Applegater Winter 2017
7
NONPROFIT NEWS AND UPDATES
— Pacifica —
— A Greater Applegate —
Cantrall Buckley Park:
From community management to
community involvement
T h e B o a rd o f Di re c t o r s o f A
Greater Applegate (formerly GACDC)
has unanimously decided to transfer
management, operation, and responsibility
for Cantrall Buckley Park to Jackson
County Parks on or before February
1, 2018. The decision was made in
consultation with A Greater Applegate’s
Cantrall Buckley Park Committee, which
has been leading efforts to maintain and
enhance the park over the years.
If you have lived in the Applegate
Valley for a while, you may remember
how a financial crisis in 1996 led to
Jackson County’s decision to close Cantrall
Buckley Park. For many local residents,
then and now, Cantrall Buckley Park is
central to the life and history of the area
as one of the few places of public access to
the river. Community leadership refused
to allow Cantrall Buckley to close and
formed the “Parcommittee” under the
Applegate Partnership to keep the park
open under community operation through
a Participatory Agreement with the county.
That agreement was later assigned to
GACDC in 1998.
Now, more than two decades later, we
have come full circle. The county budget
has been strong for several years, and Steve
Lambert, program manager of Jackson
County Parks, has been working hard
to upgrade the county park system. The
recent construction of a large RV facility at
the Jackson County Expo in Central Point
was completed in-house—using county
staff, equipment, and knowledge—and has
been a huge success. A Greater Applegate’s
board and Park Committee believe that the
community can look forward to similar
successes at Cantrall Buckley, including
needed upgrades at the campground.
In its decision to transfer the park back
to the county, the board was mindful of the
tremendous work of so many community
volunteers who kept the park going these
past two decades. It is equally appreciative
of this opportunity that the county has
offered to ensure that the park continues
to serve the community and the region
far into the future. Cantrall Buckley is a
crown jewel of the Applegate Valley, and A
Greater Applegate has appreciated Jackson
County’s sensitivity and commitment to a
smooth and participatory transition.
Over the years, people throughout the
Applegate Valley and beyond have done so
much to celebrate and enhance the natural
beauty of Cantrall Buckley by leading
and participating in numerous volunteer-
driven projects. If you are one of those
volunteers, we expect these opportunities
to continue. We envision the county, A
Greater Applegate, and others continuing
to work together in a strong partnership
to ensure that the park remains open year-
round and that environmental projects like
the Monarch Wayside Garden and family
projects like the playground rebuild and
artwork continue to prosper.
For more than 20 years, the people
of the Applegate Valley have stepped up
to fund, clean, plant, weed, decorate,
and manage Cantrall Buckley Park.
That’s an amazing accomplishment in
an unincorporated rural area. So many
have so much to be very proud of that it’s
impossible to list all who have contributed
to this effort.
There are still many details to work
out, and we appreciate Park Committee
Chair Tom Carsten’s continued dedication
to moving this transfer forward. We also
wish to acknowledge Park Supervisor Rick
Barclay’s many years of dedicated service
to Cantrall Buckley Park, as well as his
support of the transition.
A Greater Applegate will work with
the county on a Memorandum of
Understanding detailing our ongoing role
in supporting the park and ensuring that
it remains a special place for all. Once the
management transfer is complete, the park
will be staffed year-round by a Park Host.
(See message from the county on page 10.)
As A Greater Applegate begins to
transition Cantrall Buckley back to the
county, it is also engaged in a planning
process to reclaim its original vision to
sustain and enhance the vitality of the
Applegate Valley. One example of that is
our partnership with the Applegater on the
new community website, Applegate Valley
Connect. Our board is currently engaged
in a planning process to identify other
priority projects for the new year. We will
have much to share in the next issue!
If you have questions or comments,
please submit them on the Contact page
of our website at gacdc.org. Everyone
is welcome to join us at an upcoming
community meeting hosted by the Park
Committee. (See box at top of page 10 for
more details.)
Seth Kaplan
Chair, A Greater Applegate
sethkap55@gmail.com
Paul Tipton
Vice-chair, A Greater Applegate
ptipton@frontier.com
— McKee Bridge Historical Society —
After local residents,
including McKee Bridge
Historical Society board
members, were at Level 3
evacuation notice (“Go!
Evacuate now!”) due to
the Miller Complex fires,
the annual meeting was
postponed until October 21. Highlighting
the October meeting was a very informative
presentation by Jan Wright, author of an
upcoming book about the life of John
Beeson. Volunteers who helped with our
Centennial Celebration were honored and
presented with Centennial t-shirts.
Centennial t-shirts are still available in
limited numbers at Ruch Country Store,
Tiffany’s Outpost, and the Applegate Store
and Café. Get yours before we run out.
In addition to supporting McKee Bridge,
the t-shirts will make great
holiday gifts!
Coming in March,
look for more information
about our special event on
the history of the Upper
Applegate. What happened
in your neighborhood 100
years ago? Or before or after? Stories of the
local history from a variety of speakers will
be featured in this neighborhood event,
along with a sharing of food and drink.
If you are interested in helping out or
have a story to tell, we want to hear from
you. Contact Paul Tipton at 541-846-
7501 or mckeebridge1917@gmail.com or
Dolores Lisman at 541-899-9929.
Paul Tipton • 541-846-7501
Chair, McKee Bridge Historical Society
mckeebridge1917@gmail.com
Pacifica’s Annual Winter Arts Festival is always full of interesting items from local vendors.
New and in progress
We finally have a new septic system…
after many years of hoping! Hopefully this
will be followed soon by real restrooms.
A big thank you to Tony Hyde for doing
such a great job of shepherding the project
through “the system,” getting it constructed
and then approved. Also, another big
thanks to Tony for the volunteer hours he
put in with his excavator to fix a drainage
problem. You’re great, Tony!
Irrigation and plans are forming for a
Fragrant Garden with a labyrinth and for
a pollinator garden with sections for bees,
butterflies, hummers, moths, and beetles.
It’s infinitely fascinating, so come and
enjoy the interpretive signage next spring.
In the meantime, we can always use help
with planting and weeding.
We are very excited to be making plans
to offer an outdoor school in spring 2018.
Outdoor School can be a three-day, two-
night visit or intensive daylong field trips
for one to three days. Fourteen years of
experience with the Caterpillar (Pacifica’s
science-nature trailer that goes to schools)
will help a lot with this new program.
With the patient, never-ending
volunteer help of Rose Nelson (Thank you
Rose!), more children’s animal costumes
have been added to our collection, which
now totals 20 with more to come. We have
a rabbit, a worm, a squirrel, a mouse, grass,
and a flower. If you like simple sewing, this
is a fun, ongoing project. The costumes
will be used by children in fun games and
discussions about how our world fits so
intricately together.
Contributions
It’s nearing the end of the year, when
many of us think about making tax-
deductible donations to nonprofits. We
hope you’ll remember Pacifica in your
plans. Anything and everything helps
(especially for the Caterpillar program).
We’ve learned that those who are 70½
years old are required by law to make
withdrawals from their retirement funds.
Some, or all, of the withdrawal can be
donated to a nonprofit, thus avoiding
having to pay tax on that income. One
Pacifica board member has already done
so. We thank you for any support you are
able to offer, in any form and at any time.
18 th Annual Winter Arts Festival
This year’s arts festival will be held on
Saturday, December 2, from 10 am to 4
pm. Admission is free. Works of 30 local
artists will be on display, including high-
quality, hand-made jewelry, ceramics, fiber
creations, leather, photographs, paintings,
and more. A variety of live music will be
presented by 12 groups at two sites, along
with good food and a friendly country
atmosphere. Children’s activities include
cookie decorating, photos, birdhouse
making, costumes, and more. And don’t
forget: art vendors, live music, and great
food can be found at the beautiful Pond
House, too! Just hop on the continuous
covered shuttle service between the two
buildings. Pacifica is located at 14615
Water Gap Road in Williams.
Peg Prag
541-660-4295
peg@pacificagarden.org
— Gift ideas from the Applegate Valley —
Help support the Applegater
by purchasing these unique items!
Book.
From the Heart of the Applegate anthology of original
essays, poems, and short stories contributed by Applegate Valley writers
in support of the Applegater. Available now for $16 at Amazon.com
and applegater.org; Applegate Valley Realty, Jacksonville; Bloomsbury
Books, Ashland; Oregon Books, Grants Pass; Rebel Heart Books,
Jacksonville; and Terra Firma, Jacksonville.
Planter.
Beautiful planters called “Applecrates,” built with
donated local wood and volunteer labor, are available to purchase.
See these useful and long-lasting “Applecrates” at Applegate Valley
Realty, 935 N. Fifth Street, Jacksonville. A price of a stock planter
box (see photo), 12” wide x 22” long x 14” deep, starts at $40. For
more information, call Chris Bratt at 541-846-6988.