Northwest Nature Shop

New Hikes of Central and Southern Oregon, with William Sullivan
2019-05-02 18:30 - 19:30 (America/Denver)
Author, historian, backcountry adventurer William Sullivan has just done a complete update the hiking guide book for Central Oregon – huge changes because of fires and an upcoming permit system. He is also doing new printing of “100 Hikes in Southern Oregon” next month that includes the Jack-Ash Trail and updated information related to recent fire effects. Come hear from Oregon’s history and hiking guru on his yearly visit to the Northwest Nature Shop!
The author of three novels and a dozen nonfiction books, Sullivan grew up in Salem, Oregon. He completed his B.A. degree in English at Cornell University under Alison Lurie, studied linguistics at Germany’s Heidelberg University, and earned an M.A. in German at the University of Oregon. He reads in a dozen languages, plays the pipe organ, and enjoys backcountry ski expeditions.
Sullivan is known in the American West as the author who backpacked more than a thousand miles across Oregon’s wilderness in 1985. His journal of that adventure, “Listening for Coyote,” has since been chosen one of Oregon’s “100 Books,” the most significant books in state history.
In summer he writes at the log cabin that he and his wife Janell Sorensen built by hand in the wilds of Oregon’s Coast Range, more than a mile from roads, electricity, and telephones. The rest of the year they live in Eugene, Oregon, where he volunteers to promote libraries and literature.

Birding for Kids
2019-04-28 09:30 - 11:30 | Northwest Nature Shop, 154 oak st, ashland, OR, 97520, United States
Spring is here and the birds are begging to be seen and heard. Join Emily Lind a Audubon board member on a kid friendly hike from the Northwest Nature Shop to Lithia Park.
Kids will learn how to use binoculars and about our feathered friends here in Ashland. Binoculars and field guides will be provided. This activity is open to kids 8-12 years old and the cost is $5 per child.
Space is limited, come into the Northwest Nature Shop today to get your spot on this awesome workshop!
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Native Plant Sale
2019-04-06 09:00 - 14:00 | Northwest Nature Shop, 154 oak st, ashland, OR, 97520, United States
Looking for containerized native plants to support pollinators, add diversity to your property, or use in your water-wise garden?
Become a land steward at your own home! Native plants are a great way to enhance your yard and encourage pollinator habitat. We’re teaming up with Vesper Meadow and the Rogue Native Plant Partnership in support of expanding the local restoration movement.
A network of local growers will be supplying both native starts and seeds for this open-air market. Explore the native plant selection, talk to local organization info. booths, and learn about cultivation techniques.
A portion of the proceeds from sales will go the Rogue Native Plant Partnership, and the Vesper Meadow restoration programs.
Put in a pre-order on the Rogue Native Plant Partnership website, and we’ll have it ready for pick up at the sale!

First Friday at the Nature Shop!
2019-04-05 17:00 - 20:00 | Northwest Nature Shop, 154 oak st, ashland, OR, 97520, United States
First Friday
It’s officially spring, and we’re resuming our monthly block-party style celebration for
Ashland’s First Friday Artwalk! Join us for this FREE event.
Frankie Hernandez Band will be rocking out from 7-9pm
Peruvian Point Food Truck will be serving delicious dinners 5pm-8pm
AND our good neighbors at Bestow and Bloom are celebrating their 2nd store Anniversary with music 5-7pm.
Please join us for family-friendly fun, food, and good company on April 5th from 5 pm-8 pm at the Northwest Nature Shop.

Bee Friendly! Protecting pollinators in the Rogue Valley (Talk)
2019-03-28 18:30 - 20:00
Bee Friendly! and learn about current efforts to protect and restore pollinator populations in southern Oregon. In this “quick talk” format, we’ll hear two 25 minute talks from local pollinator aficionados. Travis Owen, will share incredible local pollinator photographs and interesting information about native pollinators. Kristina LeFever will discuss community efforts to reform pesticide policy and use, as well as grassroots strategies for creating more pollinator-friendly habitat.
Get involved! We’ll discuss ways that everyone can get involved with pollinator protection and enhancing pollinator habitat in their yards.

Travis Owen:
Travis Owen is a self-described nature enthusiast with a passion for pollination ecology and the role of pollinators in the environmental context of Southern Oregon. His passions have grown and evolve over time. In his twenties he was a DJ, then taught himself to build furniture, began to learn the ways of plants, then pollinators. All the while, he was teaching himself how to take pictures and write about what he sees on his fantastic website: the Amateur Anthecologist. He recently founded the Easy Bees Company, a commercial beekeeping startup offering products and services delivered with integration of science & ecology.

Kristina Lefever:
Kristina moved to the Rogue Valley in 2012 and immediately became enamored with the re- gion’s flora and fauna, especially our pollinators. At the same time, she began learning about the unprecedented decline of all pollinators and the associated implications for our food system and ecosystem.
She and her husband turned their barren property in Ashland into a pollinator garden, with many native plants, trees – and dandelions – but of course it’s never finished. She intends to leave more bare (unmulched) soil to provide nesting areas for native bees! Kristina loves teaching about our native bees, butterflies, flies, wasps, beetles, and humming- birds, and the plants and habitats that best support them.
Kristina is president of Pollinator Project Rogue Valley, chair of Bee City USA Ashland, a board member of Beyond Toxics, and a certified Jackson County Master Gardener. Her dream is that everyone’s yard will include a little or a lot of pollinator habitat, even if it’s just a pot of nepeta (catmint) on the porch.

Birding the Klamath Basin Talk at the Shop
2019-01-24 18:30 - 20:00
Thursday January 17th 6:30pm – 8:00pm
The Klamath Basin is one of the top birding locations in the nation, and is one of the largest migratory stopovers for birds in the western United States. Winter is the peak of raptor and waterfowl concentrations in the lower Klamath Wildlife Refuge. After many years of bird watching in the Klamath Basin, NW Nature Shop staff member Terence Phillippe has amassed beautiful photos, stories and tips on how and where to bird in the lower Klamath Basin. Join us for scenic pictures, an interesting talk, and get inspired to visit this backyard birding hotspot!

Create your own Adventure! Quick-Talks at the Shop
2019-01-17 18:30 - 20:00
Thursday January 17th 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Hear tales of adventure and learn a few tricks of the trade from three local enthusiasts. Through-hiker Steve Cossin will share tips of how to ‘go light’ from his experience hiking the PCT. Kayaker Elliot Drake-Maurer will tell stories of his solo trip adventure down the entire Sacramento River, a charismatic and surprisingly accessible river. NW Nature Shop Naturalist Jeanine Moy will share highlights of recent New Zealand mountain treks, rare New Zealand birds, and some tourism tips that Oregon could learn from.

Herbal Candle Making Workshop
2018-12-08 12:00 - 14:00
Create an aromatic herbal candle to gift or just help set the mood for the holiday season. We will provide wax, wicks, essential oils, and herbal decorations. Please bring a small jam jar 3 – 6 oz.
Space is limited, $12 per person. Ages 8 to adult. Sign up at the Northwest Nature Shop or call 541 482-3241

Vesper Meadow: Coffee and Bird Walk
2018-12-02 09:00 - 13:00
Event Sponsored by the Northwest Nature Shop and the Rogue Valley Audubon Society
Carpool 9:00am from the Northwest Nature Shop, return by 1:00pm
Come learn about the newest Rogue Valley conservation restoration project, drink coffee at the new feeder, and stroll along the wide open meadow of Dead Indian Creek.
Join Rogue Valley Audubon birding Trip Leader Nate Trimble, and Vesper Meadow Program Director Jeanine Moy for walk in the open air of the Casade-Siskiyou upland meadows. Opportunities to see raptors, woodpeckers, grassland birds, mountain bluebirds, and the possibility of Great Gray Owls. The unusually warm autumn this year offers the possibility of late fall migration flocks as well. Regardless of what birds we find, visitors are guaranteed a pleasant hike through a beautiful place and a chance to learn about habitat restoration, Southern Oregon ecology, local land use history and an exciting new conservation project.
Bring: warm clothes including hat and gloves, thermos or mug, a waterbottle, and binoculars! $10+ suggested donation to help fund the building of a bird blind for ongoing bird education programs at Vesper Meadow preserve.

Small Business Saturday!
2018-11-24 10:00 - 18:00
Small Business Saturday, Nov 24, is almost here! Support your locally-owned businesses, it’s an easy way to support your community and stay connected.
We are so grateful for the vibrant community that supports our family. The Northwest Nature Shop is proud to be a local hub for education, gathering, and nature-connection. We are fortunate to continue as family-owned and operated small business for 34 years, and we are glad to support local civic and conservation groups throughout southern Oregon.
If you are one of the first 10 customers to make purchase over $40, we’ll thank you with a complimentary tote bag!

Mushroom Identification Hike
2018-11-11 10:00 - 15:00 | Northwest Nature Shop, 154 Oak St., Ashland, OR, 97520, United States
Join our local FUNgal expert Mike Potts for a walk through the woods and learn your way around the world of wild fungi. The emphasis will be on finding fungi and learning something about identification and the diversity of mushroom species. Edible and poisonous varieties will be discussed. Meet at the Northwest Nature Shop, 154 Oak St., Ashland at 10:00 am to carpool. Return to Ashland by 3:00 pm. Be prepared for adverse weather. Wear appropriate hiking shoes, bring a water bottle, a lunch, and rain gear. Cost is $30 per person per hike. Space is limited so sign up early! Call 541-482-3241 to sign up or email northwestnatureshop@gmail.com

Owl Pellet Gross Science!
2018-10-28 15:00 - 17:00 | Northwest Nature Shop, 154 Oak St., Ashland, OR, 97520, United States
The Northwest Nature Shop will be celebrating Halloween with Gross Science! We will be learning about owl ecology by dissecting owl pellets and using bone keys to determine what owls eat. If you like birds, bones or just gross science this is the activity for you! Join us at the NW Nature Shop on Sunday October 28th from 3-5pm.

The Conundrum of "Megafires" - talk with Dennis Odion PhD
2018-10-24 18:30 - 20:00
Join us for either/or both a fire Talk & Walk:
October 24th TALK: “Megafires” are increasingly damaging to people and their assets. We constantly hear that “active management” of forests is a cannot-miss solution with highly desired fringe benefits.
But, what is “active management”? Can it live up to the hype? This Talk will explore these questions.
October 26th WALK: The follow up field trip to Grizzly Peak will complement the presentation by focusing on the ecological effects of crown (severe) fire in our forests. More details and RSVP here.

Dennis Odion, Ph.D is an ecologist interested in vegetation pattern and process. He has studied fire behavior and effects via field experiments and geographical methods. He previously monitored fires as a vegetation manager and field technician in northern California, gaining valuable practical experience with fire suppressed forests, and on the subject of living with fire.
Dr. Odion has also studied the resiliency of fire-specialized species. He has lived in Ashland since 2000.

Mushroom Identification Hike!
2018-10-14 10:00 - 15:00

Ashland Mushroom Fair
2018-10-13 10:00 - 16:00
Mark your calendars – our acclaimed mushroom fair is back! Join the Northwest Nature Shop and local mushroom experts, enthusiasts, and connoisseurs for a day of FUNgal explorations!
We’ll have craft booths, food, demo’s, and local organizations in the Nature Shop alley between 10am – 4pm, and opportunities for local mushroom walks with Mike Potts, local mushroom expert and photographer.
Stay tuned for details to come!
Email NorthwestNatureShop@gmail.com if you are an interested vendor or educator.

Going Nuts for Oaks: Ethnobotany and Cuisine of the Might Oak
2018-10-07 10:00 - 13:00
Join a culinary adventure into world of oaks and acorn food and eat your way into the oak web of life. A presentation by ethnobotanist and forester, Jolie Elan of the Go Wild Institute will cover fascinating oak ecology and ethnobotany and will be followed by a hands-on playshop to handcraft acorn flour and taste yummy acorn cakes.
Learn how to identify local oaks and how oaks are woven into world mythologies and cultures. Ages 8 and up. $30 per individual.
RSVP: This event will fill fast, pay in advance to hold your spot: at the Northwest Nature Shop 154 Oak St., Ashland or call 541-482-3241

Hiking the entire Pacific Crest Trail: stories from Steve Cossin
2018-09-27 18:30 - 19:30
What it’s like to hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail? Join local resident Steve Cossin as he shares stories and humor from his 5 month experience from Mexico to Canada on foot, from deserts to whiteout blizzards, on the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.
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Learn more about why every July and August, here in Ashland, it seems as though we are invaded by dirt clad, backpack toting, short shorts sporting men and women? Ashland is an outstanding spot for PCT thru-hikers resupplying and resting before returning to their 2,650 mile trek through the mountains.

Movie Night in the Alley
2018-09-20 18:30 - 22:00
Fun, casual, and educational – it’s an outdoor film night! Join us for our first Movie Night in the Nature Shop alleyway. We will be showing a couple of short wildlife films featuring stories from the Pacific Northwest. This event is free and family friendly! We will have chairs available, but all are welcome to bring lawn chairs or blankets. Delicious empanadas will be available for purchase from the CABA food truck.
Food available: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Featured films: 8pm – 9:30pm
Searching for the Gold Spot: The Wild after Wildfire
is a film about the rapid and amazing comeback of the wild in forests after wildfire. The story follows teams of scientists through the Sierra Nevada, the Cascades Mountains and beyond, and shows hundreds of living, breathing reasons why our publicly owned forests need to be saved from large-scale logging projects. Watch the trailer.
Last Stand: The Vanishing Caribou Rainforest
is a cinematic journey into the tragically threatened world of endangered mountain caribou, their home in the world’s largest remaining inland temperate rainforest, and the critical human choices that will ultimately decide the fate of this stunning ecosystem. Watch the trailer.

Sponsored by Northwest Nature Shop and the Siskiyou Film Festival

Autumn Skygazing Party - CANCELED
2018-09-09 08:30 - 22:00
The AUTUMN SKYGAZING PARTY is CANCELED due to smoky skies. Stay tuned to future skygazing parties!
Whether you are an experienced star gazer or you have never looked through a telescope come to the Northwest Nature Shop, 154 Oak St. to view a variety of celestial wonders through telescopes provided by volunteer astronomers from Southern Oregon Skywatchers. We’ll celebrate and share the beauty of our night skies: double stars, globular clusters, open clusters and planetary nebula. Volunteer astronomers will be on hand to help you get the most out of the night skies. Bring binoculars if you have them.
Free event, no pre-registration necessary.

The Genius of Maria Merian: free talk
2018-08-30 18:30 - 19:30 | Northwest Nature Shop, 154 oak st, ashland, OR, 97520, United States
In the mid-1600s, most people believed frogs, mice, and insects generated spontaneously from mud, dung or dead animals, and were evidence of the devil’s presence. Young Maria Sibylla Merian collected insects and recorded metamorphosis by painting insects in secret. Her very passions put her at risk of being charged, sentenced, and executed for being a witch. She radically broke the mores of her day and changed science in her lifetime. A hundred years later, her paintings and methods influenced other naturalists including the young ornithologist Audubon.
Speaker Jari Thymian is a full-time traveling RVer. Along with her husband Greg, she volunteers for extended periods in state and national parks, historic sites, wildlife refuges and hatcheries as interpretive tour guide and jack-of-all trades. They’re in their sixth year of adventure and have volunteered at nine sites in six states. Jari caught and preserved her first insects starting in Minnesota 4-H in the 1960s.

Kid's Science Workshop: Create with Snap Circuits
2018-08-23 13:00 - 15:00 | Northwest Nature Shop, 154 oak st, ashland, OR, 97520, United States
Kids ages 6 and up will have enjoy learning electronics in this fun-filled workshop. Using Snap Circuits, we’ll introduce kids to the basic properties of electricity and electronics. They will learn the fundamentals behind circuitry and how circuits are used in all of the technological devices we use today.
Kids will create circuits using snap circuit components. Free. Drop in 1-3 pm on Thursday August 23rd at Northwest Nature Shop, 154 Oak St. Ashland. For more information 541-482-3241.

Paper Airplanes & Aeronautics: Free Crafternoon for Kids
2018-08-16 13:00 - 15:00 | Northwest Nature Shop, 154 Oak St., Ashland, OR, 97520, United States
Fun indoor smoke-free kids activities continue at Northwest Nature Shop, 154 Oak St. Ashland on Thursday August 16th 1-3 pm. Join student Zac for paper airplane making, and become fascinated with an introduction to the mechanics of flight. We will gather at 1pm indoors (with a/c!), but drop-ins are welcome anytime before 2:30pm. All supplies included.
Recommended for ages 4 – 12. This event is free and all are welcome to attend.

Progressive Fire Management: talk with Richard Fairbanks
2018-08-09 18:30 - 20:00 | Northwest Nature Shop, 154 oak st, ashland, OR, 97520, United States
Join us for this free talk! During this fire season, take some time to learn about some of the best practices that land managers can use and how to work with fire as a tool for forest health.

It’s more important now, more than ever, to learn about forest fire and practical implications for the modern human relationship. A presentation on progressive fire management, describing how managed fire supports ecosystem structure and function while protecting life and property, with a special emphasis on SW Oregon.

Richard Fairbanks, living in the Applegate OR, has 30 years experience with fire management and a career with the USDA Forest Service. Richard was Interdisciplinary Team Leader for the Biscuit Fire Recovery Project after the 2002 Biscuit Fire.

Rubik's Cube Demo and Workshop
2018-08-09 13:00 - 15:00 | Northwest Nature Shop, 154 Oak St., Ashland, OR, 97520, United States
Fun indoor smoke-free kids activities continue at Northwest Nature Shop, 154 Oak St. Ashland on Thursday August 9th 1-3 pm with a kids Rubik’s Cube Demo and Workshop. Enhance your Rubik’s Cube skills at Northwest Nature Shop as kid experts demonstrate solving the puzzle in 30 seconds and then offer tips and tricks for learning the basic method of solving the 3×3 cube. Bring your own Rubik’s Cube or there will be Rubik’s cubes available for purchase.

Make Animal Masks! Free Crafternoon at Northwest Nature Shop
2018-08-08 14:00 - 16:00
The smoke is still around so let’s get together and craft! Fun indoor smoke-free kids activities continue at Northwest Nature Shop, 154 Oak St. Ashland. On Wednesday August 8th 2-4 pm we’ll Make Animal Masks. We’ll have a variety of animal mask templates to choose from, and decorate them together in the cool purified air of the shop. Join us at any time between 2-4pm. Recommended for ages 4-10, but all are welcome. No registration necessary. Free

Origami Crane Mobile: Free Crafternoon at the Northwest Nature Shop
2018-08-02 15:00 - 17:00 | Northwest Nature Shop, 154 oak st, ashland, OR, 97520, United States
Join the Northwest Nature Shop for a free kid’s crafternoon and creature your very own elegant mobile of Origami Cranes. All supplies included.
Recommended for ages 8-18
Please sign up in-store or call 541 483 3241 for RSVP at the 3pm or 4pm time slots – space is limited.

Slime Time. Make Slime! Free Kid's Crafternoon at the Northwest Nature Shop
2018-08-01 13:00 - 15:00 | Northwest Nature Shop, 154 oak st, ashland, OR, 97520, United States
Come take refuge in the air conditioning, and bring the kids in for some slime time! A surprisingly no-mess activity that kids enjoy, will be led by Northwest Nature Shop owner Marie Uhtoff. All supplies will be included. Wednesday August 1st, come anytime between 1-3 pm.
This is a FREE Crafternoon at the Northwest Nature Shop – we aim to inspire creativity and science connection. Please join us!

Wild Edible and Medicinal Plant Walk at Mt. Ashland Meadows
2018-07-14 10:00 - 16:00
Explore the amazing wild edible and healing plants of the Mount Ashland. Join the Northwest Nature Shop and Jolie Elan of the GoWild Intitute for a walk to learn about wild edible plants on the Pacific Crest Trail in the Mt. Ashland Meadows. Recognized as a Forest Service ‘botanical area,’ this spectacular portion of the Siskiyou Crest is home to hundreds of plant species and dozens of rare and endemic flowers.
We will be introduced to basic botanical identification skills in order to distinguish common plant families and poisonous species. Join a fabulous group of folks as we discover how Mama Earth can nourish and heal us.
Note: we will not be harvesting plants, to minimize our impact in this frequented locale.
Terrain: Easy – At 7,000ft elevation, it is the perfect place to escape the valley heat and enjoy the evening. We will walk an easy 1-2 miles.
Bring: Sturdy shoes, sun protection, small backpack, water bottle, snacks, light jacket for the montane weather changes. Optional and encouraged: Notebook and pen, flora guidebooks, magnifiers, your curiosity and enthusiasm
Carpool meeting at the Northwest Nature Shop at 10am, returning by 4pm
$20/adult, RSVP at the Northwest Nature Shop or 541 482-3241

Summer Skygazing Party
2018-07-13 21:00 - 22:00
Summer Sky Party at Northwest Nature Shop Friday July 13th 9 pm

Whether you are an experienced star gazer or you have never looked through a telescope come to the Northwest Nature Shop, 154 Oak St. on Friday July 13th 9-10 pm to view a variety of celestial wonders through telescopes provided by volunteer astronomers from Southern Oregon Skywatchers. We’ll celebrate and share the beauty of our night skies. Jupiter and Saturn will possibly be viewed along with double stars, globular clusters, open clusters and planetary nebula. Volunteer astronomers will be on hand to help you get the most out of the night skies. Free. Bring binoculars if you have them. No pre-registration necessary.

Wildfire on the Siskiyou Crest: Miller Complex 2017 Case Study
2018-07-12 18:30 - 20:00
Come learn about the keystone process of our forests; fire is essential and beneficial for our forests’ health. The Miller Complex burned in and around the Red Buttes Wilderness Area, south of Applegate Reservoir in the summer of 2017 on 36,000 acres. The fire burned through a variety of habitats creating a rich pattern of fire severity and enhancing the region’s exceptional biodiversity. Come hear from Luke Ruediger, of the Siskiyou Field Office of the Klamath Forest Alliance, and explore the burns’ ecological implications, fire severity, and fire suppression impacts.
Luke Ruediger is a local naturalist, environmental activist and fire ecologist working for the Klamath Forest Alliance. He works to document the actual on-the-ground effects of wildfire in our region. He runs a program exploring local wildfires and wildfire management called, the Klamath-Siskiyou Fire Reports. Each fall when the smoke has cleared, Luke is out hiking the season’s wildfires, assessing the fire effects and long term implications. He is the author of “The Siskiyou Crest” and this last fall he wrote the Salmon August Fire Report, Eclipse Fire Report and Miller Complex Fire Report.
