8 Spring 2014 Applegater
TRENDS AND OBSERVATIONS
An Applegater in La Paz
by RAUNO pERTTU
I have spent the majority of this
winter as a non-Spanish speaking snowbird
in La Paz, Mexico, with periodic trips back
to the Applegate to take care of necessary
tasks. For those thinking about seasonally
moving to warmer climates like La Paz, I
can give a big thumbs-up. La Paz is a great
location, with a warm, calm ocean, good
food, new friends, and fun activities.
My fiancée Ana and I drove the length
of the Baja, which is gorgeous, and many
of the cliché worries about Mexico and
Mexicans have been put to rest. I have
found both the expats and local Mexicans
to be friendly and interesting—and the
warm, sunny winter has been delightful.
I thought, for other Applegaters
considering a Mexican winter escape, I
would share a few personal observations.
Violent crime in La Paz is little
different from that in American cities,
possibly less than in many of our cities.
Nonviolent crime, however, is more
common.
Part of the expat regimen is trying
out new restaurants, and reviews are
freely shared. Many restaurants (and there
are many) are good to very good and
inexpensive. Worries about food poisoning
are exaggerated. I have had no problems,
just delights.
I’ve found that festive get-togethers
are a way of life for La Pazians. You
probably can get yourself invited every
night if you try.
Shopping
can be more
challenging.
Some goods are
harder to find and
more expensive,
especially if you
The malecón, an active walkway in La Paz, stretches for
want American
several kilometers along the shore.
rather than local
goods. Some everyday Applegate grocery to look for whales and whale sharks in the
items become luxury items in La Paz. beautiful bay on which La Paz is located.
Finding a specific item sometimes becomes We have also had invitations to cruise to
a snipe hunt. However, local supermarkets the gulf islands.
and the La Paz Walmart are on a par with
Perhaps one of the most surprising
those in the States.
things I’ve noticed is the incredible musical
Mexican cities are just plain talent in La Paz. We’ve gone to several
noisy. My first nights back in the musical events (they are common), and
Applegate were eerily quiet.
two things have impressed me. These are
La Paz and the Baja are much cleaner very inexpensive and the local talent is
than in years past.
impressive.
The highways are good; the city
For example, we went to a roofless
streets are not as good. On some, you stage (informal shorts weather, as almost
become expert at dodging potholes.
always) to hear a tribute to John Lennon.
Driving in Mexico is initially a bit The band was very good, but too loud.
scary, but when you adjust to local driving Even J.D. Rogers would have wanted
habits, driving is safe and relatively easy.
earplugs. We solved that problem by
I love the malecón, the pretty and stuffing pieces of Kleenex in our ears. After
active walkway that stretches for several that, we could enjoy the performers.
kilometers along the shore of the city. I
A trio of local girl singers stunned me.
got into the habit of taking long walks As a group, they sounded exceptional. A
every day.
short time later, one of the girls sang solo.
La Paz is a sailboat city. Friends with She was beyond good, so we assumed she
sailboats have taken Ana and me cruising had carried the trio. A little later, the second
An ounce of prevention
is worth a pound of cure
by bARbARA mUmbLO
“An ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure” is an idiom often used in
reference to human health. It also works
with ecosystem health. Of course, if you
know me, I’m using this expression in
reference to preventing invasive species
(noxious weeds) from impacting the health
of our ecosystem in the Applegate Valley.
The terms invasive species and noxious
weeds generally refer to non-native species
that are aggressive and out-compete our
natives. Noxious weeds are designated by
the Oregon Department of Agriculture
and usually have economic impacts,
often on the health of domestic animals.
Invasive species can be plants or animals
that reproduce and spread too much and
impact species we want to preserve. These
species have come from other parts of the
world (often the Mediterranean area),
usually arriving accidentally mixed in with
other material (hay/soil), but some were
brought on purpose (horticulture or herbal
uses). Upon arrival, the species didn’t have
the natural controls (insects/other plants)
that would normally keep them in check
in their native land, allowing them to out-
compete with our native species.
One of the most obvious examples of
a noxious/invasive weed in the Applegate
Valley is yellow star thistle. There wasn’t
much in the late 1970s, but over the years
it’s moved along the roads and into the dry
fields and hillsides.
Invasive species can be introduced or
existing infestations can spread by moving
seed or plant parts (often in materials such
as soil, hay, or mulch). Existing infestations
can be spread by equipment like bulldozers,
mowers, or road graders. I’ve watched star
thistle come in with topsoil for septic
work, rock for log landings, seed mixes and
hay for restoration, and birdseed (thanks,
Kay). Infestations often pop up after new
driveway/house site construction.
Federal agencies in our area spend
much time and money controlling these
weeds and working to prevent more sites
from occurring. It’s getting to be common
practice to ask for clean material and
equipment when working on Bureau of
Land Management and national forest
lands. Many private landowners in the
Applegate are controlling weeds on their
land (thanks!). It can take a lot of time
and money and one year of treatment isn’t
adequate to do the job—it takes several
years of persistence, but it can be done.
It makes sense to prevent the
introduction/spread of invasive species and
not have to pay to treat an infestation. One
way to prevent introduction is to avoid
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bringing
infested
material to
your land.
Ask for
noxious-
weed-free
material
if you are
bringing
soil, rock,
hay, mulch,
etc., to your property. If you have
equipment coming to your property from
elsewhere, ask that it first be cleaned of
soil and vegetation. Be careful driving
over infested areas so you don’t transport
plants/seed to an uninfested area. I’ve done
it myself—parked in an area of star thistle
and when I got home and opened the door,
it fell out. Be aware of what you are doing!
Some quarry owners are starting to
understand the need for noxious-weed-free
rock and are working to prevent it from
spreading. A quarry accreditation process
is in the early stages of development by the
Jackson, Josephine, and Douglas County
CWMAs (Cooperative Weed Management
Areas) and will be coordinated by
the Douglas County Soil and Water
Conservation District. This process will
include inspections and a rating system,
and will inform landowners of where they
can purchase noxious-weed-free rock. I’ve
been working with personnel from Knife
River and Blue Mountain Rock to reduce
sister sang a solo,
which may have
exceeded that of
the first sister. We
Rauno Perttu
naturally thought
“Wow, two good singers.”
The third sister wore a plain dress,
wasn’t quite as attractive as the first two,
and seemed a bit shy. We were surprised
when she came out to sing a solo. She
proceeded to let down her hair and to
knock our socks off with a Lennon tune
that she turned into an incredible blues
song. She may have been the best of the
three. From my perspective, any one of the
sisters would have won one of the television
talent competitions here in the States.
Spending winters in La Paz for
the next round of my life has started out
wonderfully. Now, I hope and need to learn
Spanish, which I’ve been very delinquent
in doing. I’ve had both an advantage and
disadvantage with Ana. She is fluent in
Spanish, so all I have to do is use her as
my personal interpreter, but the downside
is that I have been lazy in learning Spanish
myself. When we go to a Mexican party,
I’m mostly lost, although many Mexicans
understand English. I have to learn
Spanish. It can be discomforting when you
hear your name mentioned, followed by
laughter, and you don’t have a clue.
Rauno Perttu
rkperttu@gmail.com
the noxious weeds around their pits. They
understand that weed-free material will be
more valuable to their customers.
We have more wineries and organic
crops in the valley all the time. To reduce
the potential need for herbicide use on
noxious weeds, we can prevent infestations
or get rid of the weeds before the they
become too large.
I’ve noticed signs along the road that
say “owner maintained.” Some of you are
doing a great job of that (thanks, Beau), but
others have the signs up and aren’t really
doing the maintenance. It’s important to
eradicate any invasive species along the
road (especially between fence lines and
the road). Ditch cleaning easily moves
seeds down the road. If we can eradicate
invasive species from the roadside, we’ll
have less potential for infestations to move
down the road and onto your neighbor’s
(or possibly your) property.
Weeds know no boundaries;
they move wherever they are able. We
need to work together with our neighbors
to eliminate these species and prevent
further infestations from occurring. Help
us maintain a healthy ecosystem in the
Applegate Valley. Please, do your part to
prevent noxious/invasive species spread!
For more information about noxious
weeds, see the Oregon Department of
Agriculture website at http://www.oregon.
gov/ODA/PLANT/WEEDS or call me.
Barbara Mumblo • 541-899-3855
bmumblo@fs.fed.us