Hike and Learn 

Hike and Learns are designed to connect you more fully to the wonder and value of the biodiversity within the Monument. They are co-created with local scientists, historians, artists, writers, and more. They consist of a Friday evening lecture followed by a Saturday hike in the Monument. You are welcome to attend just Friday or just Saturday or both days. All events are free of charge.

See below for a list of our upcoming Hike and Learns. We hope you can join us!

Tiny and Endangered - So What?

What the Klamath Mardon Skipper butterfly has to teach us, with Jeanine Moy from Vesper Meadow Education Program.

Talk: Friday, May 23rd from 6:00 - 7:30 PM

Sign up HERE

Conservation Tour: Saturday, May 24th from 9:00 - 3:00 PM

Sign up HERE

As small as your thumbnail, and as subtle as the orange-brown clays of the Cascade-Siskiyou itself, the Klamath Mardon Skipper is the most unassuming butterfly - yet is also the bellwether of watershed health, surviving in the upper most reaches of the Rogue and Klamath River Basins. Found nowhere else in the world besides the subalpine meadows of the Cascade-Siskiyou, this species has been rapidly declining in the last decade.Join Jeanine Moy as she brings you along through the native bunchgrasses and seablush flowers for a butterly-eye view of the Monument. Hear the story of a rare and imperiled species, and learn about our chance to come together and protect the land that both the Mardon and our communities rely on. Participants will gain opportunities to become involved and take action for meadow habitat conservation and restoration.

On Saturday, we will caravan to the CSNM for a hybrid walking/ driving tour of different Mardon Skipper habitat meadows; some degraded, some healthy, and some in-between. Participants will be treated to a diversity of spring wildflower viewing, early season butterflies, and breeding birds. We will get a good picture of how the state of the Klamath Mardon Skipper is reflected in the land, and learn about the history of people, plants, and water that have shaped the overall health of their meadow habitats.Bring a lunch, sun protection, waterbottle, and close-toed shoes. BInoculars and butterfly nets optional.

Jeanine Moy has a rich relationship with the land now known as the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument; she has led educational excursions here for 15 years, has lived through several winters in the Cascade-Siskiyou mountains, spent a year in community organizing for the campaign to expand the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, was a Artist-in-Residency with the Friends of the CSNM in 2018, and works to advocate for its rare species and special places. She continues to enjoy summer afternoons exploring the wildflowers and butterflies of the Cascade-Siskiyou upland meadows.As a naturalist, educator, creative, organizer, and backcountry adventurer, Jeanine is drawn to interdisciplinary projects that benefit human and more-than-human communities. Through founding and directing the Vesper Meadow Education Program and Restoration Preserve, she works to build broad engagement in biocultural restoration and integrate diverse perspectives in conservation. She has lived in southern Oregon for the past 15 years and is grateful for experiences such as working at the Klamath Bird Observatory, the Willow Wind Community Education Center, and the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center.

Unless otherwise noted, talks are held at the Ashland Food Co-op Community Classroom located at 300 N. Pioneer Street in Ashland, OR. The community classroom in NOT in the grocery store. It is in a separate building a block behind the grocery store on 300 N. Pioneer Street. The talk is an opportunity to learn, ask questions, and meet your fellow hikers. It is optional and not compulsory before taking the hike.

If you can’t hike the trail you are welcome to attend only the talk! Enjoy the images and participate in the discussion. We believe in making the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument accessible for all people to learn about and appreciate our public lands.

Hikes are held in various locations within the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. We kick off the hikes at the Rite Aid parking lot located at 2341 Ashland Street in Ashland at 9AM (unless otherwise noted) and carpool/caravan to the designated spot in the Monument together.

On the day of the hike:

• Bring plenty of water

• Bring lunch and snacks

• Consider bringing additional items such as: hat, sunscreen, walking sticks, camera, binoculars, hand lens, notebook and pen

• Wear sturdy shoes and protective clothing

Be considerate of the group and meet on time at the designated location.

Practice hike ethics and leave no trace. Learn more.

Limited facilities. The only public toilet facilities are located at the Hyatt Lake campground, Hobart Bluff trailhead, Pilot Rock trailhead, Grizzly Peak trailhead, and the Tub Springs Wayside. There are no washroom facilities or pit toilets at most other locations.

Previous Hike & Learns

LICHENS IN THE MONUMENT

Februrary 21st & 22nd

Lichens are very common in southern Oregon. They are found on natural and man-made features including across rock surfaces, festooning from tree branches, speckling the sidewalks in town, and on (and within) many other substrates. However, they are often overlooked. We will discuss what lichens are, how they interact with their surroundings, and basic identification of different types, including some we will see on the snowshoe hike the following day. We hope you leave you with a better understanding and appreciation of these fascinating organisms.

Wildlife Tracking

January 31st & February 1st

Join us for a fun, relaxed, and interactive workshop designed to connect you more deeply to the wild animals who live in the Monument and beyond. Our evening talk will introduce animal tracking (with a focus on Track & Sign ID). We will offer tools that will increase your observational skills and help you to spot track & sign during our hike the following day.

This hike and learn is appropriate for both beginners to tracking and those looking to continue to brush up their skills! You never know what kind of animal signs we will stumble across!

For those who attended Jad D’Allura’s Friday Night Talk on Volcanoes, you can find a copy of his presentation below:

PARTICIPANT REVIEWS

"I loved the lecture before the hike."

"To see drawings and pictures [helped] to understand what I saw during the hike."

"It was nice having everyone contribute some knowledge on the hike."

"Beautiful area!"

Gallery of previous Hike and Learns. Check out our blog for write-ups and photos of the previous Hike and Learns!

LEAVE NO TRACE
Principles of Outdoor Ethics

Plan Ahead and Prepare
 Travel & Camp on Durable Surfaces
 Dispose of Waste Properly
Leave What You Find
Respect Wildlife
 Be Considerate of Other Visitors