2 Fall 2017 Applegater
APWC celebrates 25 years of
participation and collaboration
OBITUARY
Chuck Eckles
BY LAURA CRANE
March 4, 1932 - December 27, 2016
Charles (Chuck)
Kenyon Eckels Jr. of
Jacksonville, Oregon,
passed away on December
27, 2016. He was born
on March 4, 1932, in
Spokane, Washington,
to Charles K. Eckels Sr.
and Kathleen (Kelley)
Eckels. Chuck grew up in
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin,
and graduated second in
his class at Wauwatosa
High School in 1950.
Chuck graduated
with honors from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison (UW) with a bachelor
of science degree in agriculture (animal
science) in June 1954. While in college,
Chuck was in Phi Eta Sigma, Alpha Zeta,
and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies and
was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho
fraternity, serving as president of the
chapter. He was also president of the
Country Magazine Board of Control, vice
president of the Saddle and Sirloin Club, a
reporter for Sickle and Sheaf, and a member
of agriculture student council.
In the fall of 1952, during his junior
year, he was on the UW meat-judging
team, which participated in several
competitions held at livestock shows
around the country. His team won first
place in Baltimore in November of that
year. In December, the team entered a
competition at the International Livestock
Exposition in Chicago, and the three-man
team not only won the contest (out of 20
college teams entered), but for the first time
in the history of the competition, the three
team members were also awarded the top
three places in individual ratings.
Chuck married Jeanne
Hamm in January 1954,
then served in the US
Army from 1955-1957,
stationed at Fort Sam
Houston in San Antonio,
Texas. Following his
service, Chuck began
a long career with
Wilson & Co., working
in Minnesota, Illinois,
Iowa, and Oklahoma. He
later worked in both food
and financial industry
positions.
In 1985, Chuck moved to the Medford
area where he enjoyed many outdoor
activities and a gorgeous view from
his home near the Siskiyou National
Forest. He enjoyed spending time with
his shooting group and serving on the
board and volunteering for the Rogue
Book Exchange. He was a lifelong Green
Bay Packers fan and an avid reader and
photographer.
Chuck is survived by his children
and grandchildren Judi, Mark, Kevin,
and Chris Stillwell; Linda, Brent, Trevor,
and Catherine Gee; Steve, Glennis, Riley
(Alison), Tucker, and Tatum Eckels; and
Elizabeth and Mary Elizabeth Eckels;
sisters-in-law Patricia Hamm Biever
and Karen Hamm Rahn (Bradner); and
numerous nieces and nephews. He is
predeceased by his parents, former wife,
and son, Daniel Eckels.
Chuck’s family and friends gathered
for a celebration of his life on July 14
in Jacksonville. Donations in Chuck’s
memory may be made to the Nature
Conservancy, Salvation Army, or UW
Animal Sciences Department.
Southern Oregon
Smoked Salmon Festival
On Saturday, September 23, competitors will again have the chance to find out if
their smoked salmon is truly the best in southern Oregon, and event-goers will be able
to taste the entries and place their vote for the People’s Choice Award.
The upcoming Smoked Salmon Festival is the fourth annual fundraising event
for the Maslow Project folks, who do important work supporting homeless youth in
Jackson and Josephine counties. Check out their website at maslowproject.com, and
go to southernoregonsalmonfest.org to purchase tickets for the event or to enter the
competition.
For the past two years the bragging rights have been won by Applegate locals, so
come on out and give it a try or a taste or both! The Smoked Salmon Festival takes place
from 1 to 5 pm at Pear Blossom Park in downtown Medford. For more information,
visit southernoregonsmokedsalmonfest.com.
Paul Tipton
ptipton@frontier.com
The year was 1992.
The band U2 was
playing on the radio.
Bill Clinton had
just replaced George
Bush as president.
A n d t h e “o w l s
versus logs” debate was
raging in the Pacific
Northwest.
This was also the
year the Applegate
Partnership was born.
To J a c k S h i p l e y,
founder and current
board member of the
Applegate Partnership Now unused, this Powell Creek dam was historically used to create
a pool for the landowner’s tigers. Photo: APWC staff.
& Watershed Council
(APWC), the sides in
the owl controversy were too polarized to
The APWC will also be working on
be constructive. The debate sounded like instream habitat restoration through large
a sword fight without swords: a jab here, a wood placements and partial removal of
swing there, lots of undercutting, and zero an unused concrete dam on Powell Creek
productivity.
at the request of the landowner. The dam
In October 1992, Jack invited currently impedes fish passage by creating
people on all sides of the controversy to a velocity barrier: the water flows so fast
a meeting at his house in the Applegate through the dam that fish cannot physically
Valley. Representatives from the timber swim through it. We are grateful to have
industry, federal and state agencies, and our partnerships with local landowners for
environmental groups attended, and an these projects.
eight-member board that encompassed
The APWC is a nonregulatory and
every perspective was chosen that day. nongovernmental agency. During our long
Despite widely varying viewpoints, the history, our organization and members
board operated from its very beginnings have been instrumental in some of
on the principle of complete consensus— the Applegate Valley’s most important
if a proposed action did not meet with ventures: the Applegater Newspaper, the
total approval by all board members, it Applegate Fire Plan, and the preservation
simply did not move forward. What has of Cantrall Buckley Park as a joint project
made the group successful over the last 25 between the citizens and the county.
years is a calculated, long-term effort to
The APWC staff and board members
focus on commonalities among members continue to strive for community
instead of differences and on areas of involvement and public outreach through
agreement rather than disagreement. In participation in local meetings and
the beginning of the partnership, all agreed gatherings and through our committees
that conflict could and should be handled and board meetings, lectures, and other
more reasonably, that discussions needed events, all of which are open to the
to remain at a local level, and that natural public—we believe that people have a right
resource management and environmental to actively participate in the management
quality are not mutually exclusive.
of their lands, waters, and community.
The extraordinary spirit of collaboration
We want to work with landowners
and participation of the original Applegate to improve these lands and waters for
people and wildlife. We work to provide
Partnership continues today.
Collaboration has had good results. funding to cover the cost of projects.
This year, the APWC will complete Potential projects include increasing the
several projects that will benefit people efficiency of irrigation systems; ditch
and wildlife in the Applegate Watershed. piping or sealing; installation of pumps;
One of those projects is to pull out the riparian fencing; removal of old and
Butcherknife Creek Road culvert, which, unused dams; improving fish passage at
in the early 1990s, easily allowed passage dams or culverts; and riparian restoration,
of migrating juvenile and adult salmonids, including blackberry removal and planting
according to an evaluation by natural of native plants so that people and wildlife
resource experts and road crews at that can once again have access to streams.
If you have ideas for a project on your
time. But 25 years later, the culvert had
property,
contact the energetic APWC
deteriorated and became a major safety
hazard for local residents and drivers along team at contact@apwc.info. We can
Butcherknife Creek Road, as well as a barrier acquire funding for projects and provide
to fish. A new bridge is scheduled to be technical assistance.
Laura Crane, APWC Intern
installed in late August 2017 thanks to
contact@apwc.info
private donations and state grants.
A heartfelt thanks
to all our firefighters!
This summer, as in summers past, with the heat and humidity came the lightning strikes and the
fires. Many fires are still raging all over southern Oregon as this paper goes to press.
To all our firefighters, thank you! Thanks to those on the front lines and those behind them who
plan and strategize and map. Thanks to those in command of vehicles of all sorts—from helicopters and
airplanes to trucks and busses. Thanks to those who provide various needed unknowns in support of
firefighting operations. We concur with Chamise Kramer, acting public affairs officer at Rogue River-
Siskiyou National Forest, who said, “We’re so proud of all of our personnel, our partners, and the people
coming to assist us with these fires!” Please accept this note of deep thanks and appreciation.
Firefighters on the lightning-caused Blanket Creek Fire, now part of the High Cascades Complex,
that has been burning since July 26, 2017. Photo courtesy of Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.