Applegater., July 01, 2025, Page 15, Image 15

Applegater Summer 2025
15
The Applegate ahead
BY MEGAN FEHRMAN
Water, fire, new seasons—they all usher
in transitions and renewal. As summer
approaches, we at A Greater Applegate
(AGA) are welcoming new members to
our team, announcing new projects and
resources for the community, and taking
a new look at where we are headed in the
next few years.
We are thrilled to bring Chris Loeffler
on board as our Applegate Business
Network Manager. A southern Oregon
resident for over 25 years, Chris made
the Applegate his forever home in 2024.
Chris has worked for some of the biggest
brands in the world, as well as some of
the most treasured southern Oregon
small businesses. His goal in his new
position at AGA is to strengthen business
and community connections and bring
greater resources into the valley through
thoughtful partnerships and a robust
resource network.
Chris will be working with businesses
to develop and promote the new Local
Business Directory on ApplegateConnect.
org. He will also partner with Jackson
County’s Business Librarian to create
a Rural Entrepreneurs in Residence
Mentorship program, featuring one artist
and one farmer who will serve as teachers
and coaches for cohorts of new business
owners this fall and winter. We’ll also be
launching a “stay local” challenge as we
showcase the best the Applegate has to
offer during the Jacksaphine Count(r)y
Fair week in September.
You can find our new and improved
Wildfire and Emergency Resource page
at ApplegateConnect.org. With fire season
approaching, this is a one-stop (online)
shop for all things related to emergency
preparedness, protecting your property,
and responding to a disaster. This site
has been developed by Tucker Grinnan,
AGA’s Resilience Hubs Coordinator, and
vetted by our fire departments and other
experts in the field via the AV (Applegate
Valley) Forest and Fire Working Group.
Videos from the presentations at last
spring’s All Things Fire Fair are available
on AGA’s YouTube channel, including
a helpful presentation on property
insurance, prescriptions for safety, advice
for keeping access and escape routes safe,
and reminders of what we can all do to
become a more fire-adapted community.
AGA is working with community
members in Ruch and Williams to set up
a localized network of support, should an
emergency occur. These conversations are
being woven into the Community Wildfire
Protection Plan update spearheaded by
the Applegate Partnership and Watershed
Council. We are proud to be part of the
collaborative effort.
Speaking of collaborative efforts,
the Outdoor Recreation Working
Group is happy to announce that the
online recreation planner is now live on
WanderApplegate.com! This interactive
site allows you to plan family outings and
find the trails, parks, the river, and local
businesses. We’re still adding a few more
resources to the map, but it is live and
ready for you to use, so please check it
out before your next outdoor adventure.
You may have received our State of
A Greater Applegate impact report in
the mail. You can also find it online at
agreaterapplegate.org, along with our
Wildfire and Emergency Resources page on ApplegateConnect.org.
slideshow from the State of the Applegate
event last February, the completed
economic-drivers research, and a report
on our local business survey.
Community building is about
nurturing connections, building capacity,
taking community-led action, and
fostering a culture of rural resilience,
hope, and vitality. Please support A
Greater Applegate, if you can, so that
we can continue to support community-
based projects, lift up our local businesses,
and create more uniquely Applegate
experiences in 2025!
Megan Fehrman, Co-Executive Director
A Greater Applegate
541-702-2108
megan@agreaterapplegate.org