Learn about butterflies, wildflowers and more this spring during hikes led by expert outdoor educators with the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy.

Registration opens online one month in advance of each hike. The hikes include the following:

•  9 a.m. to noon April 6, learn about the geology of Pompadour Bluff near Ashland with geologist Karen Grove.
•  3-5 p.m. April 9, view the wildflowers of the Agate Desert Preserve near White City with botanist and stewardship director Kristi Mergenthaler.
•  10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 19, visit the Rogue River Preserve near Eagle Point during Open Lands Day.
•  3-5 p.m. April 30, explore Pompadour Bluff with Mergenthaler.
•  11 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 3, visit Rough and Ready Creek Preserve near Cave Junction with hydrology experts Gordon Lyford and Randy Frick.
•  9 a.m. to noon May 4, explore the natural history of the Jacksonville Woodlands with Myco Schroeder, education and engagement specialist.
•  10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 7, try sketching or painting with Sarah F. Burns at Pompadour Bluff. Before painting, artists may tour the bluff with Mergenthaler.
•  3-5 p.m. May 7, explore Pompadour Bluff with Wyatt Stein, land steward.
•  11 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 17, hike the Rough and Ready Creek Preserve with stewardship director Rebekah Bergkoetter and board vice president Molly Morison.
•  3 p.m. to 5 p.m. May 21, explore Pompadour Bluff with Steve Wise, executive director.
•  12:30-4:30 p.m. May 24, wander Bear Gulch in the Colestin Valley and the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. 
•  10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 25, hike the Sharon Fen Preserve with Bergkoetter.
•  10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 14, visit the Rogue River Preserve on Open Lands Day.
•  1-4 p.m. June 18, explore Cobra Lily Springs, a new preserve on Eight Dollar Mountain near Selma with Mergenthaler.
•  11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 28, enjoy one of the newest properties associated with Vesper Meadow’s Education Program.

For more information or for help with registration, please visit landconserve.org, call 541-482-3069 or email events@landconserve.org.

Thar she blows!

Oregon State Parks will host Spring Whale Watch Week along the Oregon Coast from Saturday through March 30, when volunteers and rangers will be stationed at 14 sites along the coast from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily to help visitors spot whales and answer questions.

A map of volunteer-staffed sites is available at bit.ly/429wOwK. They include Harris Beach State Park near Brookings, Face Rock Scenic Viewpoint in Bandon and Shore Acres State Park near Coos Bay.

Migrating gray whales are typically about a mile out. An estimated 19,260 gray whales are expected to swim past Oregon’s shores from late winter through June as part of their annual migration back to Alaska.

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.

Monument event focuses on student researchers

Join the Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 20, in Ashland for a virtual and in-person event featuring five university student researchers who received grants last year from the organization and will present their findings. Topics include grasshopper biodiversity, mammal monitoring and geology mapping. 

The event will take place online and in the Science Auditorium of the Southern Oregon University Science Hal. Light refreshments will be provided. Register at bit.ly/3Dl5RwK. Contact the organization at 541-378-3039.

Explore the world of birds at Ashland’s Mountain Park

Go bird watching with local experts from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday March 19 and from 9-10:30 a.m. Saturday 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.

Discover the story of botanist’s explorations in 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. Thursday in the Science Building, Room 161, at Southern Oregon University or online at bit.ly/npsotalks.

Climate group to present updated strategic plan

Daniel Scotton, executive director of Southern Oregon Climate Action Now, will present the organization’s updated strategic plan during a meeting set for 6-7:30 p.m. March 25 at the Medford Library. Visitors will be invited to share their views.

For more information, visit socan.eco or call 541-324-4501.

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. 

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 the Enchanted Forest on March 25, the Provolt Recreation Area on April 8 and Canyon Falls on April 15.

Other hikes include Upper Table Rock on April 1, Natural Bridge on May 9 and a dog-friendly hike on the Jacksonville Railway Trail on April 14. Also, there’s waitlists for yet more hikes.

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

Libraries offer outdoor-related activities

Jackson County’s library system has scheduled several events related to the outdoors this month:

• 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 Wednesday, March 20, at the Ashland Library.
• Children 8 years and older are invited to learn how to make a “bug hotel” from 1-2 p.m. on Thursday at the Prospect Library and 1-2 p.m. March 22 at the Phoenix Library.
• Children 5 years and older are invited to 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 or contact the Medford reference desk at 541-774-8689.

Siskiyou Field Institute classes include mushrooms, astronomy

The Siskiyou Field Institute in Selma is offering several field courses this spring and early summer, including a visit to Lower Klamath Lake on March 29, $20; mushroom harvesting near Ashland on May 4, $80; 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. Other courses include nature filmmaking on April 12-13 at SFI and coastal ecology at the mouth of the Coquille River on May 12, 17 and 18, $135.

Register at thesfi.org. Contact the organization at 541-597-8530.

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.

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

View online recreational guides

Central Point, Ashland and Medford have published winter-spring recreational activity guides that include 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.