Museum Offers Programs for Adventure This Week
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A “Pollinator Celebration” is set for Friday, June 22, at the Klamath County Museum. The photo shows a monarch butterfly that was hatched, tagged and released at the museum last fall. (Submitted Photo)
UPDATED - 6/20/18 9:30am to include a tour on Main Street in Downtown Klamath Falls.
Pollinator Celebration set for June 22
A Pollinator Celebration slated for Friday, June 22, at the Klamath County Museum will highlight bees, butterflies and the many other types of animals that help plants reproduce by spreading pollen.
The free family-friendly event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both indoors and outdoors at the museum, 1451 Main St. in Klamath Falls. The celebration is being held in conjunction with National Pollinator Week, which runs June 18-22.
Partners in the Pollinator Celebration include the Museum, the Klamath County Extension Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Activities will include “Bees Up Close,” an examination of native bees under a microscope, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants will be able to try their hand at identifying different types of bees.
From 1 to 4 p.m. visitors will be able to meet Oregon State University’s local “Bee Team,” which is carrying out local efforts in the statewide Oregon Bee Project. The team will provide a tutorial and demonstration of collecting bees for scientific research. The activity will take place in the museum’s native plant garden.
“We are surveying populations of native bees, along with the plants they are found on, in a multi-year project designed to increase our understanding of bees and their biology,” said Nicole Sanchez, professor of horticulture at Oregon State University’s Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center.
“The Klamath County Museum is one of our official research sites,” Sanchez said. “The museum’s native plant garden serves as an island of pollinator paradise in the middle of downtown Klamath Falls.”
The Oregon Bee Project is a joint project of OSU, the Oregon Department of Agriculture and citizen scientists across the state.
Sanchez said there are nearly 500 species of native bees in Oregon, although most scientific research has focused on honeybees and a handful of other species.
“Despite increased public awareness about the importance of pollinators, a population survey of this magnitude has not been conducted in Oregon since the 1970s,” Sanchez said.
Other activities will include making insect rubbings and native “seed bombs.” A variety of insect collections will be on display during the day, including one created in the Klamath Basin nearly 80 years ago.
A presentation at 11 a.m. will cover how to watch for, collect and care for monarch butterfly eggs and caterpillars. “Citizen scientists” are being sought to help study and responsible rear monarch butterflies for release to the wild.
Five monarchs released in Klamath County last year were later recovered along the California coast. One of them revealed new information about monarchs.
“Last year was our first year for raising monarch butterflies,” said museum manager Todd Kepple. “We learned how easy it is to spot the eggs, give them a safe environment for development, and release full-grown butterflies to continue the migration.”
To learn more about National Pollinator Week, visit www.pollinator.org.
To learn more about the Oregon Bee Project, visit www.oregonbeeproject.org.
To learn more about monarchs, visit www.fws.gov/cno/es/Monarch/Monarch.cfm.
For more information about the Oregon Bee Project, or attracting pollinators to your own yard, contact Sanchez at (541) 883-7131.
Wildflower walk offered near Rocky Point
Meadow arnica is among the flowers to be featured on a wildflower walk Saturday, June 23. (Submitted Photo)
A wildflower walk in the Rocky Point area will be offered Saturday, June 23, by the Klamath Basin Chapter of the Native Plant Society or Oregon.
The walk will cover about 2 miles of level terrain in the area near the Pelican Guard Station and Pelican Barn, located along Westside Road west of Rocky Point. From Klamath Falls, take Highway 140 west to the Westside Road. The guard station is located about a quarter-mile north of Highway 140.
The walk will begin at 9 a.m. at the guard station, and end about noon. To join a carpool from Klamath Falls, meet at the Klamath County Museum at 8 am. Participants should bring water, sunscreen and insect repellent.
The Rocky Point area of the Fremont-Winema National Forest has a mixture of forest and meadow habitats with many species of wildflowers, including meadow arnica, arrowhead, cinquefoil, and wild geranium. Pelican Barn is also a collection site for the Oregon Bee Atlas Project, and native bees will be discussed during the walk.
The Native Plant Society will offer another wildflower walk July 14.
For more information on the Native Plant Society call (541) 281-9933.
Tour to explore “back rooms” of Baldwin Hotel Museum
Hundreds of vintage garments are kept in storage rooms at the Baldwin Hotel Museum. (Submitted photo)
Storage rooms, corner closets and staff workspaces normally off limits to public view at the Baldwin Hotel Museum will be the subject of a special tour to be offered Saturday, June 23.
Museum guides will offer the “Back Room” tour at 10 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $5 per person, with a $1 discount for students and seniors.
“The Baldwin has a lot of hidden gems that rarely see daylight,” said Melinda Hopper, museum aide at the Baldwin. “Some of the material is waiting its turn to be rotated into an exhibit, and some of it is in need of some attention before it can be presented.”
One room at the Baldwin stores several pieces of furniture that have not been used since the museum opened in 1978. Two other rooms hold garments, hats and accessories from earlier generations.
The Baldwin building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 – four years before it ceased operation as a hotel. Many of the fixtures in the building are original from when it opened in 1906.
The Baldwin Hotel Museum is open for regular tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday during the summer.
Main Street Tour
The Oregon Bank Building is one of several historic structures on Main Street that will be discussed in a walking history tour Saturday. (Submitted Photo)
A walking history tour of Main Street in Klamath Falls will be offered at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, June 23.
The walk will begin at the Klamath County Museum, 1451 Main St., and last about one hour.
“We’ll take a look at several structures that have played a significant role in local history, and we’ll also talk about a few buildings that have come and gone,” said Kenneth Doutt, outreach coordinator for the Klamath County Museum. “We’ll explore some of the stories that were connected with all of these buildings.”
The walk is primarily geared toward visitors or newcomers who have moved to town, Doutt said.
“We have a wonderfully vibrant downtown district, and we hope local residents appreciate the rich heritage we have here,” Doutt said.
The tour will include stops at the Klamath Falls Creamery, the Balsiger Ford site, the Oregon Bank Building, and Sugarman’s Corner.
Astronomy event re-scheduled
A star party focusing on the moons of Earth and Jupiter will be offered Saturday evening, June 23, at the Klamath County Museum, 1451 Main St.
The astronomy event, rescheduled from last weekend as the result of stormy weather, will begin at nightfall, or around 9 p.m. Large portable telescopes will be available for viewing.
“We’ll be studying our own moon, as well as the four largest moons of Jupiter,” said Greg Christensen, an amateur astronomer helping organizing the event.
Participants are encouraged to bring binoculars or telescopes if they have them. Families with children are welcome.
Christensen said he will also be willing to consult with anyone who has a telescope they might need help with. People needing assistance should plan to arrive by 8 p.m.
Walking history tour of Bonanza Cemetery offered
A tour of the Bonanza Cemetery will be offered at 6 p.m. Sunday, June 24. (Submitted Photo)
A walking history tour of Bonanza Memorial Park Cemetery will be offered at 6 p.m. Sunday, June 24.
The free event is sponsored by the Klamath County Historical Society and the Klamath County Museum. The walk will last about an hour. The cemetery is located about a half-mile east of Bonanza on East Langell Valley Road.
History of the Bonanza area dates to the earliest years of white settlement in the Upper Klamath Basin. The Upper Klamath Basin was part of Jackson County at the time. Much of the Bonanza area became part of Lake County when it was formed in 1874, and then became part of Klamath County when it was partitioned from Lake County in 1882.
Many of the community’s early settlers are buried in the Bonanza Cemetery. Among the family histories to be related is that of the DeVauls, who settled in Barnes Valley about 25 miles east of Bonanza.
The tour will include a visit to the graves of John Chastain, a confederate veteran of the Civil War, and Dan Driscoll, a merchant who lost his stock in one of the numerous fires that have plagued the town of Bonanza.
Presenters on the cemetery tour will include Carol Mattos, Gloria Sullivan and John Fortune.
For more information on any of the programs above, contact the Klamath County Museum at (541) 882-1000. All information provided via press releases by the Klamath County Museum.