Join the Siskiyou Mountain Club on Thursday in Ashland for its 2025 volunteer orientation and preview of the season ahead. Connect with trip leaders and learn about trips planned for the year. The organization clears and maintains remote trails.

Thursday’s program starts at 6 p.m, but show up early for pizza and beverages at 33 Third St. in Ashland’s Underground Marketplace.

The next club work party is set for Saturday and Sunday to cut brush and logs along the Middle Fork Applegate River National Recreation Trail, which traverses part of the Red Buttes Wilderness. To join in the work, contact Trevor Meyer, program manager, at trevor@siskiyoumountainclub.org.

For information about the work party and other outings, visit siskiyoumountainclub.org/calendar.

Get updated on pedestrian-bicycle plans for byway

Learn about design concepts for the Rogue-Umpqua Bicycle and Pedestrian Corridor Plan during a meeting set for 4-6 p.m. Wednesday at the Gold Hill Library, 202 Dardanelles St.

The meeting is a follow-up to a prior discussion about needs and designs for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improvements. The corridor follows the Rogue-Umpqua National Scenic Byway, which includes highways 234, 62, 230 and 138, from Gold Hill to Roseburg.

For more information, visit bit.ly/4jfWLkY or contact project manager Cole Grisham at 360-619-7746.

Learn about the Northwest Forest Plan

The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest is hosting a community meeting to share information about proposed changes to the Northwest Forest Plan from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at the Medford Interagency Office, 3040 Biddle Road.

Visitors may view detailed maps and speak with Forest Service staff and experts who worked on the plan, which was created in 1994 to conserve forests and habitat for wildlife while supporting communities. The Forest Service is proposing to amend the plan to address wildfire risks, economic needs and other challenges.

For more information, visit bit.ly/40gs9H7 or contact the agency at 541-618-2200. A 25-minute video to be presented at the meeting may be viewed at tinyurl.com/3axcmsvs.

In a related matter, the Applegate Siskiyou Alliance is planning a “Rally for Old-Growth Forests” from 5-6 p.m. immediately preceding the meeting. For more information, visit bit.ly/3PIDoTZ.

Learn about tracking wildlife

Join Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument for a free lecture about wildlife tracking from 6-7:30 p.m. Friday in Room 161 of the Science Building at Southern Oregon University.

Presenter Robin Bliss-Wagner has dedicated his career to teaching and mentoring children, teens and adults in deeper nature connection, survival skills, bird language and tracking.

Sign up at bit.ly/40G31uW. A related hike on Saturday is full, although there’s a waiting list. For more information, contact the organization at 541-378-3039. 

Frostbite Run set for Saturday in Talent

Join Southern Oregon Runners on Feb. 1 for the Frostbite Run, with a 10K race starting at 11 a.m. and a 5K race beginning at 11 a.m., at Talent Middle School, 102 Christian Ave. Sign up at bit.ly/3E4njW8.

Garden club to host seed and plant exchange

A spring seed and plant exchange hosted by the Talent Garden Club is set for 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday at the Talent Library, 101 Home St. in Talent.

Visitors are invited to bring seeds, bulbs and plant starts. The items should be labeled with name and planting instructions. But if you don’t have any, come and explore anyway. All are welcome and the event is free.

Following the exchange, at 11 a.m., the club gathers for its regular meeting. For more information, visit talentgardentclub.com.

Help clear and repair Sterling Mine trail

Join the Siskiyou Upland Trails Association for a work party on Saturday to trim vegetation and repair trail surfaces on the Armstrong Gulch section of the Sterling Mine Ditch Trail.

Meet up at 9 a.m. at the Armstrong Gulch Trailhead. Homemade snacks and lunch provided. Expect to hike about 3 miles. Dress for the weather.

RSVP by sending an email to SUTAoregoncontact@gmail.com.

Greenhouse owner to discuss spring plants

Learn about spring plants at a gathering of the Ashland Garden Club from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Monday at the First United Methodist Church, upper room, 175 N. Main St. in Ashland.

Kelly Brainard, owner of Ashland Greenhouses, is scheduled to discuss planning, new varieties and other topics. For more information, visit ashlandorgardenclub.org.

Learn about the importance of old-growth forests

Join the Williams Community Forest Project and geologist Chas Rogers at 6 p.m. on Feb. 5 for a presentation about the value of old 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. For more information, visit williamscommunityforestproject.org.

The story of the Blue Ledge Mine

Join Laura Ahearn, president of the McKee Bridge Historical Society, at noon on Feb. 5 at the Medford library as she presents a wide perspective on the Blue Ledge Mine, including its connections to the orchard boom, socialism and World War I. What once promised unbounded riches is now a Superfund site containing hazardous materials adjoining the Red Buttes Wilderness.

Learn about the romances, scandals, heroes and ordinary people in a remote part of the Siskiyou Mountains. Ahern will speak as part of the “Windows in Time” lunchtime lecture series. The session can be viewed online, too.

Registration is required, at bit.ly/3Q3UtrT. For more information, contact the library at 541-774-8689.

Learn about community connections at JoinFest

Learn about the power of connection and belonging 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 Feb. 6 at 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/.

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. Feb. 8 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.

Help plant willow cuttings along Bear Creek

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, off of Siskiyou View in Talent. A planned willow staking for Friday has been canceled. The March 1 event is geared toward families and children.

Willow staking is the planting of willow cuttings to promote soil stabilization, primarily along waterways. Bring work gloves and wear appropriate attire. Bring loppers or pruners, if you’d like.

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

Proposed trail would link Grants Pass and Rogue River

Planners have come up with a preferred alignment for a 6-mile-long bicycle-pedestrian path connecting Grants Pass and the city of Rogue River. The path would parallel the Rogue River Highway on its north side, with a buffer between the road and path.

The path would run between the highway and the Rogue River, which roughly parallels the highway at a varying distance of about 100 to 2,000 feet.

The Grants Pass to Rogue River Multimodal Plan partners the Oregon Department of Transportation with Jackson and Josephine counties and the cities of Rogue River and Grants Pass. Funding for the path has not been determined.

View the plan website at bit.ly/3EfbfS7. The project team is asking the public to comment at surveymonkey.com/r/J5W5DHD.

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.

Cities publish winter-spring 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.