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About Applegater. (Jacksonville, OR) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2016)
Applegater Spring 2016 Applegate AMA: Public workshop addressed key questions Siskiyou Field Institute offers free community learning BY DON BOUCHER BY KATHLEEN PYLE On January 20, the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management hosted a workshop to discuss the Upper Applegate Planning Area of the Applegate Adaptive Management Area (AMA). More than 30 residents of the Applegate Valley attended. The purpose was to provide the opportunity for early public engagement and to integrate community values in the development of project proposals in the Upper Applegate Planning Area. The workshop began with a discussion of the selection of the Upper Applegate watershed as described in the winter 2015 edition of the Applegater. This was followed by group discussions that were centered on some key questions. The first question discussed: What are the benefits from the land within the Upper Applegate Planning Area? Seven small groups identified important values associated with the planning area. A sampling of the responses included a wide range of values, such as habitat for a range of wildlife species, improving fire resilience across the landscape, clean air, sustainable supply of high-quality water, maintaining productivity of the land, protecting roadless areas, maintaining visual quality/aesthetics of the area, maintaining or improving habitat for pollinators, reducing noxious weeds, maintaining healthy plant communities, maintaining recreation opportunities, and maintaining quality fish habitat. Groups were next asked to identify possible threats to those values. These responses included threats such as fire, insect and disease, damage from illegal off-highway vehicles, poorly designed roads or lack of road maintenance, poorly planned or ecologically unsustainable management, current federal agency budgets and capacity, noxious weeds, drought and climate change, long- term camping and human trash, and conflicting legislative mandates. Of particular note was the concern regarding trust issues between the communities and agencies. A high priority of this collaborative planning work is to help begin to build that trust. The final question: What management actions may be needed to mitigate those risks? These responses ran the range from little to no management to extensive management. A key part of the responses related to maintaining the existing infrastructure as well as maintaining treatments over time. This meeting was ver y valuable in beginning the planning process for the Upper Applegate watershed. The next step is to have agency resource specialists begin to share what is known about the planning area. We intend to supplement this with presentations by community members who have knowledge of the area. It is important to note that we do not have a predetermined proposal in mind. One of the more challenging aspects of planning is to put a vision down on paper. To accomplish this, we hope to continue meeting with the community, as well as go out in the planning area and discuss important values and issues. As was stated in the previous issue of the Applegater, the AMA is really about how we communicate and work together to find common ground, resolve differences, and work toward successful outcomes. We have the ability as agency and community members to create and maintain an atmosphere of collaboration and learning. If you have questions, comments, or other thoughts, please feel free to contact me. Don Boucher 541-899-3840 Applegate AMA Team Leader Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest dboucher@fs.fed.us APWC striving to work collaboratively in a vastly diverse community which include riparian restoration, large wood placement, and streambank stabilization. In the fall of 2015 we partnered with the Bureau of Land Management to implement a large wood project in the upper reaches of Powell Creek, installing over 100 pieces of large wood across 25 different sites. Many of the sites can be observed from Upper Powell Creek Road. This section of the creek did not go dry during the 2015 drought and can provide important habitat for rearing juvenile salmonids in future years. We hope this project will provide additional habitat and improve ecological functions in that sub-watershed. A P WC i s s t r i v i n g t o w o r k collaboratively in a community that is vastly diverse, from the headwaters of the Applegate River to its confluence with the Rogue River. We hope that through our successful projects and positive outreach we will continue to gain support from the community. For more information about APWC and our projects, please contact us at 541-899- 9982 or contact@apwc.info. Janelle Dunlevy • 541-899-9982 Note: See article by the late Tim Franklin online at www.applegater.org. ■ APWC MISSION Continued from page 3 recommendations. Two extraordinary films, Damnation and A River Between Us, were viewed on beautiful evenings in a wonderful setting in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Outreach is not our only task when working to meet our mission. We also have a number of on-the- ground projects either completed or being implemented or developed with our partners, which include private landowners, public agencies, and the Williams Creek Watershed Council. We are developing projects—ranging from fish passage to large wood implementation—on Little Applegate River, Forest Creek, Powell Creek, Williams Creek, and Slate Creek. We are implementing or completing projects on Thompson Creek, Munger Creek, Powell Creek, Humbug Creek, Iron Creek, and the main stem of the Applegate River, 19 You don’t have to be a hiker or a botanist to learn at Siskiyou Field Institute (SFI) in Selma. Each year SFI welcomes the community for a series of Friday Night Free Learning programs designed to inform attendees about our region’s natural history. And we provide the popcorn, too! This year’s spring Free Oregon Humanities executive director Adam Davis led last year’s conversation at Siskiyou Field Institute. Learning lineup is action-packed, with inspiring programs on varied subjects— from setting up wildlife trail cams to a tour of Oregon coastal trails by hiking- guidebook author William Sullivan. On February 26, local wildlife biologist Romain Cooper and partner Christi Dunn will share advice on shopping for and using trail cams to observe wildlife. The couple has years of experience getting acquainted with their backyard’s wild inhabitants via critter cam. They’ll show “greatest hits” highlights from their collection. The March 18 free program focuses on hopes for the Klamath River’s restoration (the Klamath is also the subject of two 2016 SFI field courses). Dave Clayton, Applegate resident and The Jason Atkinson-produced film, A Rogue-Siskiyou wildlife biologist, River Between Us, will be screened, and presented a Siskiyou Field Institute some background will be provided on Free Learning program the Klamath Basin Water Recovery and on Pacific fishers last fall. Economic Restoration Act of 2015, which Congress failed to pass late last mistrust, especially on topics like climate year. We’ll also discuss some possible change? Ms. Wells will ask participants to consider the role of science in guiding options in light of that failure. In April, Dr. Robert J. Lillie policy and how citizens can use science to relates the “Beauty from the Beast” make better-informed decisions. Dr. Robbin Thorp, professor story of Pacific Northwest geologic history. By learning to live with the beast of entomology, returns to SFI in of earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic June to instruct a field course on native eruptions, we can more fully appreciate bees. Dr. Thorp will also discuss “The the beauty that surrounds us in the Intriguing World of Native Bees” in a form of spectacular scenery in national, free Friday evening public program on state, and local parklands. Lillie draws June 10. Come early and grab a seat—Dr. on his experience as a geology professor, Thorp’s lectures usually pack the house. Two early summer SFI Free park ranger, and graphic illustrator as a reminder that our hometowns Learning programs will happen off- and iconic parklands are subject to site. Dr. Susan Harrison of University geologic processes that affect our lives of California, Davis, presents a program and livelihoods. Dr. Lillie will have copies on climate change and its impact on of his recently published Beauty from the plant communities on Friday, July 1, in Ashland. Dr. Harrison’s program is Beast book at the program. May’s Free Learning double partially based on her years of research bill first offers a William Sullivan in the Illinois Valley. On July 8, Illinois program on Saturday afternoon, May 7, Valley historian Dennis Strayer will following his SFI field course at Babyfoot talk about early tourists who visited the Lake at the edge of the Kalmiopsis Oregon Caves in a presentation at the Wilderness. He will take us on a visual Oregon Caves Chateau. Strayer and tour of Oregon coastal trails, including Greg Walter are teaming up to teach a some of his recent hikes from the field course at the caves on July 8 and 9 updated 101 Hikes on the Oregon Coast. that will revisit two historic hiking trails. For more details on SFI Free Also in May (date to be determined), SFI will again host the Oregon Friday Learning programs and the Humanities Conversation Project. This Institute’s 2016 menu of field courses, year’s topic is “In Science We Trust?” visit www.thesfi.org. And don’t miss our led by science communicator Gail annual spring fundraising brews-and- Wells of Corvallis. As a nation, we trust live-tunes naturefest, Birds and Brews, scientists and medical experts more scheduled for Saturday, May 28. Kathleen Pyle than any other group except military Program Coordinator leaders. Why then is the relationship Siskiyou Field Institute between citizens and science often programcoord@thesfi.org fraught with misunderstanding and
