Elusive ringtail returns to private Oregon woodland after decades of rehab

Ashland: For Bill and Sarah Epstein, a trail-cam glimpse of a ringtail in their Siskiyou Mountains forest was both a surprise and a confirmation: decades of restoration work are paying off.

The couple owns the 405-acre Epstein Family Forest near Ashland, described by the Pacific Forest Trust as “a rich mosaic of oak woodlands, conifer forests, riparian corridors, and wetlands — supporting rare wildlife and clean water.” Last month, a motion camera captured one of North America’s most elusive mammals stepping into view.

The ringtail, also called a “miner’s cat,” is a nocturnal cousin of the raccoon. Smaller than a house cat and protected under federal law, it rarely appears in daylight and is seldom studied. In the video, the animal jumps into frame, rears up to scan the area, then walks off, its banded tail confirming the ID.

Miners once kept ringtails in camps and cabins to hunt rodents, earning them the “miner’s cat” nickname — despite not being cats at all.

The sighting wasn’t luck. The Epsteins bought the land decades ago after heavy logging and a 1973 wildfire left it damaged. They’ve spent years removing old subdivision roads, thinning overgrown stands, and restoring native habitat. Hundreds of bird, amphibian, and mammal species now move through the property as it links public and private lands.

Following a stage-4 cancer diagnosis in the family, the couple began working with the Pacific Forest Trust to place a “working forest conservation easement” on the land. The legal agreement keeps the forest in production while requiring management practices that protect biodiversity and ecosystem health.

“It is a profound comfort to know the goals we have for our property will be steadfastly managed and protected in perpetuity,” Bill and Sarah said in a statement.

For now, the ringtail’s appearance stands as a living benchmark: a rare species choosing restored ground as home.