8 Winter 2010 Applegater You are invited to join in a conversation: Free community programs at Ruch Library Ruch Library was a busy place last year with monthly programs on a wide range of subjects: gardening, singing, local and state history, dog behavior, geology, justice and more. We have an eclectic roster for this winter and spring as well, and we hope you can join us for fun, adventure and a chance to learn more about our valley and the world around us. All the programs are free and will be held in the Ruch Library Community Room. January 8, Friday 7-pm. Preparing for Climate Change in the Rogue River Basin will be the basis of a presentation by Cindy Deacon Williams from the National Center for Conservation Science and Policy. Climate change is likely to produce significant alterations to water quality, fish, wildlife, plant life, forest and fire regimes, and those changes will have important consequences for the economy, infrastructure, and human services on which the people and communities within the Rogue Basin rely for their quality of life. The information in this presentation will cover the stressors, risks, and recommendations for increasing resilience and resistance in human, built, economic, and natural systems. Several artists who studied this model last spring through the Jefferson Nature Center will be present with their artistic interpretations of climate change. They will exhibit, perhaps perform, and be available to discuss their paintings, songs, poems, photography, weaving and sculpture. January 23, Saturday, 1-3 pm Historic Trails to the West Revisited. Journey along the historic westward trails with April Whitten as she presents her recreated wagon train trip in this family program. Passionate about geoarchaeology, natural history, environmental science, as well as exploration of the great outdoors, Ms. Whitten will use PowerPoint to bring alive the experience of traveling across the Great Plains with the wagon train. Her research as a geoarchaeologist has focused on the Overland Emigration Trails of North America and other migratory routes. Febr uar y 6, Saturday, 1:00 pm Landscapes and Livelihoods: A Sustainable Future for Rural Oregon. Join facilitator and rural sociologist Vicky Sturtevant for a conversation about the challenges of balancing ecological, social and economic objectives in the Applegate. This Conversation Project is a new Chautauqua program of Oregon Humanities (formerly Oregon Council for the Humanities). March 13, Saturday, 2:00 pm Thomas Doty, storyteller, author and teacher will share native myths and original stories. Tom’s history with our library pre-dates our opening in our first location. It’s always an honor to have him return and this time he’ll have some of his Applegate books with him, too! Copies will also be available for purchase. Come at 1:00 pm for the Friends of Ruch Library’s Annual Business Meeting and stay for stories and refreshments. April 9, Friday, 7-9 pm There’s More Than Gold in These Here Hills! Janeen Sathre returns by popular demand with the promised Part Two of her Applegate History series. She will talk about the area under water and around Applegate Dam, and what and who was there before. She will also tell us more about the Blue Ledge Mine and that community. The talk will include old photos, interesting stories and probably some audience contributions. Thalia Truesdell • 541-899-8741 Landscapes and Livelihoods: A Sustainable Future for Rural Oregon Saturday, February 6, 2010 1:00 pm at the Ruch Library Yo u r v o i c e a n d ideas – and those of your friends and neighbors – are important for this community discussion of the possibilities and challenges for the Applegate Valley’s future. Here are some questions this Oregon Humanities Chautauqua Conversation program invites you to consider: n How can the Applegate Valley—and Oregon’s other rural communities—balance ecological, social, and economic needs and objectives for a sustainable future? n What can citizens do to chart their future while preserving their family legacies, attachment to place, and heritage of making a living from the land? n How have newcomers and a changing interconnectedness with urban places brought new economic opportunities and social challenges? n How can we in the Applegate nurture civic involvement? This Saturday afternoon dialogue will be facilitated by Vicky Sturtevant, a rural sociologist and retired professor at Southern Oregon University. Vicky has worked for a couple of decades with community-based stewardship initiatives in Oregon, including work with the Applegate Partnership since the early 1990s. The Friends of Ruch Library are pleased to present this program with support from Oregon Humanities (formerly Oregon Council for the Humanities). Our discussion will only benefit our community if you join in—Saturday, February 6, 1:00 pm, Ruch Library Community Meeting Room, 7919 Hwy 238, Ruch. Please invite your neighbors, too. No charge. Refreshments will be served. For further information call Ruch Library at 541-899-7438. Pat Gordon – 541-899-7655 Friends of Ruch Library Program Committee Wende Glimpse— new Branch Manager at Ruch Library Have you noticed a fresh, friendly face at the Ruch Branch Library? Wende Glimpse is the new Branch Manager at the Ruch Branch Library, 7919 Highway 238. In the position since August, Wende is continuing her 12-year career with the Jackson County Libraries. She has progressed from being a library shelver and working in Technical Services to becoming the branch manager in Ruch. Wende is working toward her Masters of Library and Information Science degree and really wanted to work with people. This mother of two sons and the proud grandma of a five year-old grandson is about to celebrate her 30th wedding anniversary in March. “I am enjoying the opportunity to work with kids, doing storytime and seeing a whole different part of the library.” The Friends of the Ruch Branch Library have been very helpful and have made the transition easier. Wende enjoys meeting the families that come to use the library regularly and she appreciates Ruch’s sense of community. Wende is actively recruiting volunteers for the library, even pressing her mother into service. Currently, she needs a “plant person” who could help the library’s plants thrive, just as Wende is helping the Ruch Branch Library continue to bloom. Thomas Doty performing Applegate River blessing. Carrie Prechtel • 541-774-6407 Community Outreach Specialist Jackson County Library Services