Applegater Fall 2017
Photo by Teya Jacobi
FALL 2017
applegater.org
Applegate Valley Community Newsmagazine
Volume 10, No. 3
Serving Jackson and Josephine Counties — Circulation: 11,000
Applegate trails are one step richer—
the East ART is finished!
BY DIANA COOGLE
The Applegate Trails Association (ATA)
is tickled pink these days. Patting ourselves
on the back. Gushing with excitement. The
East ART is finished!
The East ART is the 5.6-mile eastern
end of the 50 miles of the proposed
Applegate Ridge Trail. You can now drive
to the roomy trailhead on a gravel road
off Sterling Creek Road (coming from
Jacksonville, take the first right after
mile marker 4—there are signs), hike a
few hours on a gorgeous trail of easy-to-
moderate difficulty, and descend through
the woods to a smaller, as yet undeveloped,
trailhead on Highway 238, not far from
Longanecker Road. You will have had
a fabulous day. The East ART is easily
accessed, close to urban centers, and easily
hiked. It’s a winner all around.
It will be a winner for horseback riders,
too, but not yet! It is dangerous for horses
at this time. The trail is narrow in places
and crosses steep slopes, so there is no
place for horses and hikers (or face-to-face
horses!) to pass. The narrowness of the
trail in some places would be difficult for
a horse to navigate. There are also places
with stones or roots that a hiker can easily
see and step over but that could trip a
horse. ATA has vowed to have the trail
horse-friendly by the end of winter.
1
On the East ART trail a half mile in from the Sterling Creek Trailhead, Lily Kaplan trains her lens
on the spectacular view while her dog, Shayna, focuses on wildlife. Photo: Lily Myers Kaplan.
ATA thanks all the volunteers who
helped build the trail, the WorkSource
trail crew, and the BLM workers, including
supervisor Zach Million, who didn’t have
to swing the pick but did and who was
BLM’s main person seeing the trail into
existence. Special recognition goes to ATA
board members Luke Ruediger and Josh
Weber for their work on the trail and their
skillful supervision of trail workers.
We also thank, again and again, all the
people who have supported the dream of
a trail from Grants Pass to Jacksonville
with their money; their presence at
fundraisers, hikes, and other events; and
their signatures on postcards for ATA to
present to BLM to prove the widespread
support for this trail.
Signatures haven’t been hard to come
by. Patrons of outdoor stores, tourists on
the streets, hikers, rafters, picnickers—
everyone said, “What a great idea. Of
course I’ll sign.” A tourist from Paris,
Pacific Crest Trail hikers from Australia—
these people’s signatures proved that out-
of-towners support the idea of the trail, too.
After all, people who come here to hike,
or who come here and hike, also boost
the economy. According to an Oregon
Parks and Recreation Department report,
nonmotorized trail activities generated
an estimated $2.1 billion in expenditure
across the state in 2014 and contributed
24,340 jobs, $1.2 billion in value added,
and $753 million in labor income. No
wonder so many people support the
Applegate Ridge Trail!
Hike the East ART this fall and see what
we’re so excited about. Do be aware of the
heat, though. Those fabulous views are
possible because much of the trail crosses
open slopes, which can be very hot in
extreme temperatures, so wear a hat and
bring plenty of water. On other days open
slopes could be windy and cold, so wear a
hat and a windbreaker and, as always, bring
plenty of water. The trail goes through
evergreen-and-madrone forests and oak
savannahs as well as those open slopes, so
keep your eye on the weather and plan your
hike accordingly.
Next up for ATA will be the equestrian
improvements on the East ART, the
establishment of a good trailhead on
Highway 238, and the preliminary work
on the Center ART.
See our video about hiking the route of
the Applegate Ridge Trail on our website
at applegatetrails.org, where you can also
contribute to our funds, if you like. And
enjoy the Applegate trails while the weather
is good!
Diana Coogle
dicoog@gmail.com
How climate change affects
grapes in southern Oregon
Lawmakers work to preserve
Oregon’s agricultural heritage
BY DEBBIE TOLLEFSON
BY NELLIE MCADAMS
Though climate change has the potential
to greatly impact agriculture of all types,
it could be especially significant for
growing grapes, since the right climate—
from winter dormancy through harvest
abundance—is essential for optimum
results in grapes and, ultimately, in wine.
One of the foremost scientists studying
the effects of climate change on viticulture
(the science of the cultivation of grape
vines) and viniculture (the science of
making wines) is Greg Jones, formerly
of Southern Oregon University. (More
information about his new home appears
on page 16.) I highlighted Greg in a “Grape
Talk” article a couple of years ago.
In 2005, Greg conducted a study of
the nature of, and changes in, the growing
season (April - October) for California,
Oregon, and Washington grape-growing
regions. (See page 16 sidebar for specific
parameters.)
Using data from the US Historical
Climatology Network (USHCN) that
cover the region from the Puget Sound
of Washington to the Central Valley of
California, he created a 1950 - 2049 model
comparing these regions. Statistics for
the Rogue Valley American Viticultural
Area (AVA) came from weather facilities
in Ashland and Grants Pass. Because the
Local Postal Customer
See CLIMATE AFFECTS GRAPES, page 16
Nonprofit Org
US Postage
PAID
Permit #125
Medford OR
ECRWSSEDDM
Oregon is known for its abundance of
farms and ranches; in fact, agriculture is
the state’s second largest economic driver.
Jackson County alone is home to
more than 200,000 acres of agricultural
land. That translates into 1,700 farms and
ranches, 72 percent of which are owned
by those over the age of 55. In addition,
new research shows that a large majority of
that 72 percent don’t have a comprehensive
succession plan in place to ensure that their
land will stay in agricultural production
once they retire.
This brings up the question: Who will
be our next generation of farmers and
ranchers? With land prices in Jackson
County increasing almost 30 percent
in ten years—from $3,604 in 2002 to
$4,682 in 2012 (according to the 2012
US Department of Agriculture Census
of Agriculture)—beginning farmers and
ranchers are finding it more difficult to
acquire the large sums of acreage it takes
to run a successful agricultural operation.
But it’s not for lack of trying. This
became apparent last May when dozens
of interested parties attended a succession
planning workshop co-hosted by the
Jackson Soil & Water Conservation
District, the Josephine County Farm
Bureau, and Rogue Farm Corps.
See AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE, page 21
ISSUE
AGRICULTURE - WINE