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About Applegater. (Jacksonville, OR) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2015)
2 Spring 2015 Applegater Hurrah! McKee Bridge is restored! by RobeRT e. van heUiT The restoration of McKee Bridge was completed in the middle of February. The bridge is now open to pedestrians who can better observe the beautiful Applegate River from its interior. The 98-year- old bridge underwent a facelift, structural repairs and improvements that will extend the bridge’s life for a considerable number of years. The restoration The restored McKee Bridge is now open to pedestrians. effort began after an inspection of the bridge by Oregon Bridge necessary funds in hand to proceed with Engineering Company (OBEC) in the the restoration. fall of 2011 found that a portion of the When the final plans were completed, north truss that supported the bridge had though, the total cost exceeded the amount begun to fail. After meetings with OBEC, of available funds. MBHS and the county Jackson County Engineering, McKee frantically looked for additional funding Bridge Historical Society (MBHS) and the and found that the Oregon Transportation Oregon Department of Transportation, Enhancement Fund might provide it. A McKee Bridge enthusiasts decided to apply successful application for a $62,000 grant to the federal government for a grant to was made, and MBHS was able to raise restore the bridge. the $6,200 in required matching funds in In August of 2012, the federal short order. government awarded a grant to Jackson The Board of Directors of MBHS County (the owner of the bridge) in the wishes to thank all of the members and amount of $547,048. MBHS agreed to friends of McKee Bridge for their support raise the required $56,202 in matching and generous contributions that enabled us funds and did so with major assistance to restore the bridge. Without your help from Preserve Oregon and the Kinsman and support we could not have completed Foundation, which provided grants of the project. $20,000 and $10,000, respectively. The Robert E. Van Heuit, President remainder was raised with contributions McKee Bridge Historical Society mostly from local friends of McKee Bridge. 541-499-6132 By the end of 2013, MBHS had the rvanh2000@yahoo.com The Applegater welcomes two new board members: Richard Goodnough and Heather Murphy such names as Slagal (sic) and Kubli. A baby, Richard’s grandmother, was born to the preacher and his wife on April 4, 1885, giving Richard pioneer roots in the Applegate Valley. One month later the three of them continued on their trek. Richard Goodnough Born and raised in Lakeview, Oregon, Richard Goodnough earned a BS degree in applied science at Southern Oregon College (now Southern Oregon University). In 1973, he moved to his current location on Humbug Creek, making kitchenware pottery in winter and fighting fires and doing controlled burns for the US Forest Service in summer. At some point he tired of being a poor artist and started doing handyman work and residential building contracting in the Applegate. Richard has served as a firefighter and EMT for our local fire department for over 30 years and served on its board for ten years. He was also a member of the board of Headwaters (an environmental organization dealing with local forestry issues) for around five years. After having lived here for some time, Richard learned through his family that his great-grandfather, a traveling preacher, wintered at Missouri Flat on his travels from Idaho to southeastern Oregon. While here, he performed marriages for Heather Murphy Heather Murphy, a native of Pennsylvania, has been calling the Applegate home since 1993. She studied literature and the craft of writing at Penn State University and currently facilitates a weekly writers’ workshop at the Applegate Library that is open to the public. Heather is also a member of a poetry group, the Applegate Poets, which was assembled by Oregon’s fifth poet laureate, Lawson Inada. The Applegate Poets perform public readings on a regular basis at local venues. Heather resides with her family on Thompson Creek Road. (Don’t miss Heather’s article about the history and controversy of “open range” on page 5 of this issue.) Coho extinCtion risk increased algae blooms and decreased oxygen in the water. Clear-cutting in the 1970s and 1980s sent large plumes of sediment into the waterways, further degrading water quality. Finally, Applegate Dam was built with no passage for salmon, cutting off 96.12 miles of the highest intrinsic potential habitat for coho. All of these physical, biological or chemical stresses are identified in the Final SONCC Coho Recovery Plan, and they have had the cumulative effect of weakening the Applegate’s coho. We’ve pushed the coho to their limit, and without addressing these problems on a large, watershed-wide scale, we can expect these fish to disappear from our region. The good news is that these are on-the-ground issues that we can work to fix, and the majority of these issues are on private land. This means that the coho are reliant on us, not the government, to fix up their creeks. Many times, making small from page 1 changes in your land management around the water can have big impacts for the wildlife that relies on it. If you own property along the Applegate River or any of its tributaries and want to consider what you can do to improve coho habitat, give me a call, and we can walk your stretch. The Applegate Partnership & Watershed Council is nonregulatory, nongovernmental, and nonprofit. Often, we can apply for grants to help fund habitat restoration work or connect you with a local contractor. If you live here because of this valley’s beauty, consider doing what you can to protect it. Jakob Shockey • 541-890-9989 Riparian Program Manager Applegate Partnership & Watershed Council riparianprogram@apwc.info Note: For a map of the current extinction risk of coho salmon in our region, please go to the home page of our website at www.applegater. org (under “Latest Issue”). Get published— and support a good cause! The literary arts are flourishing in the Applegate Valley. Have you noticed? Vibrant library programs, books being published by Applegate authors, well-attended prose and poetry events, readings by the Applegate Poets group, working writers’ groups, a new showcase of books by local writers at Art Presence Art Center in Jacksonville with readings by featured authors at the opening art reception—there’s a lot going on. Taking notice of all that, the Applegater hatched an idea. We want to publish a book of Applegate authors, called From the Heart of the Applegate: Essays, Poems, and Short Fiction by Applegate Valley Writers. The purpose is to publish a rich, interesting anthology of works by literary masters in the Applegate. So we’re looking for submissions. Interested? Here’s the scoop: • Writers must be current Applegate Valley residents. • Submissions can be in three categories: poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction. • Writers may submit up to three poems and/ or one prose piece. Prose pieces should fall between 800 and 2,500 words. • Submissions should include an author’s bio and photo. • Photographs to accompany the submission may be included but are not required. • Photos must be of commercial print quality (high resolution). • There is no restriction on the topic. • Previously published works are not eligible for inclusion. • Copyright reverts to the writer after publication. • Send submissions to gater@applegater.org. • Deadline for submissions is June 30, 2015. All proceeds will help support the Applegater. If you have any questions, please email gater@applegater.org. We look forward to receiving your submissions and getting this unique book out to the world! Handcrafted ‘Applecrates’ for sale The Applegater has a trade secret that we are about to divulge. No, we not announcing a revolutionary patent, but we have developed and organized a manufacturing process to market a product. We’re hoping our idea will bring some much-needed cash into our nonprofit coffers to help fund the production and distribution of the Applegater newsmagazine. Our plan is to build beautiful planter or multi-use boxes called “Applecrates,” using donated local small- diameter wood and volunteer labor. All proceeds from sales will help sustain the Applegater. You can see these beautiful, sturdy, useful and long-lasting Applecrates at Applegate Valley Realty at 935 N. Fifth Street in Jacksonville. We are looking for additional outlets in the valley to display and sell our Applecrates and for customers to buy or order them. Check the Applegater’s Facebook page and website for outlet updates. The price of a stock planter box (see photo), which is 12” wide x 24” long x 12” deep, is $60. Applecrate designs can also be customized. To purchase one, get more information, or volunteer to help, call Chris Bratt at 541-846-6988. Handcrafted Applecrates available for purchase now. Introducing… Greeley Wells, moviemaker As Greeley’s involvement in time-consuming video projects expands, he has had to relinquish other activities. So it is with regret at his departure and gratitude for his service that the Applegater Board of Directors accepts Greeley’s resignation from the board to allow him to focus on his latest artistic endeavor. (To view his videos, visit www.greeley.me.) The Applegater board salutes Greeley, our first chairman of the board, with undying thanks and kudos for all that he accomplished during his long reign from 2008 to 2015. Greeley will still write his popular “Starry Side” articles and continue his association with the Gater’s editorial committee. Thank you, Greeley—we wish you great success. The Applegater Board of Directors
