance exceptional botanical values.

The presentation will be led by Luke Ruediger and Suzie Savoie and given at the Applegate Fire District training building, 1095 Upper Applegate Road. For more information, visit applegatesiskiyoualliance.org.

Hike with Medford Parks and Recreation

Medford Parks and Recreation is offering hiking opportunities to adults 55 years and older, with the next available outing set for Feb. 11 to Upper Table Rock. Cost is $18 for residents and $24 for non-residents.

As of Monday, five spots remained. Several other hikes in coming weeks are full, but have wait lists, with the next open hike set for March 18 to Roxy Ann Peak.

For more information, visit bit.ly/3WJoNeZ or call 541-774-2400.

SOU Outdoor Program hosts Banff film festival

The Southern Oregon University Outdoor Program will host its 14th annual Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour on Feb. 15-16 in the SOU Recital Hall, 450 S. Mountain Ave. in Ashland.

Each night will showcase a different selection of films focusing on a range of outdoor activities, including bicycle riding, skiing, climbing, conservation and personal challenges.

Tickets are $20 each night. To purchase them online, visit recreation.sou.edu/outdoor-program/banff/.

Kite festival is Feb. 14-16 at Lake of the Woods Resort

The Lake of the Woods Resort is scheduled to host its fifth annual Kite Festival Feb. 14-16, with highlights including food, music and fun activities on the lake ice. The event kickoff and dinner is set for Feb. 14, followed by all-day kite flying on Feb. 15-16. Bring your own kite or buy one at the marina.

For more information, visit Lakeofthewoodsresort.com or call 800-201-4194. The resort is at 950 Harriman Route, off of Highway 140, about 45 miles from Medford.

Cities, organizations publish activity guides

Central Point, Ashland and Medford have published winter-spring recreational activity guides, including classes, events and outings. Check out the Central Point guide at bit.ly/42giLWN, Ashland’s guide at bit.ly/WinterSpringGuide2025 and Medford’s guide at playmedford.com.

Organizations that have published guides and announcements about outdoor-related classes and activities include the Siskiyou Field Institute, thesfi.org; the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center, extension.oregonstate.edu/sorec; and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, thesfi.org.

Tell Medford Parks and Rec what you think

Medford Parks and Recreation is conducting surveys asking the public to comment on city recreation programs and city parks maintenance, and to suggest movies to show as part of a summertime movies series in the parks.

To comment on recreation programs and park maintenance, visit bit.ly/3ComCqg. To suggest a movie, visit bit.ly/4ggF8id. For more information, contact the department at 541-774-2400.

Want to publicize your upcoming outdoors event for free? Send details to writer Shaun Hall at 541-761-6726 or shaunmichaelhall@gmail.com. Submissions about upcoming events are encouraged.