Join SOLC's Nature Journaling Club on their May Excursion to Whetstone Savanna Preserve! Whether you're a seasoned journaler or a first-timer, you're invited to slow down, tune in, and be amazed, using the simple but powerful practice of nature journaling.

Join Vince Zauskey, Local Bird Expert, for an evening walk at the Rogue River Preserve to learn about some of our regional owls. Vince will talk about what makes owls so special and ‘who’ you might see at the Rogue River Preserve. Seeing an owl is not guaranteed, but it will still be a hoot.

See the serpentine soils at Eight Dollar Mountain Preserve in the Illinois Valley! Learn about what makes serpentine habitats and their species so special, and what mining threats this region could potentially have on the horizon.

Join Kristi Mergenthaler, Botanist and Stewardship Director, for a presentation about the botanical significance of Eight Dollar Mountain.

Don’t miss our very first “First Friday Art Walk” event in our Community Room!

Please, look up! There is so much to see in the trees, from the birds to the bees in the Jacksonville Woodlands. We will hike around to zoom in on all things with wings! Education and Engagement Specialist, Myco Schroeder, will guide the hike while offering fun facts along the way. Binoculars will be available for check out as well!

Join us in April for our Open Lands Day at the beautiful Rogue River Preserve!

Explore the rocks and cliffs of The Harry & Marilyn Fisher Preserve at Pompadour Bluff!

Tour the spectacular Pompadour Bluff just outside of Ashland on a guided hike by Steve Wise, Executive Director. Walk through the beautiful oaks and grasslands before reaching the top where the views are outtasight!

Why is Pompadour Bluff such a prominent feature in our valley? We’ll learn why with Karen Grove, Geologist, as we examine the sedimentary rocks of the bluff and climb to the top to see how these rocks fit in with the rest of the valley. We’ll explore how, over time, our region transitioned from an ocean to a river plain, then a series of active volcanoes, to what we see today.

Meet the charismatic and itty-bitty flora of the Agate Desert Preserve with Botanist and Stewardship Director, Kristi Mergenthaler.

Southern Oregon Land Conservancy is hosting a Free Nature Pub Talk titled, “Snakes: Natural History and Conservation” on Wednesday, March 25, from 6pm to 7:30pm at Art Bop Beer Co in Talent (102 Talent Avenue). The goal of the Nature Pub Talk Series is to foster connections to the local natural world.

Ready to try plein air sketching or painting? Kaz Chandler will show you her favorite strategies for creating something creative outdoors at the beyond peaceful Whetstone Savanna Preserve, and guide you in understanding the basics of plein air to create your own unique expression. Whether you're a seasoned artist or a first-timer, you're invited to join in on the fun. Please bring your own painting or sketching supplies.

Join lichenologist and naturalist John Villella for an exploration of the lichens at the Harry & Marilyn Fisher Preserve at Pompadour Bluff near Ashland. We will identify lichens growing on trees, shrubs, soil, and rocks, and we may see some rare species. Free, but please register for more information and to reserve a space. We will meet in Ashland to carpool or caravan. Please bring a hand lens if you have one.

Join us for a winter hike at the Harry & Marilyn Fisher Preserve at Pompadour Bluff just outside of Ashland on a hike guided by SOLC staff. Walk though beautiful oaks and grasslands to the top of the bluff for spectacular views of Bear Creek Valley, the Cascades and the Siskiyou Mountains. Free, but please register for more information and to reserve a spot. We will meet in Ashland to carpool or caravan.

Eight Dollar Mountain is an iconic serpentine conical mountain in the Illinois Valley and one of the most significant botanical hotspots in Southwest Oregon. Its ultramafic soils, derived from mantle rocks, support an extraordinary concentration of rare, endemic, and state- and federally listed plant species—many of which occur nowhere else on Earth, and some known only from the Illinois Valley. This otherworldly landscape long served as a living laboratory for researchers studying endemism, adaptation, and ecological resilience.

Kick off the new year with a blissful visit to the incredible Rogue River Preserve! The Rogue River Preserve includes two miles of riverfront along the Rogue River, a large floodplain forest, and oak woodlands with meadows. It is only open to the public during special events, work parties, and youth education programs. So, come and take advantage of this special opportunity and explore the trails at your own pace, attend a guided hike, bring a picnic lunch or thermos of tea to enjoy by the river, or all three.

To limit crowding on the trails, registration is free and required for hikes or self-guided exploration for the day. Guided hike participants are welcome to explore the property before or after their hike slot. Check out what we’ve got going on!

The Southern Oregon Land Conservancy (SOLC) is excited to announce a community science initiative where volunteers can band together to observe and record the immense diversity of winged creatures in our region while building community. 

Paul Bannick is thrilled to launch and share more about his new book, Woodpecker: A Year in the Life of North American Woodpeckers.

Consider lending a hand for our beautiful wildlife at the Harry & Marilyn Fisher Preserve at Pompadour Bluff!

Our wonderful team of volunteers will be removing old farm and barbed wire fencing. The goal is to replace the perimeter fencing with a wildlife-friendly smooth wire fence to serve as a good neighbor for our human and wildlife friends.

You’re invited to kick-off the season of giving with a FREE event at the SOLC office Community Room!

Save the Date for Open Lands Day at the Rogue River Preserve…

Come see the marked beauty of Pompadour Bluff at the first edge of autumn!

Our 2025 Conservation Celebration is right around the corner - get your tickets today!

Join us for an exciting day at Vesper Meadow Restoration Preserve for a community effort to restore habitat!

A legacy of cattle grazing has littered the landscape with broken down fences that make it dangerous for wildlife to move through large swaths of conserved lands, and we need your help with removing this hazard. Come get to know your fellow community volunteers and take part in a greater movement for land stewardship in Southern Oregon. It's a fun and easy way to find satisfaction in a day's work. All fence materials will be upcycled to make a sculpture by Vesper Meadow Artist-in-Partnership, Gabriel Barerra.

Spring on spongy soils at the Sharon Fen Preserve!

Explore Cobra Lily Springs, our new preserve on Eight Dollar Mountain with Naturalists, Norm Barrett and Gary Schaffer. We will document all of the flying creatures, especially dragonflies and damselflies that use the cobra-lily wetlands, streams, meadows, and woodlands.

Enjoy the beauty of one of the newest properties associated with Vesper Meadow's Education Program! Breath deep with a movement and meditation practice in the dense forest before crossing into the expansive meadow to help remove invasive yellow star thistle. This hike is in coordination with Vesper Meadows’s Healing Landscapes. "As we heal the land, the land heals us."

Explore Cobra Lily Springs, our new preserve on Eight Dollar Mountain with Botanist and Stewardship Director, Kristi Mergenthaler, and meet some lovely plants only known in the Illinois Valley. We will visit cobra lily wetlands, or fens, and pine woodland, and discuss our long term plans for this exceptional place.

Consider lending a hand for our beautiful wildlife at the Harry & Marilyn Fisher Preserve at Pompadour Bluff! Our wonderful team of volunteers will be pulling starthistle.