OUTDOOR ADVENTURES: Birds, hikes, weeds, butterflies and more

Published 2:15 pm Tuesday, July 16, 2024

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Take a hike with Medford parks and recreation

A variety of hikes, outings and activities are offered for various age groups by the city of Medford through its Parks, Recreation and Facilities Department. To register or get more information, contact the department at playmedford.com, 541-774-2400 or 701 N. Columbus Ave. Space is limited.

• Among the offerings are hikes for people 55 years and older. Meet at Rogue X, 901 Rossanley Dr., Medford, and take a van to the trail. Cost is $12 for residents and $18 for non-residents, per hike. The outings start at 11 a.m.

Hikes include an easy 2-mile jaunt on the Greenhorn and Mardrone Loop at Roxy Ann on July 23; a moderate 4-mile hike on the Grouse Gap Loop of the Pacific Crest Trail on July 30 and a hard 4.5-mile trek at Enchanted Forest on Aug. 6.

Other hikes include an easy 2-mile hike on the Jacksonville Cemetery Loop on Aug. 13; a moderate 4-mile hike on the Sterling Mine Ditch Armstrong-Deming Loop on Aug. 20 and a hard hike of 7 miles on the Petard and Liz’s Loop at Jacksonville Woodlands on Aug. 27.

• Summer day hikes for people 55 years and older are offered for $49 for residents and $61 for nonresidents, per trip. They include trips with easy hikes to Tolawa Dunes and Bandon on July 26 and Stout Grove redwoods and the historic Battery Point Lighthouse near Crescent City, California, on Aug. 9. A hard hike of 5.2 miles is set for Sept. 13 on the Boy Scout Tree Trail in Jedediah Smith State Park near Crescent City.

• A day trip for people ages 10 and up is offered to Bandon on July 25 at a cost of $68 for residents and $75 for nonresidents. And a day trip for people ages 10 and up to Brookings is set for July 24, at a cost of $66 for residents and $72 for nonresidents. Also, a family trip to see the redwoods in Stout Grove and visit the oceanfront in Crescent City is scheduled for July 18, with the cost set at $66 for residents and $72 for non-residents.

Visit Roxy Ann Peak, help pull star thistle

Medford Parks and Recreation has begun an initiative to help limit the growth of the noxious weed star thistle on Roxy Ann Peak, and volunteers are wanted to help pull the weeds from 7-10 a.m. every Wednesday this summer. A support booth will be set up near the parking lot at the top of Roxy Ann to provide gloves and information. Take Roxy Ann Road to the lot.

Other park volunteer opportunities are available, including scheduled cleanup efforts in various city parks. Volunteers are provided all materials. A city coordinator will be stationed at the scheduled park site handing out gear and materials.

To volunteer, visit the city’s volunteer opportunities page or contact the parks department at 541-774-2695.

Help the Mardon Skipper butterfly population

Take part in a stewardship event set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday to learn about and help the rare Mardon Skipper butterfly, which is found in high mountain meadows in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.

Volunteers will learn to monitor habitat, check for fence damage from cattle and off-road vehicles, and repair fences as needed. Meet at the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, 562 A St. in Ashland, for volunteer training and then carpool for a site visit. Bring a pen, paper, sun protection, water and lunch.

This is a collaboration between KS Wild, Vesper Meadow, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.

A related outing is set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 21, when volunteers will collect seeds from plants that Mardon Skippers rely on for food and shelter. These seeds will be used to restore the plant populations needed for the butterfly population to thrive again.

For more information and registration, visit https://www.kswild.org/upcoming-events/2024mardonskipper. Contact KS Wild at 541-488-5789.

Learn about Southern Oregon’s butterflies

Join the Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument for a talk and hike about butterflies set for Friday, July 19, and Saturday, July 20.

Southern Oregon is home to almost 125 species of butterflies. Learn about some of them and the native plants they need. Three presenters from Pollinator Project Rogue Valley will share their knowledge: David Lee Myers, Arti Kirch and Kristina Lefever.

The Friday talk is set for 6-7:30 p.m. at the Ashland Food Co-op, 300 N. Pioneer St. in Ashland, while the Saturday hike is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the monument.

Register at cascadesiskiyou.org. Call the organization at 541-378-3039.

Visit conifers of the Siskiyou Crest

The Applegate Siskiyou Alliance is offering guided hikes led by naturalists on July 27 to Miller Lake and Aug. 3 to Mount Ashland. The hikes are part of the alliance’s Siskiyou Crest conifer field trip series to visit all 25 species of conifers that grow in the region and in a wide variety of locations.

The hikes are led by local experts, botanists and ecologists. Cost is $45 per hike. To register, contact Luke Ruediger at 541-980-8974 or siskiyoucrest@gmail.com. Visit applegatesiskiyoualliance.org for more information.

Visit an animal rescue farm

Sanctuary One rescue animal farm, 13195 Upper Applegate Road, offers 90-minute guided tours during the warmer months, at 10:30 a.m. sharp on Fridays and Saturdays.

The tours include a chance to meet the sanctuary’s herd of rescued farm animals and house pets. The farm includes expansive gardens that provide food for the animals. For visitors needing mobility assistance, golf-cart tours are available with prior notice.

Admission is $10 each and reservations are required. Make them online. For more information, call 541-899-8627.

Learn about Jacksonville history, haunts

Free outdoor walking tours of Jacksonville’s historic district are offered at 10 a.m. on Saturdays through Aug. 31. The tours are about a mile long and last about an hour, with stops leaving from Jacksonville’s City Hall, 205 N. Fifth St.

Reservations are required. Call 541-245-3650 or visit historicjacksonville.org.

Haunted history walking tours of Jacksonville are offered on the second Friday of every month through Sept. 13 and on Oct. 11 and 12.

The one-hour tours leave from the Jacksonville Visitors Center, Oregon and C streets. Tours are $10 per person and reservations are required. Call 541-245-3650 or visit historicjacksonville.org.

Lithia Park tours held Saturdays

Explore Lithia Park in Ashland during a free guided tour led by volunteers at 10 a.m. on Saturdays through September. The walks are 60 to 90 minutes. Meet guides at the front entrance of Lithia Park across from the Plaza.

Preschoolers, puppets, nature and crafts

Parents, bring your preschooler for a fun nature lesson with puppets and a craft project set for 10-11 a.m. Aug. 8 at Ashland’s North Mountain Nature Center, 620 N. Mountain Ave.

Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times during the program. Cost is $8 per child. Register at https://buff.ly/3W5tvno. For more information, call 541-488-6606.