The snow is melting and lakes in Jackson County are filling, including at Howard Prairie Lake, which has not filled completely for eight years due to dry conditions, but is expected to fill this year, according to Jackson County’s Parks Department.

“In the meantime we took advantage of the low water and built a new marina in deeper water!” according to a department announcement on Friday.

Boaters may make reservations now to keep their boats at the marina all season, a month or even a few days. Call the parks office, at 541-774-8183.

ODFW reports spring fishing opportunities

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reports that Lost Creek Reservoir was stocked with 20,000 legal trout in late March.

In its recreation report last week, the department reported that the middle and upper Rogue River was “dropping into shape” for steelhead fishing, that that warm water fishing should start picking up at Emigrant Reservoir and that early spring fishing for holdover trout can be good now that ice has been melting from Howard Prairie, Hyatt and Fish lakes.

View the report at myodfw.com/recreation-report.

Audubon Society outing set for Denman Wildlife Area

Join the Rogue Valley Audubon Society on April 5 for its monthly outing to the Denman Wildlife Area near White City. Walks begin at 8:30 a.m. and end by noon. For more information, visit roguevalleyaudubon.org.

SOU offers climate change course

Southern Oregon University is offering a course titled “Living with Climate Change: Rogue Valley” starting Wednesday about the science of climate change, its implications and action choices.

The course was developed by the school’s Environmental Science, Policy and Sustainability Program in cooperation with Southern Oregon Climate Action Now. It runs 5:30-8:20 p.m. on Wednesdays for 10 weeks in the school’s Science Building. It’s open to the public. Cost is $100, with scholarships available. Learn more at socan.eco/lwcc/.

Mountain club activities include hikes, film screening

Siskiyou Mountain Club activities in April include a film screening, hike and work parties:

• Watch a screening of three documentary films about local public lands, from 6-7:30 p.m. April 10 at Taylor’s Sausage in Cave Junction.
• Take a guided hike on the Illinois River National Recreation Trail, leaving Medford at 7 p.m. and returning by dark on April 12. Hikes are 8-11 miles round trip.
• Join a work party along the Illinois River National Recreation Trail April 18-20 near Agness. Recent backpacking experience is required.
• Join a work party to help maintain the trail to Babyfoot Lake, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 27. No experience is necessary.

For more details, go to siskiyoumountainclub.org. Contact the club office at 458-254-0657.

Learn how to treat invasive species

Learn about treatments to deal with invasive species, including blackberries within streamside areas, at a Wednesday online workshop hosted by the Southern Oregon Extension and Research Center.

Topics will include reasons for their removal, the processes involved and the permitting required for Jackson and Josephine counties. The instructor is Caleb Galloway, who manages riparian restoration for the Applegate Partnership and Watershed Council.

The presentation takes place 6-7:30 p.m. Cost is $15 per person or sliding scale fee. Register at bit.ly/4bYy49n.

Hike with Medford Parks and Rec

Medford Parks and Recreation offers several hiking opportunities for adults 55 years and older, including the Provolt Recreation Area on April 8, Canyon Falls on April 15 and Upper Table Rock on April 1. Other hikes include Natural Bridge on May 9 and a dog-friendly hike on the Jacksonville Railway Trail on April 14.

Still other hikes are available. Waitlists exist for some 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.

Siskiyou Field Institute looks to the sky

Join the Siskiyou Field Institute and astronomer Joe Stodola of the Grants Pass Astronomers Club on Saturday for a free, family-friendly event to learn about the sun and view it through filtered telescopes. Learn about sunspots, solar flares, magnetic storms and more.

The event, “The Sun as a Star.” is set for noon to 2 p.m. at SFI, 1241 Illinois River Road. For more information, visit www.thesfi.org.

Also, SFI is offering several field courses this spring and early summer, including astronomy with tent camping on June 27 at SFI’s location, $45. Other courses include mushroom harvesting near Ashland on May 4, $80, and foraging for medicinal plants on May 10 near Jacksonville, $80.

Other courses include nature filmmaking on April 12-13 at SFI; coastal ecology at the mouth of the Coquille River on May 12, 17 and 18, $135; and serpentine botany on June 15 near Cave Junction, $75.

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

Land Conservancy plans spring outings

Visit natural areas this spring with the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy, which has set a series of educational hikes, including those to Pompadour Bluff near Ashland, the Rogue River Preserve near Eagle Point and the Rough and Ready Creek Preserve near Cave Junction.

Learn about butterflies, wildflowers and more from expert outdoor educators. Registration opens online one month in advance of each hike. The hikes include 9 a.m. to noon Sunday, the geology of Pompadour Bluff near Ashland with geologist Karen Grove; 3-5 p.m. April 9, wildflowers of the Agate Desert Preserve near White City with botanist and stewardship director Kristi Mergenthaler; and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 19, visit the Rogue River Preserve near Eagle Point during Open Lands Day.

Other outings include 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 and 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.

Other outings to those locations and others are set for May and June, including May 24 to Bear Gulch in the Colestin Valley and the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument; May 25 to Sharon Fen Preserve; June 18 to Cobra Lily Springs, a new preserve on Eight Dollar Mountain near Selma; and June 28, to a property newly associated with Vesper Meadow’s Education Program.

To register, visit landconserve.org or call 541-482-3069.

Wild and Scenic Film Festival coming up

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. Tickets for the Ashland showing were nearly sold out as of Monday.

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.

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.

Send us news about your upcoming event

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.