Document text
1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Aging Happens: Better to prepare too soon, then wait until it's too late ... Chris Honoré: Seeking out the way of peace ... Wildfires destroy homes across Northwest, threaten more ... Aging Happens: Better to prepare too soon, then wait until it's too late ... Chris Honoré: Seeking out the way of peace ... Wildfires destroy homes across Northwest, threaten more ... MT. ASHLAND SKI AREA Volunteers to give Mt. Ashland a little loving care Wednesday With litter scarce, priority turns to slope maintenance, seed collection Comment By Eli Stillman For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Eli Stillman For the Tidings Posted Aug. 15, 2015 at 2:35 PM Updated Aug 16, 2015 at 10:05 AM This time-lapse video provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service shows two yearling wolf pups of the Rogue pack playing June 24, 2015. By Eli Stillman For the Tidings Posted Aug. 15, 2015 at 2:35 PM Updated Aug 16, 2015 at 10:05 AM » RELATED CONTENT • Mount Ashland • Photos: Winter won't go away » Social News The Mt. Ashland Ski Area will get some tidying up to help ready the recreational area for next season during “Slope Care Day” from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19. Volunteers and Mt. Ashland staff will meet in the parking lot at the top to begin work on slope maintenance, native seed collecting and minor restoration work. At the end of the shift, volunteers and staff members will reconvene in the parking lot for a barbecue. Hiram Towle, general manager of Mt. Ashland Ski Area, said that originally they were going to hold a “Trash Pickup Day,” as they have in the past, but since there is hardly any garbage on the trails, it didn’t seem fitting to allocate the entire day to only waste pickup. Towle attributes the lack of trash to the limited use of the mountain this year, as well as people, “just being smarter.” While volunteers are still encouraged to pick up trash and other foreign objects they see on the mountain, they also will be organized into groups for other chores throughout the afternoon. One important activity of the day will be to gather native seeds from the tops of grass and store them, so they can be replanted in the future. Mt. Ashland sits on U.S. Forest Service land and complies with rules forbidding introduction of foreign seeds to the area. Experts say collecting and replanting native seeds is the most efficient way to regrow greenery in forested areas.  Coming Wednesday to lend a helping hand with trimming brush will be a crew from the Siskiyou Mountain Club (SMC). The Ashland-based land restoration group was created by Jillian Stokes and Gabe Howe in 2009. As avid hikers, Stokes and Howe were spending a lot of their time in the wilderness clearing trails and took to organizing volunteers to assisting their projects. By the next year they were working under the Forest Service Volunteer Agreement to restore disappearing trails in remote parts of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. According to the SMC website, their mission is, “to restore, maintain and promote primitive trails in the Siskiyou backcountry, and to provide service-based outdoor experiences for the public.” Other tasks that volunteers will help with will include raking over soil and gravel areas to protect the watershed. Towle stated this year’s strong rainfall and wind can cause erosion on some of the trails, making them unsafe. By patching up the paths now, volunteers help ensure a safer winter season for skiers and snowboarders when the time comes. “People that generally come to our maintenance and cleanup events are season pass holders that are passionate about the mountain," Towle said. “This year, though, we even have some seasonal employees coming into town to volunteer.” Those interested in helping out at Slope Care Day can sign up on the Mt. Ashland website ( www.mtashland.com ) by following the link to the event from the site’s calendar . Towle, as well as the rest of the maintenance staff, asks that those who wish to participate sign up at least two days in advance so they are able to plan equipment, groups and barbecue food for the correct amount of people. Ashland freelance writer Eli Stillman is editor-in-chief of The Siskiyou , the student-produced Southern Oregon University newspaper. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @eliment13. By Eli Stillman For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Eli Stillman For the Tidings Posted Aug. 15, 2015 at 2:35 PM Updated Aug 16, 2015 at 10:05 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501