A total lunar eclipse and resulting “Blood Moon” will be viewable in Medford, weather permitting, late Thursday and early Friday. The forecast calls for a chance of rain and snow.

The eclipse, viewable across North America, starts in Medford at 8:57 p.m. Thursday and ends at 3 a.m. Friday and reaches its maximum effect at 11:58 p.m.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon travels through the Earth’s shadow and blocks all direct sunlight from illuminating the moon’s surface, although some sunlight still gets through indirectly via the Earth’s atmosphere, bathing the moon in a reddish, yellow or orange glow.

For more information, visit Time and Date at bit.ly/3FstJyU or NASA at go.nasa.gov/3XJ2Fll.

Libraries countywide offer outdoor-related activities

Jackson County’s library system has a host of events related to the outdoors this month::

• Learn about bees on Thursday from noon to 1 p.m. at the Butte Falls Library, from 2-3 p.m. at the Shady Cove Library and 4-5 p.m. at the Gold Hill Library. Presenters are with the Master Beekeeper Program at Oregon State University.
• A seed giveaway will take place 1-3 p.m. Saturday at the Butte Falls Library, while supplies last.
• Teens are invited to learn about the medicinal, culinary and traditional uses of wild and cultivated herbs from 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Rogue River Library.
• Join library staff weekly from 1-2 p.m. on Wednesdays to walk from the Gold Hill Library to the Gold Hill Sports Park and back.
• Lucretia Weems of the Jackson County Master Gardener Program will discuss the stories of women botanists, from 5-6 p.m. on March 20 at the Ashland Library.
• Children 8 years and older can learn how to make a “bug hotel” from 1-2 p.m. March 21 at the Prospect Library and 1-2 p.m. March 22 at the Phoenix Library.
• Children 5 years and older can learn about butterflies and moths from 3:30-4:30 p.m. March 25 at the Ashland Library.
• Learn about gardening “from seed to sprout” during a hands-on event 1-2 p.m. March 29 at the Ruch Library. Choose seeds from the seed library.

For more information, visit jcls.libcal.com. Contact the Medford reference desk at 541-774-8689.

Learn about Siskiyou Mountain Club internships, trail work

Upcoming Siskiyou Mountain Club activities include the following:

• Learn about the club’s Wilderness Corps summer intern trail work program during an online information session set for 6 p.m. Thursday.
• Experienced backpackers are encouraged to join a work party along the Illinois River National Recreation Trail from Friday to Sunday.

The club offices and outdoors store recently relocated to 106 Talent Ave. in Talent.

For more information, visit siskiyoumountainclub.org and view the calendar of events.

Botanist to discuss serpentine soils, nickel mining

Botanist Kristi Mergenthaler, stewardship director for the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy, will discuss serpentine ecology during a talk set for 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Wild River Pub, 533 N.E. F St. in Grants Pass.

She will discuss places and plants in the Illinois Valley along with the growing demand for nickel and proposed mining in botanical areas.

The program is coordinated with the Siskiyou Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Oregon. For more information, visit npsoregon.org or landconserve.org.

Visit spectacular Pompadour Bluff

Join botanist and lichenologist Gretchen Vos for an exploration of common and rare lichens at the Harry and Marilyn Fisher Preserve at Pompadour Bluff near Ashland from 1-4 p.m. on March 19.

The group will caravan from Ashland and slowly hike on a road and rustic trail to the top of the bluff. The hike will be less than one mile with a round-trip elevation gain of 600 feet.

The event is hosted by the Siskiyou Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Oregon. For more information and to register, visit bit.ly/3FtsP5b.

Learn about botanist’s explorations from the 1800s

The Siskiyou Chapter, Native Plant Society of Oregon, is scheduled to feature a program about John Leiberg’s botanical explorations in Southern Oregon from 1894-1896.

The meeting is set for 7 p.m. March 20 in the Science Building, Room 161, at Southern Oregon University or online at bit.ly/npsotalks.

Land Conservancy sets several events across region

The Southern Oregon Land Conservancy has several upcoming events:

• Join geologist Karen Grove from 9 a.m. to noon April 6 for a moderate to difficult hike of up to a mile long at Pompadour Bluff, a prominent landmark on 55 acres near Ashland.
• Visit the Agate Desert Preserve and its flowers 3-5 p.m. April 9 near White City.
• Visit the Rogue River Preserve near Eagle Point during Open Lands Day, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 19.
• Explore Pompadour Bluff 3-5 p.m. April 30 with botanist Kristi Mergenthaler.
• Learn about water in the Illinois Valley from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Rough and Ready Creek Preserve near Cave Junction. Hydrology experts Gordon Lyford and Randy Frick will lead the outing.
• Explore the natural history of the Jacksonville Woodlands during a hike with education specialist Myco Schroeder, from 9 a.m. to noon on May 4.
• Join with others for a “paint out” and/or tour at Pompadour bluff on May 7. The artwork event is set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., while the hike is set for 3-5 p.m.
• Stroll through the Rough and Ready Creek Preserve near Cave Junction from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 17.

For more information and to register, visit landconserve.org/events. Contact the organization at 541-482-3069.

View wild and scenic films at annual festival

The 2025 Wild & Scenic Film Festival hosted by the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center is set for April 12 at the Historic Ashland Armory and April 19 at the Grants Pass Performing Arts Center. Film topics include water, climate, salmon and wildlife.

Doors open at 5 p.m. for drinks, food and raffle and films start at 6 p.m. Regular admission is $20. There’s an online streaming option. Tickets are available at www.siskiyoufilmfest.org. For more information, contact Allee Gustafson at 541.488.5789, extension 1014. 

Fish on: Steelheaders Derby is Saturday

The 2025 Middle Rogue Steelheaders annual Steelhead Derby is set for Saturday with a $2,000 payout and after-fishing barbecue at the Josephine County Fairgrounds. For more information and to register, visit buff.ly/HdFsjDv.

Roxy Ann Gem & Mineral Show set for county Expo

The Roxy Ann Gem & Mineral Society is hosting its annual gem and mineral show Friday through Sunday at The Expo in Central Point.

There will be demonstrations, children’s activities and displays.

Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Entry is $5 for adults and children 12 and under free. For more information, visit roxyanngemshow.com.

Paper airplane flight school offered to kids 6-18

Young people ages 6-18 years old are invited to attend a paper airplane flight school from 1-2:30 p.m. Friday at Bella Lynn Blueberries, Bakery and Farm Store, 785 Plumtree Lane, Grants Pass. They can get tips to make their paper airplanes, flip, dive and fly farther. Cost is $5 per child.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit bellalynnblueberries.com.

Williams Cub Scouts will launch their rockets

The public is invited to watch Cub Scouts from Williams launch rockets from 1-4 p.m. Sunday at Pacifica, 14615 Water Gap Road. Feel free to bring lawn chairs and snacks.

For more information, visit pacificagarden.org. Reach the organization at 541-846-1100.

‘Weed wrangle’ tackles invasive species near Grants Pass

A “weed wrangle” to remove invasive plants is set for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Griffin Park Nature Trail, 500 Griffin Road near Grants Pass.

Snacks and drinks will be provided. Bring boots and gloves. RSVP at theuprooter@gmail.com or call 541-226-9872.

Audubon Society set Tuesday bird walk at Reinhart park

Join the Siskiyou Audubon Society for its Third Tuesday Bird Walk from 9:30-11:30 a.m. March 18 at Reinhart Volunteer Park in Grants Pass.

Meet in the first parking lot on the right at the Agnew-Lyttle Baseball Field. Bring binoculars, water and a snack.

For more information, visit siskiyouaudubon.org. 

Learn about birds at Ashland’s Mountain Park

Learn about birds with local bird experts from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on March 19 and from 9-10:30 a.m. on March 22 at the North Mountain Park Nature Center, 620 N. Mountain Ave. in Ashland.  Cost is $20. Sign up at AshlandParksandRec.org or call the center, 541-488-6606.

Monument event focuses on student researchers

Join the Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument at 6 p.m. March 20 in Ashland for a virtual and in-person event featuring five university student researchers who received grants last year from the organization. They will present their findings.

This will be a hybrid event taking place in the Science Auditorium of the Southern Oregon University Science Hall and over zoom. Light refreshments will be provided. A zoom link will be sent out before the event to those who register.

Topics include grasshopper biodiversity, mammal monitoring and geology mapping. Register at https://bit.ly/3Dl5RwK. Contact the organization at 541-378-3039.

Extension Service hosts series on wildfire

The Oregon State Extension Service is hosting a continuing series of online presentations about wildfire in Oregon, with the next presentation set for 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday to discuss eastside forests. Other presentations cover sagebrush ecosystems, on March 20 and oak savannas and woodlands on March 27.  For more information and to register, visit blogs.oregonstate.edu/fireeco/.

Workshop set on tree mortality

The Southern Oregon Research & Extension Center in Central Point is offering a workshop about tree mortality in Jackson County on March 26. Subjects include causes, uses for dead trees and replanting. Register at bit.ly/4hJ6RJG.  For more information, call the center, 569 Hanley Road, Central Point, at 541-776-7371.

Ashland Parks and Rec seeks public input

Ashland Parks and Recreation is seeking public input via a survey to help guide a 10-year plan for parks, recreation and senior services. The survey, available online through March 15, takes about 30 minutes to complete.  For more information, contact Rocky Houston at 541-488-5340.

Take a hike with Medford Parks and Rec

Medford Parks and Recreation offers several hiking opportunities for adults 55 years and older, including a hike to Roxy Ann Peak on March 18, Enchanted Forest on March 25 and Provolt Recreation Area on April 8.

Other hikes to Canyon Falls on April 15, Upper Table Rock on April 18 and Natural Bridge on May 9, with waitlists for yet more hikes. 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. For more information, visit bit.ly/3WJoNeZ or call 541-774-2400.

Snowshoe with a ranger at Crater Lake

Crater Lake National Park offers free ranger-guided snowshoe walks on weekends through April and also on weekdays during spring break, March 24-28. They start at 1 p.m., last two hours and cover 1-2 miles over moderate to strenuous terrain.

Participants must be at least 8 years old. Snowshoes are provided. Space is limited and reservations are required. Separate groups tours might be available. Park entrance fee of $20 applies. Call 541-594-3100.

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.

Shaun Hall is a freelance writer living in Grants Pass. Reach him at 541-761-6726 or shaunmichaelhall@gmail.com.