2 Spring 2021 Applegater
Welcome to new
Applegater board member,
Mike Schneider
The Applegater Board of Directors is pleased to welcome its newest member,
Mike Schneider.
Mike, who lives with his wife, Liv, on North Applegate Road, has brought a
passel of experience and talent to our board. As principal of his own management
consulting firm, MAS Associates, he guided and advised companies seeking
to maximize returns on their consumer databases. Prior to that, he served as
president and CEO of Affinity Group (now called Good Sam Enterprises, Inc.),
a $500-million consumer services company then based in Ventura, California
(now in Illinois).
Besides this valuable business experience, Mike brings practical knowledge from
work in both law and journalism and from having served on numerous boards.
In his interview for the position with the Applegater, Mike emphasized how
much he and his family, all of whom read the Applegater, love the Applegate.
They feel fortunate to be here. Mike thinks the Applegater helps people, and he
said he would like to help the paper do that.
Though he still makes periodic trips to California, his life is increasingly
Applegate-focused.
The interviewing committee said of him, “We were impressed by Mike’s
friendly, humble personality. His responses were forthcoming, thoughtful, and
responsive to our inquiries. He seemed intelligent, good-humored, gregarious,
and well-meaning.”
Sounds like a good fit for the Applegater! Welcome, Mike.
The Applegater
gater@applegater.org
■ APPLEGATE LODGE
Continued from page 1
relieved to have now given that job to a
wedding coordinator.
One day, unexpectedly, Gordon
Ramsay, from the reality TV show Hotel
Hell, called, wanting to do an episode at
the lodge. “The show brought us a lot of
curiosity and a lot of publicity,” Joanna
says, “good or bad. At least, it brought
the boys together. And Gordon Ramsay
treated me like a queen,” she adds. The
show aired on August 4, 2014.
“It’s been a journey,” Joanna says,
reminiscing. “Sometimes I would call
this a ‘cursed effin’ place,’ and in the next
moment I knew I loved it. I’m honored to
have been a steward of this property. All
the family feel that way. We put our hearts
and souls into it. It’s the saddest thing to
let it go.”
Nonetheless, she says, “It’s time to
see if we can accomplish something else
in the time we have left. I’m 71. If not
now, when?”
When the lodge sells, she will buy a
motor home and travel.
But until then, Joanna and her family
are still around. They still give 50 entrees a
week to the Compassion Highway Project
in Medford, a service Dusty started last
■ PARAGLIDING
Continued from page 1
words, to be eligible to participate in the
event, pilots must show proof of COVID
vaccination at least 10 days prior to
the sign-in date or provide documentation
of a negative COVID test within 72
hours of signing in. Pilots who don’t
comply with these protocols will be barred
from competing.
Competitors float over Woodrat Mountain
during a paragliding event.
Photo: Dan Wells.
The front entrance of the lodge.
Photo: Diana Coogle.
March. They have been repainting and
repairing while the restaurant is closed for
the pandemic.
Joanna recognizes the specialness of the
lodge to the Applegate. She intends to see
that it stays special to the community she
loves and has served for 29 years.
Diana Coogle
diana@applegater.org
While we understand this will
hinder some from participating, it is the
appropriate step in assuring public safety.
We hope this assurance will offer peace of
mind to local businesses that will certainly
see an increase in patrons during the
event week. Please feel free to contact the
organizer for more information by email
at AO-organizer@RVHPA.org.
Additionally, we are excited to
announce that this year’s event will be
hosted by Wells Land Vineyard. The team
at Wells Land is well versed in coordinating
and providing events from concerts to
weddings. Check out Wells Land Vineyard
on Facebook and learn more about this
local gem.
While the event is subject to
cancellation, we are really looking forward
to sharing this amazing sport with you.
Look for the Applegate sky to be filled
with gliders this June 19-26.
Terri Stewart, President
Rogue Valley Hang Gliding and
Paragliding Association
president2019@RVHPA.org
Spotlighting Applegate Valley’s
diversity: forging a new vision
BY BARBARA SUMMERHAWK
The initial Zoom meeting
of the Applegate Partnership
a n d Wa t e r s h e d C o u n c i l ’s
(APWC) Cultural Committee
brought together multicultural
representatives from across the
valley and beyond to create
a more visible presence of the
first people on the land and
the various communities who
later had claims on and settled
in the Applegate. According
to committee organizer and
longtime valley resident, Janis
Mohr-Tipton, the purpose of
the Applegate Cultural Committee
The planned Takelma Grandmother’s Memorial Site
is “to create a forum for stakeholders
at Cantrall Buckley Park will honor
that will help us develop a process
Agnes Baker Pilgrim, who passed away in 2020.
to ensure authentic interpretive
and educational materials that
clearly represent the history and
culture of all early peoples of the
Applegate Valley and beyond:
Tribal, Black, Chinese, Hawaiian,
and White inhabitants.”
The committee’s first project will
be in the Applegate watershed. Janis
hopes it will have a “rippling-out”
benefit to a much larger region.
The “virtual” table seated 23
participants with a wide range of
Janis Mohr-Tipton at the future memorial site
talent, experience, enthusiasm,
for Agnes Baker Pilgrim.
and identities. They represented
Photo: Jonathan, Jackson County Parks.
the Agnes Pilgrim Legacy Fund,
Oregon Black Pioneers,
Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Native American heritage and flora
Indians, Confederated Tribes of Grand surrounding the area.
Ronde, Cow Creek Tribe of Umpqua,
The second project will use a flat area
McKee Bridge Historical Society, of the park for a visual exhibit, future
community supporters, multigenerational storytelling events, and presentations on
settlers, and staff and board members cultural icons and historical events, with
o f A P WC . T h e Bu re a u o f L a n d room for informative and recreational
Management, Woodland Charter School, interactive activities.
Ruch Outdoor Community School
At the committee meeting, Zachary
(ROCS), and the “Upriver to Morning” Stocks, executive director of Oregon
Environmental and Cultural Education Black Pioneers (Oregon’s Black historical
Program represented the environmental society), told the story of Ben Johnson and
and cultural education field.
the renaming of Negro Ben Mountain.
The focus of this first meeting, besides Because the park sits at the foot of Ben
introducing the purpose and the interested Johnson Mountain, it is the perfect setting
parties, was to build interest in two for a cultural area and exhibit telling the
projects proposed at Cantrall Buckley story of this pioneer. (You can also read
Park. The first project is to honor about Ben Johnson in a front-page story
Grandmother Agnes Taowhywee (Morning by Suzie Savoie in the winter 2020 issue
Star) Baker Pilgrim, Takelma Indian of the Applegater.)
Elder of the Confederated Tribes of
Participants at the inaugural meeting
Siletz, who passed away last year. The were excited to discuss ideas about using
second is to create a cultural demonstration stationary and portable traveling exhibits
area at the park. Developing this area for telling authentic history and stories.
will help us brainstorm future projects They discussed funding possibilities and
about the valley’s cultural heritage and opportunities for community members
how to present it.
to engage in and contribute toward these
First out of the post-pandemic gate cultural resources. They also suggested
will be Takelma Grandmother’s Memorial partnering with a number of other history-
Site at Cantrall Buckley Park, led by oriented groups to create a cultural trail
Jackson County Parks manager, Steve throughout the Applegate watershed
Lambert. Grandmother Agnes was revered and beyond.
as a treasure by her people and by many
The APWC is excited to support
communities, local to international. The this committee’s work by including
website of the International Council of biocultural information on signage and
Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers quotes in educational materials of our Outdoor
her: “We grandmothers have come from Education Program.
far and wide to speak the knowledge we
All at this inaugural meeting felt the
hold inside. In many languages we have importance of the work of rediscovering
been told it is time to make the right and celebrating all our diverse roots. If
changes for our families, for the lands we you are interested in working with the
love. We can be the voice for the voiceless. APWC Cultural Committee or would like
We are at the threshold. We are going to more information, contact Janis Mohr-
see change.”
Tipton at janis.agapark@gmail.com or
The APWC will work with the applegatepartnership.org.
cultural committee participants and
Barbara Summerhawk
volunteers to plan and restore native
Board Member
plant species around the memorial area
Applegate Partnership and
and add seating, a guided nature trail,
Watershed Council
and interpretive signage describing our
barbara@apwc.info
