2A ܂ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2018 ܂ APPEAL TRIBUNE
Trees
Continued from Page 1A
will be held at GeerCrest Farm in Sep-
tember or October, a time when the fruit
on the honored trees will be ripe.
In the orchard are 24 pear trees, four
plum trees, one apple tree, one haw-
thorn tree, one butternut tree and one
hickory tree that are believed to date to
the original plantings from 1848.
The Geer family essentially aban-
doned the family farm for a couple dec-
ades during the Great Depression before
returning in the 1950s.
While they were gone, the house fell
into disrepair and the trees were free to
grow.
“Things just kind of went wild and
nobody was bothering these trees and
they just continued to grow,” Toler said.
“They just weren’t bothered, and they
are close to a creek and they get water.”
A component for the grove being Ore-
gon Heritage Tree status is the trees are
used as a learning tool.
Not only is care of the trees being
taught at GeerCrest Farm, but cuttings
from the trees have been used to start a
nursery for trees of the 1848 varieties.
“One of the things that I really love
about that nomination is it is part of this
farm where they are currently teaching
kids about farming and about people
Parks
Continued from Page 1A
stuff that don’t pay a cent towards it be-
cause they live on the other side of the
line.”
According to Marion County Elec-
tions, in 1996, Silverton put a Parks and
Rec Formation up in for vote in the Gen-
eral Election. It was defeated 60.7 per-
cent to 39.3 percent.
The difference between then and
now, according to Palmer, is the bound-
aries for the proposed district in 1996
were the same as for the Silverton
Council
Continued from Page 1A
This year’s councilor is senior Abby
Frey, and she is making good on the
wish of her uncle, Mayor Andrew Otte,
by asking others to now join a full-
fledged teen council.
“It’s a win-win. There is no downside
to it,” Otte said, after initiating the stu-
dent councilor job. “I think it’s good that
we’re providing another channel for the
school district to get information out.
For the students, it becomes a learning
experience, forcing them to come, talk
and vote.”
The Youth Advisory Council is open
to all local 9th-12th graders who fill out
applications and submit letters of rec-
ommendations by April 13.
“I just hope these youth councilors
understand the impact they can make,”
Frey said. “We have a great community
and a great student body … they can
make great things happen, and I hope
they do.”
Frey hopes to attract 5-10 student
councilors who will attend the city’s
May 5 meeting, take the summer off,
and then begin meeting regularly in the
fall. Their chairperson would be the only
member required to regularly attend the
city’s official council meetings, al-
though everyone else will be encour-
aged to come when they can.
“As a student councilor, one thing I
was surprised about is how intense ev-
erything city councilors go into is,” Frey
said. I didn’t realize how many things
they do and how many people they have
who pioneered in Oregon,” said Molly
McKnight, a member of the Heritage
Tree Committee who championed the
nomination.
The Community Roots School of Sil-
verton has started a program where its
students come to GeerCrest once a
month to teach students.
That the farm puts such value in agri-
culture with historic significance is a
perfect combination for the Montessori
school.
“The heritage grove just ties into the
educational work that we’re doing and
the work that we want students to be
doing as well for stewardship,” said Su-
san Andree, a teacher at Community
Roots.
“The idea that they can be steward-
ing these trees that have a historic con-
nection into the future and caring for
them and all of those pieces, it’s the ide-
al connection between the historical so-
ciety here and the educational program-
ming that we’re doing.”
There are already two buildings on
the farm on the National Register of His-
toric Places. The tree known as the “Rid-
ing Whip Tree” was given Heritage Tree
status in 2011 and was memorialized by
the Daughters of the Revolution in 1936.
There are some trees from the 1847
stock on the property that aren’t being
included in the Oregon Heritage Tree
designation because they are not con-
venient to the public, unlike the grove,
GeerCrest Orchard as it appeared in 1870. SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL
which is visible and easily accessible to
the public from Sunnyview Road.
For a tree or a grove of trees like Geer-
Crest Orchard to be named to the Ore-
gon Heritage Tree program, it must be
available to the public, the trees must be
healthy and there must be a historic sig-
nificance.
The Oregon Heritage Tree program is
part of Oregon Travel Experience, which
also manages rest areas and signs on
highways in Oregon.
The farm is under a long-term lease
to GeerCrest Farm & Historical Society,
which assures it will be in operation for
a long time to come.
The trees were planted so they could
be used to feed a family and provide in-
come.
That they became a major compo-
nent in starting a fruit growing industry
in the Willamette Valley and have sur-
vived to today was unexpected
“They filled up the valley and they
brought with them all of their craft and
all of their talent,” Toler said of his an-
cestors. “There were no stores here to
trade with. They had to grow it.”
bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com or
Twitter.com/bpoehler
School District.
There was a task force formed by the
Silverton City Council in 2012 about the
formation of a Parks and Rec depart-
ment, but nothing came from that.
Even determining what physical as-
sets would be included as part of a Parks
and Recreation department is to be de-
termined.
The first assumption is Silverton
Community Pool would be included.
The city pays Silverton Family YMCA
about $50,000 a year to operate the pool
as part of a five-year levy.
One of the pieces of physical proper-
ty that could come under the authority
of a Parks and Recreation department is
The Oregon Garden, though that would
be a long shot.
“As somebody who went through the
past process, I don’t see how that would
be a likely fit. Who knows? I’m only one
person and it’s worth a discussion,”
Palmer said.
The size and scope of the proposed
district, as well as the costs to local resi-
dents, is going to be a crucial compo-
nent in getting such a measure passed.
It’s much of the reason why the city
council commissioned Portland State to
do the study.
The part of the Portland State study
has presented so far didn't mention po-
tential cost to local residents, only the
potential costs for surveys of residents
to gauge support.
“At the council’s urging I’m going to
meet with the Mount Angel mayor and
the Scotts Mills mayor to see if there’s
any possibility if those two communi-
ties would want to be part of a large dis-
trict,” Palmer said.
“Again, I don’t think that’s all that
likely.”
A Parks and Rec creation measure is
aimed to be on the ballot for the Novem-
ber general election.
to deal with on a day-to-day basis.”
At council meetings, teens get to
watch how their community leaders
talk to each other and make decisions.
Learning to share ideas in a mature way
“so they’re better heard” is valuable,
City Manager Amber Mathiesen said.
The Youth Advisory Council is not
just a city council fan club; it’s also a di-
rect connection for local youth to bring
their concerns and ideas to the adults
that can help make things happen,
Mathiesen said.
“The exposure for adults is super im-
portant too,” she added. “Kids have dif-
ferent ideas of what issues they face in
today’s world than what we think they
do. Having young people trust adult
leaders with their issues … maybe we
can help solve some things that way."
Frey attended Oregon Youth Summit
in Salem this winter and left inspired
with an array of ideas for Mt. Angel.
With the council and police chief ’s
help, she’s already facilitated local par-
ticipation in National Prescription Drug
Take Back Day on April 28. From 10 a.m.
to 2 p.m., people can drop off their pre-
scription drugs and learn about medica-
tion abuse.
Because she’s under 21, Frey can’t
handle any medications, but she said
she’ll help direct traffic and answer
questions. A new recruit with Mt. Angel
Fire District, she plans to enroll at Che-
meketa Community College after gradu-
ation. At the high school, she plays soft-
ball and basketball and runs cross-
country.
Although she gleaned some political
experience as senior class president,
she’s also glad to have seen how the
“adult” world of politics functions, she
said.
More information about the Youth
Advisory Council can be found online at
http://www.ci.mt-angel.or.us/general/
page/youth-advisory-council.
bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com or
Twitter.com/bpoehler
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