KS Wild

06/07/2026

Last month, we enjoyed the off-trail tour to the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy Cobra Lily Springs Preserve along the wetland and seeps to the spring emerging from a cave. We were excited to see flourishing Darlingtonia and White Rush Lily (Hastingsia bracteosa var. bracteosa), among many other exciting plants.

Clambering through some brush uphill was part of the adventure, so this was definitely on the wild side of outings. We discussed the site's unique qualities, the region, and the significance of renewed interest in local nickel mining, including what it will take to stop it.

Stick with us to stay informed and able to respond if/when threats arise to this and other special places in our region. It is up to those of us, individuals and organizations, who love these places, to defend them.

06/06/2026

We're in the final days of voting for the Ashland Food Co-op's Change for Good voting!

You have until June 8th to vote for KS Wild as a recipient of the 2027 Change for Good program. Our work to serve our community and our shared public lands benefits us all, and your support in voting for KS Wild allows us to receive extra funding to make our work possible.

If you are an Ashland Food Co-op member, check your email for your ballot, and consider voting for KS Wild to be a 2027 Change for Good partner!

06/06/2026

June is National Rivers Month, and American Rivers is highlighting the Rogue River as one of America's Most Endangered Rivers

From proposed mines to increased logging to the intent to roll back the Roadless Rule, threats are mounting for the Rogue River. The Rogue is not only home to many of us, but it is the lifeblood of our communities — providing drinking water, recreation outings, economic opportunities to rural towns, and a critical clean water habitat for hundreds of aquatic species.

We take these threats to the Rogue very seriously, and we are actively working to monitor, track, and organize around each individually and in their related nature. To learn more about the Rogue's nomination into the 2026 Most Endangered Rivers list and to read into what KS Wild and Rogue Riverkeeper are doing to protect it, visit our latest blog post:

https://www.rogueriverkeeper.org/blog/rogue-most-endangered-river?emci=734e3fe0-104f-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=994efd9f-995e-f111-8fcb-000d3a14b640&ceid=11011485

06/05/2026

We are excited to welcome Drew Anderson, our Summer Law Clerk, to the KS Wild team!

Drew is a rising second year law student at the University of Oregon School of Law. He is excited to explore and protect the 8 million acres of the Klamath-Siskiyou. During the school year, Drew works as a fellow with UO Law’s Conservation Trust Project, focusing on new legal and conservation tools to protect Oregon’s landscapes and natural resources. When he is not at work, Drew loves to bike, run, and ski. Drew has a B.A. in Government from Hamilton College.

Join us in welcoming Drew to the community! 🌲💦🦉

06/05/2026

Swing by the KS Wild office tonight to appreciate Paula Fong's beautiful, botanical watercolor illustrations for the June First Friday!

This will be our last First Friday open house until October, so come by and say hi before we take our summer hiatus.

562 A St. in Ashland from 5-7pm!

Currently featured at KS Wild is Habitats Across Oregon, by Paula Fong. ☺️

Inspired by her natural surroundings, Paula incorporates her background in science with art to create trail signs and ecology posters, illustrated books and publications, as well as fine art prints and cards. She finds it fascinating to examine all of the details, above and below the ground, up close, and from a landscape perspective. From the sea stacks on the Oregon Coast, to the basalt pillars along the Owyhee River, there are artistically inspiring landscapes everywhere that we look. This exhibition highlights snapshots of microhabitats in Southern Oregon, including along the Rogue River, the Smith River, and Crater Lake.

Don't forget to join KS Wild for June First Friday Art Walk, taking place tomorrow from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. We can't wait to see you there!

Image One: Paula Fong, Rogue River Collage, Watercolor

06/05/2026

A little positive news for your Thursday 🦅

"This month, a two-year-old condor, part of the Northern California Condor Restoration Program, has accomplished a 'monumental journey,' the Yurok Tribe announced this week, completing a roughly 380-mile flight from Orick to an area near Medford, Ore., and 'becoming the first condor to fly free in the state since 1904.'”

This month, a two-year-old condor, part of the Northern California Condor Restoration Program, has accomplished a “monumental journey,” the Yurok Tribe announced this week, completing a roughly 380-mile flight from Orick to an…

06/04/2026

In a quiet move last Friday night, President Trump signed an executive order to effectively open up protected public lands to off-road vehicles.

For over 50 years, federal agencies have been required to consider impacts to wildlife and habitat, sensitive plant species, user experience, and other factors when restricting motorized vehicle use in the backcountry.

Now, with Trump's executive order, federal agencies are directed to rescind regulations that would allow vehicles to go wherever, whenever, across sensitive wildlands, quiet places, and our most precious and scenic locations.

In regard to protections, the executive order states protections were vague, and "...the criteria included preventing adverse effects on natural, aesthetic, or scenic values and minimizing conflicts between off-road vehicles and other existing or proposed recreational uses."

We at KS Wild don't feel like it needs to be stated that quiet, wild places are not a privilege but a right. Rescinding protections from motorized vehicles will undoubtedly have negative impacts to wildlife, clean water, user experience, and the wild and scenic values our wildlands offer.

This is yet another attack on our public lands and an attempt to remove all guardrails that will keep them wild, safe, and free to facilitate more monetization of the places that have been protected for generations for us all.

We say NO to handing over our public lands to the rich to get richer at the expense of all Americans.

You can read the executive order here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/05/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-removes-unnecessary-and-counterproductive-restrictions-on-access-to-federal-lands/

06/04/2026

Earlier this spring, we hosted our annual Wildflower Walk along the Wild & Scenic Illinois River to in the Eight Dollar Mountain Botanical Area. This is a popular yearly tradition that folks always enjoy. 🌸

Much of Eight Dollar Mountain is a serpentine landscape, laden with mineral content that produce "toxic" soils to most plants. Because of this, the plant communities are extremely unique and have evolved to survive in these specific conditions.

Serpentine landscapes vary from Darlingtonia wetlands, wet meadows, serpentine barrens, and Jeffrey pine savannas. To adapt to nutrient-poor environments, the iconic and unique looking California pitcher plant (Darlingtonia californica) also known as the Cobra lily because it resembles the head of a snake, has developed a fascinating carnivorous strategy. By utilizing scent to lure insects into its hooded trap, the plant captures prey that eventually dissolves in enzymatic pools, pro-
viding essential nitrogen. The roundleaf sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) is the other local species that has this similar and remarkable method for survival.

Other plants in bloom we noted during our hike were camas, oppositeleaf Lewisia, pine violet, serpentine ferns, and more. You can check out our field report of blooming plants at Eight Dollar Mountain in our latest blog post:

https://www.kswild.org/conservation-efforts/2026-wildflower-hike

We bring special attention to Eight Dollar Mountain and the Wild & Scenic Illinois River as we organize around new proposed nickel mines by a foreign mining company, Homeland Nickel. You can visit our website to learn more about these mining threats.

This spring, we hosted our annual Wildflower Hike along the Wild & Scenic Illinois River in the Eight Dollar Mountain Botanical Area. See our field report of flowers we identified on our hike.

06/02/2026

We are welcoming June with the start of National Rivers Month! It's no secret that this region is home to some of the best wild rivers in the lower 48 states. From the Wild & Scenic Illinois, Chetco, Smith, and Rogue Rivers and beyond to all the important tributaries that feed them, our rivers are important to us all for many reasons.

While KS Wild and Rogue Riverkeeper work to track threats to the Rogue, Illinois, and other local rivers and tributaries, we take a moment to appreciate the beauty that makes this region so special to us all, to the critters that call it home, and to all who visit. 💙

What is your favorite local river?

Pictured: The Wild & Scenic Rogue, Illinois, Smith, Chetco, Elk, Trinity, and Klamath Rivers 💦

06/01/2026

June First Friday art show: "Habitats Across Oregon" by Paula Fong.

From the Seastacks on the Oregon coast to the basalt pillars along the Owyhee River, there are artistically inspiring landscapes everywhere you look. This exhibit will include snapshots of microhabitats in southern Oregon, including along the Rogue River, the Smith River, and Crater Lake.

Please join us for a special First Friday art show this Friday, June 5th, from 5-7pm for a deep dive into scenes of our local wildlands through the eyes of artist Paula Fong.

Snacks, refreshments, and wine provided. See you there!

📸: Mt Elijah/Bigelow Lakes, Watercolor by Paula Fong