OUTDOOR ADVENTURES: Reports, conversations and an outdoor recreation show

Published 12:00 pm Tuesday, February 18, 2025

By SHAUN HALL
for the Rogue Valley Times

: Elie Turner, a park ranger with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, took this photo in early February of the Hyatt Lake Campground blanketed in snow. The Hyatt Lake Recreation Area, located east of Ashland and within the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, offers winter recreation opportunities, including cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and sledding.

Michael Dotson, executive director of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center in Ashland, is scheduled to give a “state of the bioregion” presentation online at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 19.

He is set to discuss recent successes and upcoming challenges with public lands conservation and discuss KS Wild’s priorities during the Trump Administration. He’ll also discuss the organization’s ForestWatch and Rogue Riverkeeper programs.

To join the event, sign up at bit.ly/4aQAmXH. Reach KS Wild at 541-488-5789.

Climate group to host Community Conversation

Southern Oregon Climate Action Now is hosting a Community Conversation event from 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, at the Jacksonville Library, 340 West C St. in Jacksonville. Participants can help guide future activities of the organization. Food will be served.

RSVP to director@socan.eco.

‘State of the Applegate’ summit is Saturday

The Greater Applegate Community Development Corporation, known as A Greater Applegate, is hosting a community summit from 2-5 p.m. Saturday at Pacifica in Williams to present and discuss the latest trends in the area’s rural economy, including local business, tourism, farming and recreation.

Topics to be discussed include the University of Oregon’s recent study of area demographic and job data, the results of a local business survey, occupancy rates of local vacation rentals, and online traffic to the Wander Applegate website.

Pacifica is at 14615 Water Gap Road. For more information, visit agreaterapplegate.org. Contact the organization at 541-702-2108.

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/.

Expo hosts outdoor recreation show

The 25th annual Sportsmen’s & Outdoor Recreation Show is set for Friday through Sunday at the Jackson County Expo, 1 Peninger Road in Central Point.

It runs noon to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $9 for adults, $1 for children 6 to 11 years old and free for younger children. Seniors 65 and older get in free 5-9 p.m. Friday.

The show features a range of displays, presentations and activities related to camping, fishing, hunting, cycling, boating, kayaking, hiking, climbing, guide services, lodging, travel, guns and outdoor gear. Advocacy groups and governmental agencies will be there. Recreation vehicles, all-terrain vehicles and boats will be on display.

Get tickets and information at exposureshows.com.

Medford, Ashland seek input on the economy

The cities of Medford and Ashland are asking for public input through Feb. 23 on economic challenges and opportunities in the Rogue Valley. They are asking employers, workers and others to complete a survey that takes about 25 minutes, as part of an economic opportunity analysis for the state.

Take the survey at bit.ly/4gIhDyF.

Film ‘Farming while Black’ to be shown

The Ashland Food-Coop will present a screening of “Farming While Black,” a documentary film that highlights the work, challenges and heritage of Black farmers in America, at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Varsity Theatre, 166 E. Main St. in Ashland.

Ownership of farms by Black people in America fell from 14% in 1910 to less than 2% today. The documentary chronicles the experiences of three Black farmers. Proceeds benefit BASE Southern Oregon.

Doors open at 6:15 p.m. General admission is $15. Students pay $5. Get tickets at ashlandfood.coop/events.

Library hosts Blue Ledge Mine history talk

Join Laura Ahearn, president of the McKee Bridge Historical Society, at noon Wednesday, Feb. 19, at the Medford library for a look back at the historic Blue Ledge Mine, now a Superfund site containing hazardous materials adjoining the Red Buttes Wilderness.

The session can be attended in person and live online. Register at bit.ly/41bJ3bW. For more information, contact the Medford library, 205 S. Central Ave., at 541-774-8690.

Extension Service offers workshops on graywater, farms and trees

The Southern Oregon Research & Extension Center in Central Point is offering workshops about graywater, small farms and dying trees:

• Feb. 20, gardening with household graywater. Subjects include assessing your site, designing a system and building it. Cost is $15. Register at bit.ly/40Q9diN.

• March 3, exploring the small farm dream. Subjects include opportunities, objectives and finances. Cost is $60 per person or $75 for two farm partners. Register at bit.ly/3Qa1tn3.

• March 26, tree mortality in Jackson County. Subjects include causes, uses for dead trees and replanting. Register at bit.ly/4hJ6RJG.

For more information, call the center at 541-776-7371.

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 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, about forests in the Coast Range and Western Cascades.

Other sessions are 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/.

Mountain Club plans trail work parties

The Siskiyou Mountain Club has scheduled several work parties, including a monthly stewardship outing on Thursday:

• Help clear brush and cut logs on the Middle Fork (Applegate River) National Recreation Trail on Thursday, Feb. 20. Leave Gold Hill at 7 a.m. and be back by 7 p.m. Transportation and tools provided. No experience is necessary.

• Help maintain the Osgood Ditch Trail in the southern Illinois Valley March 1-2. No previous experience is necessary.

• Backpack March 8-9 about 4 miles along the Illinois River National Recreation Trail to clean brush and logs.

To sign up, call 458-254-0657 or contact trevor@siskiyoumountainclub.org.

The club maintains remote trails using volunteers, staff and interns. Learn about the club’s Wilderness Conservation Corps, a workforce of summer interns, during online meetings set for 5 p.m. on Feb. 27 and March 13. Access the meetings at bit.ly/4gwlj6t. Use passcode 2025.

Gardening for pollinators is subject of talk

The Siskiyou Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Oregon is scheduled to host a presentation titled “Gardening for Bees, Butterflies and Birds” at its next meeting, set for 7 p.m. Thursday in the Southern Oregon University Science Building, Room 161.

The meeting will be in person as well as online, at bit.ly/npsotalks.

The presentation, by Dave Kollen, will be an introduction to native pollinators such as bees, butterflies and moths. Topics will include the essential roles they play in natural systems and food production systems.

Professor to discuss penguins

Learn about emperor penguins during a talk hosted by the Rogue Valley Audubon Society at 7 p.m. on Feb. 25 at the Medford Congregational Church, Lidgate Hall, 400 High St., in Medford.

Join Gitte McDonald, associate professor at San Jose State University, as she talks about her research expeditions to the Ross Sea to study the ecology and physiology of the penguins. The talk will include basic biology and ecology of penguins as well as current research and challenges.

For more information, visit roguevalleyaudubon.org.

Help establish willow trees along Bear Creek

Help the Rogue River Watershed Council from 10 a.m. to noon on March 1 with willow staking to encourage the growth of willow trees along Bear Creek at Lynn Newbry Park in Talent. The event is geared toward families and children.

Bring work gloves and wear appropriate attire. Feel free to bring loppers or pruners. RSVP at buff.ly/4ilAh1v. Reach the watershed council at 541-423-6158.

ODFW offers hunter education classes

Hunter safety education courses are offered through the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on March 8-9 and April 26-27 at Sportsman Park, 7407 Highland Ave., north of Grants Pass.

Focus of the classes is gun safety, ethics and responsibility. Equipment is provided. Cost is $10. Ages 9 and older may participate.

Trek into the field with Siskiyou Field Institute

The Siskiyou Field Institute in Selma is offering several field courses this spring and early summer.

The courses include a visit to Lower Klamath Lake on March 29, $20; mushroom harvesting near Ashland on May 4 and June 8, $80 each; and foraging for medicinal plants on May 10 near Jacksonville, $80. Other courses include serpentine botany on June 15 near Cave Junction, $75; and astronomy with free tent camping on June 27 at SFI’s location, 1241 Illinois River Road, $45.

In addition, other courses include nature filmmaking on April 12-13 at SFI, $250; coastal ecology at the mouth of the Coquille River on May 12, 17 and 18, $135; and butterflies and moths on June 17-19 at SFI, $195.

Hike with Medford Parks and Recreation

Medford Parks and Recreation offers several hiking opportunities for adults 55 years and older, including hikes to Jackson Creek on Feb. 25, South Fork on March 4 and Ti’Lomikh Falls on March 11.

Other hikes include Roxy Ann Peak on March 18, Enchanted Forest on March 25 and Provolt Recreation Area on April 8. There’s a dog-friendly hike on the Jacksonville Railway Trail on April 14.

Cost is $18 for residents and $24 for non-residents. Participants meet at Rogue X, 901 Rossanley Drive, and take a van to the trailhead.

Space is limited and slots can fill fast. In some cases, wait lists already are in place. For more information, visit bit.ly/3WJoNeZ or call 541-774-2400.

Cities 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.

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.