Uncertainty reigns because the federal government’s freeze on funding government programs is creating myriad concerns, including the possibility that funding for trail work on popular national forests in Southern Oregon and far Northern California may not be provided.
KS Wild Side: Along with providing a sustainable supply of timber to rural communities in the Northwest, one of the main premises of the Northwest Forest Plan was to also protect species dependent on old-growth ecosystems, mainly the northern spotted owl, the red tree vole, and the marbled murrelet.
Now that the Klamath dams are removed and the restoration of the Klamath River is underway, many people are turning their attention to other dams in the region with negative ecological consequences that also block fish passage, including Applegate Dam.
Two weeks after its first February meeting was canceled due to unsafe road conditions due to snow, the Ashland City Council takes up business Tuesday, Feb. 17, it had expected to handle on Feb. 4. Its Feb. 3 study session, however, which was also canceled, is still pending as Monday, Feb. 17, was Presidents Day.
This week’s heavy snowfall has made it difficult for birds to forage for food on the ground and even in the trees, and there are not many insects flying amid the flurries of snow. We contacted an expert for some tips on how to care for our local bird population.
A wide and wild variety of events are planned in coming days, weeks and months by the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center. This Friday, KS Wild and Rogue Riverkeeper invite people attending Ashland’s First Friday Art Walk to see an exhibit by Lindy Kehoe, “Spirits of the Siskiyous.”
All Southern Oregon University classes, events and activities are closed Friday, Feb. 7, due to forecasts of additional snowfall overnight and in the morning, according to a notice posted on the SOU website Thursday. Schools in the Ashland School District will also be closed Friday, Feb. 7, “due to inclement weather and significant snow accumulation,” according to a notice on the district website Thursday.
An atmospheric river will bring a healthy dose of winter weather to Southern Oregon and Northern California from Sunday night through Monday, according to a winter storm warning issued by the National Weather Service office in Medford, with a chance of rain or snow in the forecast for Ashland every day through Friday.
Crater Lake has been named the nation’s best national park for stargazing. Crater Lake topped the national list with an index score of 100 out a 100 in a study conducted by the vacation rental site, Lake.com. The rating was based on data from the National Park Service’s Night Sky Collection Site, which scored every national park out of 100 points based on the average percentage of stars visible and the average median light pollution.
A newly designated national monument just south of the Oregon-California state line is rallying enthusiasm among tribal leaders and a range of supporters seeking protection for the area. Shortly before leaving office, President Joe Biden used the Antiques Act to designate the 224,676-acre Sattitla National Monument, also known as the Medicine Lake Highlands, which includes lands in the Klamath, Modoc and Shasta-Trinity national forests.
Forest restoration and wildfire mitigation projects have been halted and employees laid off as freezes of federal funds impact Lomakatsi Restoration Project, an Ashland-based nonprofit organization. Nearly two of every three dollars — 65% — of the nonprofit’s budget for 2025 came from the Inflation Reduction Act or the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — two pots of money affected by broad freezes of federal funds by the Trump administration.
A group of 20 attorneys general are suing the Trump administration over mass layoffs of probationary federal employees, which they claim is illegal and is causing irreparable harm to their states. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield joined in the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court of Maryland on Thursday.
After a series of low-profile meetings with Salem power brokers and utility officials, state Rep. Pam Marsh (D-Ashland) confirms to the Oregon Journalism Project that she has crafted legislation to create a $1 billion fund to help utilities pay damages to customers hurt by utility-caused wildfires.
Scott Bandoroff: The humans impacted by the war in Ukraine are rightfully at the center of current news cycles. Many citizens in the Rogue Valley may not understand just how many Ukrainian refugees are here in our own community.
Obituary: Ashland based journalist and videographer Mark K. Brown, 79, passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by family after a courageous battle with cancer. A celebration of life is being planned this spring.
Theatergoers looking for a fresh take on a timeless, literary adventure — with a whole lot of wit and whimsy to go along with it — should check out Ashland High School Theater’s spring musical production of “Little Women” opening this weekend with performances at 7 p.m. Friday, March 7, and Saturday, March 8, at Mountain Avenue Theatre, with an afternoon matinee at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 9.
(It’s free)
