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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, May 11, 2011
IVHS office manager
set to retire
By Darcy Wallace
IVN Staff Writer
(Photo by Dan Mancuso, Illinois Valley News)
The Illinois Valley Garden Club had their annual plant sale Saturday, May 7 at
the County Building on Redwood Hwy.
Safe House garden nears fruition
By Darcy Wallace
IVN Staff Writer
A new community garden
in downtown Cave Junction
could be ready for residents to
begin planting by June 1.
Sign-ups for planting,
meanwhile, could start as early
as May 15.
The I.V. Safe House
Alliance held a work party
April 9 to till, remove rocks
and level a section of property
behind its building to make
room for 24 individual garden
plots about 120 square feet in
size.
According to Alliance
volunteer coordinator Marcy
Sowa, this project might never
have emerged without the help
of many individuals and local
businesses.
“It was a real community
effort,” Sowa said. “It was
amazing. When we first got
the Alliance building [in 2007]
all the staff wanted a garden,
but we didn’t think we’d
have the resources to pull it
together. But the community
just stepped up.”
Residents will be able
to rent plots for a suggested
donation of $40 per year
and a $20 refundable clean-
up deposit, though a limited
amount of scholarships will be
available.
Sowa said Harmony
Gardens has taken a lead on the
project. Additionally, Ewing
Irrigation provided hardware
for the garden water system,
with a well drilled by Clouser
Drilling. Suri Futures, one of
the largest alpaca farms in the
Valley, also provided “‘Paca
Poo” fertilizer. Good Earth
Organics will also provide
compost, just to name a few
contributors.
Sowa also credited Four
Way Community Foundation
and the Spiral Living Center
for their role in bringing a
community garden to Cave
Junction.
“It’s a really large
undertaking,” Sowa said.
“We’re looking to break
ground by June 1 but we really
need help still.”
According to Sowa, the
community garden “Wish
List” includes volunteer help
to build raised beds and haul
compost. Other supplies on the
wish list are organic compost,
cardboard, wood chips, 50-
foot hoses and garden tools.
Besides individual plots,
Sowa said IVSHA will partner
with local organizations and
groups for sustainability and
related projects. Conservation
or youth-centered groups and
organizations could arrange a
test plot to work on a garden
together. She said the Boys and
Girls Club already expressed
interest in a plot where
children and teens could learn
gardening.
Community
gardens
are not uncommon in
neighborhoods and urban
areas. Cities such as New York
have been known for starting
shared gardens to grow
flowers and fresh vegetables to
encourage growing local food
and sustainability. Community
gardens are also getting more
common in Portland, Eugene
and other Oregon cities and
towns.
Sowa said these types of
gardens also provide a place
for residents to learn skills and
tips from more experienced
gardeners.
“I used to think, what
is the point of a community
garden?” Sowa said. “But
people love to garden together.
The purpose is to engage the
community and get people
involved in a safe place.”
Illinois Valley High School office manager
Janie Pope recently decided it was time to retire
after this year, wrapping up a 25-year career at
the school.
Born in Grants Pass, Pope went to school
in the Valley and graduated from IVHS —
though she’d rather not mention what year.
“I have lived here [almost] all my life,”
Pope said. “After my husband [was] in the
service, we came back because we have a lot of
family here, and we’ve stayed ever since.”
Pope hasn’t always been office manager.
She started out on the kitchen staff for four
years, then moved to the front office. After
that, she was athletic secretary for 13 years, a
busy but rewarding job going back and forth to
various sporting events.
“I have three children and I wanted to
work [for the school] so I could be off work at
the same time they were off school,” Pope said.
“With young children I think it was important.
My husband worked full time…but this worked
out perfectly.”
Her last five years have been as IVHS
office manager. After 25 years, Pope will finally
depart from the Cougar lair to spend more time
with her husband and enjoying the outdoors.
Pope said that even as a student at Illinois
Valley, budget concerns remained a major
issue. But attendance has gone down over
the years, with about 365 students this year
instead of 525 when she started working. She
feels that difficulty finding work is one reason
for decreased enrollment, but that the natural
resources are what set the Valley apart.
“We don’t have the things to keep them
here,” Pope said. “There aren’t enough good-
paying jobs…but you have everything at your
back door: you can hike, bike, swim, go to the
snow park…and shopping really isn’t that far
away.”
When not at school, Pope is an avid biker,
taking periodic trips around the Northwest.
Recently, she and seven others took a 65-mile
“Monster Cookie ride” to Salem. Her next big
biking trip might be a cross-country excursion.
“My ultimate goal is to bike back to
Missouri where my brother lives,” Pope said.
(Photo by Darcy Wallace, Illinois Valley News)
Janie Pope looking forward to her long-deserved retirement. Photo from Tuesday,
May 10.
Senior Lunch
Menu
Sponsored by
THURSDAY, May 12
Hamburger Pacifica, Italian
blend vegetables, blushing
pears, cracked wheat roll,
rhubarb crisp
FRIDAY May 13
Peppered beef & onions,
whipped potatoes, Scandi-
navian blend vegetables,
rye bread, frosted cake
MONDAY MAY 16
Chicken fried steak w/
541
592-3562
country gravy, Capri blend
vegetables, dill wheat bread,
peanut butter bar
TUESDAY MAY 17
Teriyaki meatballs w/rice, ori-
ental blend vegetables, carrot
mandarin salad, seven grain
roll, peach crisp
WEDNESDAY MAY 18
Three cheese lasagna, country
trio vegetables, tossed salad,
garlic roll, Birthday Cake
Meals are served in the Cave Junction County Building.
541-592-2126, 541-955-8839
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