Ashland was recently ranked a top U.S. bike town by Outside, a major national outdoors magazine, based on high ratings from nonprofits that rate bike-friendliness of U.S. cities combined with the plethora of trails available to ride.
Mt. Ashland Ski Area hopes the community will come through with half a million dollars in donations as it prepares for a series of expansion projects that target growth areas at the nonprofit ski area and improved weather resiliency.
Just over two years after a three-alarm fire destroyed their original building in Ashland Plaza, Mountain Provisions has finally reopened their doors, this time in a new spot downtown. After a long struggle with insurance (that’s still going on) and switch of plans, their new location at 357 E. Main St. opened its doors to customers on July 5.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed whitebark pine as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act in 2023. It lives at the ecological edge, only at the very top of the mountains it inhabits, at timberline and above 7,500 feet elevation. It is a slow-growing, charismatic species that is often sculpted by the harsh conditions in which it lives.
The Siskiyou Crest Coalition, based in southwest Oregon, sponsored a unique fundraiser on July 13: a day of guided hikes at a private property on Mount Ashland. The emphasis of the day’s activities was on the ecological value of the Siskiyou Crest: the unparalleled biodiversity resulting from ecosystem niches influenced by six biotic regions; its importance as a wildlife connectivity corridor; and its astonishing number of endemic botanical species.
Michael Dotson: June is a great month to get out onto local public lands and trails, and there are plenty of hiking options for folks to enjoy with a quick drive out of the Rogue Valley.
Summer activities begin Friday, June 14, when the Mt. Ashland lodge will open its restaurant and retail shop to the public every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Labor Day.
Mt. Ashland Ski Area grooming supervisor Bill Archer is being remembered for his love of the ski area, his devotion to his workers and the wisdom he left behind. Archer, 56, died suddenly Dec. 21, and a massive outpouring of support has followed.
It’s taken longer than usual but the wait is almost over. The Mt. Ashland Ski Area will open for the season Thursday. Despite the later than usual opening, Thursday’s opening is fitting because Mt. Asland’s 60th anniversary season will begin exactly 60 years to the day after its first-ever opening in 1964.
The waiting continues at Mt. Ashland Ski Area. Just when the mountain will have enough snow for the area to finally open for downhill skiers, snowboarders and other winter sports enthusiasts remains uncertain.
Poetry Corner: Short poems and haiku often use visual images to communicate a mood, a feeling, an ephemeral moment.
After a 17-year hiatus and amid a strain on the nation’s blood supply, the Red Cross is returning to the Southern Oregon University campus in Ashland this week for a two-day blood drive. The Red Cross will host its first blood drive since 2007 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday in the first floor Associated Students of Southern Oregon University (ASSOU) Lounge inside Stevenson Union.
The Bear Creek Salmon Festival is returning with plenty to learn, see and experience at Ashland’s North Mountain Park Nature Center on Saturday, Oct. 12. Now in its 17th year, the festival celebrates the seasonal cycle of Pacific northwest salmon species, environmental stewardship and community.
An exuberant crowd of an estimated 1,000 people lined Ashland’s Main Street Saturday morning, cheering and applauding the 14th annual Southern Oregon Pride Parade. The street was filled with color and motion as participants pranced, danced and sang, recapturing the energy of Pride Parades of the past.
Ron Rusnak: Lithia Park is not a sports center. Lithia Park is Ashland’s heart, known for nature, culture, education, art and, at times, patriotic enthusiasm.
Obituary: Debra J. Wilson, a longtime Ashland resident, passed away peacefully on Friday, Sept. 27, at Celia‘s House Hospice in Medford. Her memorial and green burial was held Thursday, Oct. 3, at The Forest Conservation Burial Grounds, Willow-Witt Green Burial Area.
(It’s free)
