1 Fall 2021 Applegater
Photo by Linda Kappen • applegater.org
FALL 2021
Volume 14, No. 3
Applegate Valley Community Newsmagazine
Serving Jackson and Josephine Counties — Circulation: 13,000
Celebrating
~27~
Years
Betty and Barney Smith left
a legacy to Applegate wineries
BY DIANA COOGLE
The inside of a black market hoop house near Central Point that was raided by a multi-agency
task force in July. Similar operations in the Applegate are being targeted for code violations.
Photo: Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
New state funding boosts
hoop house code crackdown
BY TOM CARSTENS
Why is the Applegate Valley swamped
with plastic “hoop houses”? They’re not
necessarily for hemp, which normally does
just fine in an open field, but they are a
good idea for marijuana, partly because
light deprivation can spur growth, increase
the number of harvests, and boost the
plant’s tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the
chemical that enables the psychoactive
effect. Hemp THC content cannot legally
exceed 0.3 percent. But with marijuana,
the more the better (and the greater
the profit).
Since both crops are of the same
cannabis species and virtually identical
in appearance, some commercial growers
have chosen to subvert the regulations and
mix unregistered marijuana plants with
registered hemp grows.
This is not the route chosen by honest
farmers who obey the regulations and
produce legal cannabis. This is the route
chosen by folks who circumvent the law.
Hoop houses have the additional benefit
of shielding bootleg operations from
prying eyes.
So the Applegate Valley is seeing an
uptick in leased land with these hoop
houses. Landowners can command top
See REGULATORY HOOPS, page 3
Last fall, vineyard owners
in the Applegate mourned the
loss of two people intimately
associated with wine growing
in this area: Betty and Barnard
( Ba r n e y ) Sm i t h , o f T h e
Academy, at 18200 Highway
238, who both died in that sad
season of many losses.
Betty died on September 11,
2020, and Barney 18 days later,
on September 29. They had just
Betty and Barnard Smith of The Academy.
celebrated their 70th wedding
Photo:
From
the Wine of Southern Oregon collection,
anniversary in August. Both
courtesy of Southern Oregon University
died of Alzheimer-type illnesses.
Hannon Library Special Collections.
The Smiths left a remarkable
legacy. The Applegate is known as a wine- for the unique microclimate of their
growing region, with wines characteristic area. The Applegate’s AVA gives our
of the locale, in large part because it vineyards prestige and increases the price
is officially recognized as an American our winemakers can put on a bottle of
Viticultural Area (AVA), one of only 18 in Applegate wine.
Oregon. It has that important designation
In an article for vinepair.com about
because of the work of Barney Smith.
the process of obtaining an AVA from
What an AVA, also called an appellation the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and
of origin, means is that the grapes grown Firearms, Laura Burgess says, “From
in that area are distinct because of the analyzing soil maps to drafting boundary
particular attributes of the locale: climate, lines, there’s enough to discourage even
geology, soils, and so forth. It allows wines historically relevant wine-growing areas
made with at least 85 percent of the AVA from applying. In comparison, the IRS
area’s grapes to bear labels displaying that tax code sounds like fun.” But Barney
name. AVA is a distinction to be proud was up for the challenge, stuck with the
of, one that not only makes sommeliers process, and in 2001succeeded in having
nod wisely but gives grape growers and the Applegate recognized as an AVA.
wine makers a joint marketing approach
See BETTY AND BARNEY SMITH, page 2
Dragonfly Place: Park monument
to honor Grandmother Aggie
BY JANELLE DUNLEVY
The board of the Applegate Partnership
and Watershed Council (APWC) has
recently established a Cultural Committee
with a commitment to diversity and
inclusion. This committee is actively
seeking members to represent the broad
diversity of people who contributed to the
rich history of the Applegate Valley and
Rogue Basin. The Cultural Committee will
help introduce and authenticate history
and stories of the cultures living with and
on the lands in the Applegate, providing
education and interpretation at our public
parks and recreation sites.
The first project of the Cultural
Committee is to develop a memorial for
Agnes Baker Pilgrim, called “Dragonfly
Place,” at Cantrall Buckley County Park.
This memorial will also serve as a template
for Native American interpretive signs.
Agnes Baker Pilgrim, also known
as Grandmother Aggie, was a
celebrated Takelma Elder, a member
of the Confederated Tribe of the Siletz
Indians, and one of the 13 Indigenous
Grandmothers who advocated for our
mother earth. She was especially fond
of the Applegate Valley communities.
She passed in November 2019, yet her
enduring Indigenous wisdom lives on.
Dragonfly Place is a large multi-level
cement platform at Cantrall Buckley
County Park. This memorial will feature
Grandmother Aggie’s life, family, and
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Grandmother Aggie teaching about
Takelma ways with a traditional canoe
made by Gray Eagle and George Fence.
Photo: Julie Norman.
accomplishments, as well as the history
of her tribal groups both before and after
their removal to reservations. It is a place
where dragonflies thrive and visitors can
hear water flowing to the nearby Applegate
River, a peaceful place for remembering
and learning about this region’s earliest
inhabitants. The content for this memorial
site will be verified through Grandmother
Aggie’s family and the website dedicated
to her life.
The project includes design and
installation of a commemorative sign
for Grandmother Aggie and restoration
of the site’s surrounding area by removing
invasive species, releasing suppressed
native species, and reestablishing native
flora. The Cultural Committee will
also create a study area to facilitate
thought through interpretive and
educational materials.
The public is invited to support and get
involved in this first project of APWC’s
Cultural Committee. The project’s
funding goal is $20,000, including
more than $8,000 of in-kind volunteer
See DRAGONFLY PLACE, page 2
ISSUE
AGRICULTURE - WINE