Applegater Winter 2020
15
Protecting a natural gem:
Keeping Pipe Fork intact
BY CHERYL BRUNER
Freezing
Temps
from Tami Quinn Hollenbeck
It seems like it was just 80°
outside - but the weather man
predicts freezing temps!
We want you to be prepared
for this freezing cold weather.
It is time to make sure your
pipes are insulated, and that
your pump house is clean and
warm. If the temp is below
freezing for a couple of days
we suggest leaving a faucet
running at a trickle. There is
nothing more frustrating than
waking up to no water to
make coffee or brush your
teeth.
Our qualified staff is ready
to help you prepare for win -
ter. If you want some help just
give us a call. Most of the time
we can be at your doorstep
the same day you call. We can
check the overall health of
your pump system at the same
time we get it all ready for the
winter. Preventative main -
tenance prevents disaster.
Don’t forget, even though it
is light outside the tempera -
tures can be below freezing,
so keep that faucet running!!
When you call us, a LIVE
person answers the phone.
Have an after hours emer -
gency? We have an emergency
technician standing by to help!
Water is a geological cock -
tail so drink MORE water!
Call us Mon. - Fri. 8 - 5, you’ll
have a live person answer the
phone that is ready to help you!
Quinn’s Well, Pump and Water Filtration is
located at 6811 Williams Hwy. We install,
maintain and repair complete water pumping
systems, and we offer a complete line of water
filtration equipment. Contact our professional
staff by phone, e-mail, or visit our office.
www.quinnswell.com
CCB #192047
541-862-9355
541-772-7867
Last summer, after the Josephine
C o u n t y C o m m i s s i o n e r s re c e i v e d
m o re t h a n 5 0 0 l e t t e r s o b j e c t i n g
to their plans to clear-cut in
Wi l l i a m s’s Pi p e Fo r k w a t e r s h e d ,
t h e y a g re e d t o d e l a y t h e t i m b e r
sale till next spring to give the
Williams Community Forest
Project ( WCFP) time to find an
alternative solution.
The best solution we’ve found
is for BLM to buy the land. The
agency wants to incorporate it into
the existing Research Natural Area
adjoining the property, purchasing
it with money from the Land
a n d Wa t e r C o n s e r v a t i o n F u n d
( LW C F, f u n d e d b y C o n g r e s s ) .
WCFP is looking for a conservancy
organization to buy the property in
the meantime and hold it till BLM
acquires the money.
Pi p e Fo rk i s a g e m w o r t h y o f
this protection:
(1) It feeds East Fork Williams
Cre e k , c o n t r i b u t i n g t o d o m e s t i c
and agricultural water for residents
and businesses.
(2) Logging its steep, highly
erodible soils (see BLM’s “Williams
Wa t e r s h e d A n a l y s i s ” ) , w o u l d
increase silt and temperatures in
the creek and have a detrimental
effect on the fish in the tributaries
to Williams Creek.
(3) Clear-cuts, by exposing the
forest floor, limit the land’s ability
Pipe Fork is the name of a creek that flows into East Fork Williams Creek south of Williams.
Photo: Kevin Peer.
to hold water, contributing to a
dr ying climate and a drier region.
(4) Pipe Fork is a beautiful creek. It
tumbles down the steep mountainside
with a series of gorgeous waterfalls
and is home to the easternmost range
of the Port Orford cedar and to giant
Douglas firs and incense cedars.
Pipe Fork has been nominated
as a Wild and Scenic River. That
designation would help LWCF look
favorably on a purchase by BLM.
If you would like to contribute to
the effort to save Pipe Fork, you can:
( 1 ) w r i t e S e n a t o r Wy d e n i n
support of the Wild and Scenic
nomination,
(2) write a letter to the county
commissioners at Josephine
County Commissioners, 500 NW
6 t h St re e t , De p t 6 , Gra n t s Pa s s ,
OR 97526,
(3) put up a yard sign, or
(4) take a hike in the area.
Cheryl Bruner
Williams Community Forest Project
info@
williamscommunityforestproject.org
Free anti-
overdose drugs
distributed
Free distribution of life-saving
overdose medication and HIV tests is
set for 10:30 am to 1:30 pm Sunday,
December 6, at the Sugarloaf Center,
206 Tetherow Road, in Williams.
Volunteers from the nonprofit
group Rogue Harm Reduction will
offer free doses of naloxone to take
home, along with instructions for use.
They’ll also have fentanyl test strips,
take-home HIV tests, and overdose
response training.
Safety protocols include masks,
gloves, and social distancing.
Rogue Harm Reduction, a
volunteer-run, nonprofit health
collective, promotes community
wellness and harm reduction strategies
in response to substance use disorders
and other community health concerns.
We host these events the first Sunday
of each month.
For more information, email
rogueharmreduction@gmail.com.
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