COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL June 29, 2016
On the farm:
Food systems
report details
production,
access
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
T
he aging-out of a generation of
farmers and the effects of an on-
going recession were among the many
challenges to the production and access
to food in Lane and Douglas counties
highlighted in a presentation at Cottage
Grove’s Healing Matrix last week.
Jules Reynolds, an Americorps vol-
unteer with the Resource Assistance for
Rural Environments (RARE) program,
offered details of a 10-month food sys-
tems assessment for southern Lane and
northern Douglas counties on Tuesday,
June 21, a report that Reynolds said
aims to “tell the story” of food produc-
tion and access in these areas.
She said her report, which will be
presented again in upcoming public set-
tings, was made possible with support
from the Oregon Food Bank. The report
included information on the communi-
ties of Creswell, Cottage Grove, Elkton,
Drain, Yoncalla and Dorena, communi-
ties that Reynolds grouped together as
their own agricultural region that have
some connection to the population cen-
ters of Eugene and Springfi eld.
Reynolds said she served as an “out-
side observer” for local events such
as cgFeast and helped organize the
South Valley Farmers Network during
her time here, which also included her
own personal experience of local food
systems. She also spoke of progress in
connecting local children to local food
Please see FOOD, Page 10A
Into the wild
Library's 'Nature for Kids' program offers
lessons beyond the books
BY GORDON OKUMU
For the Sentinel
O
n a warm Friday morning, area kids and their parents
started steaming into the Cottage Grove Library for its
Nature for Kids trip to Rujada campground. The excitement in
their faces couldn’t go unnoticed, and library stuff and a few
volunteers and parents prepared the kids for a big day out.
The bus left at 8:15 a.m. and soon arrived at the fi rst destina-
tion, Row River Nature Park. Here, the kids started warming
up for the day’s events.
After the warm-up and yoga, all went back to the bus for a
40-minute drive into the deep forest.
Different plants were shown to the kids, who learned their
names. The Douglas fi r tree was of interest as the kids were
taught of its dominance in the Rujada forest and the impor-
tance of its thick back in situations of forest fi res.
As the hiking went on, the kids came across the Oregon
grape plant, an evergreen shrub growing to about three feet
tall whose scientifi c name is Mahonia aquifolium. It fea-
tures pinnate leaves consisting of spiny leafl ets and is used
for stomach ulcers, gastroesophageal refl ux disease, stomach
upset, as a bitter tonic, to treat infections and to cleanse the
bowels. It was one of the most interesting plants for the kids.
Nature learning was courtesy of Krista Lynn Farris, a botanist
at US Forest Service-Umpqua National Forest.
The kids went on hiking the mountain and walking about
1.5 emiles.
“What an exciting experience; I want to come back this way
every time you guys organize this kind of an event” one of the
kids said to the organizers.
Coming back under the mountain where the hiking had
began from, the kids were served lunch and after lunch they
formed groups where some kids were playing soccer, others
learning how to play ukulele, others learning yoga while oth-
ers participated in painting.
After a couple minutes in this, it was time for the kids to
go make ice cream. Later, as adults watched over them, the
kids played in the water, swam, jumped and had fun walking
3A
Search for man missing
since 2012 continues
T
he Cottage Grove Police De-
partment says it is continuing
its search for a man who disappeared
from the area over four years ago.
On Feb. 14, 2012, Robert Richard-
son, then 60 years old, disappeared
after family lost contact with him ear-
lier that day. Richardson had report-
edly told family that his vehicle would
be on Gowdyville Road at Milepost 3
just west of Cottage Grove, and his
red Ford Ranger pickup was located
there. It is believed he may have dis-
appeared from that aera and may have
had a bicycle with him.
Richardson is described as a white
male about six foot, one inches tall
and weighing 280-300 pounds. He
wears glasses and has limited mobil-
ity.
Detective Doug Skaggs with CGPD
said that the department is reviewing
its case fi les, adding that Richard-
son’s disappearance is the only un-
solved missing person’s report cur-
rently on fi le there. He said police are
“fairly certain” that Richardson had
help
leaving
the area.
“ Wa l k i n g
was quite an
ordeal for him,
and he left ev-
erything you’d
normally take
with you — a
cell phone, wal-
let, etc. — at
Robert
home,” Skaggs
Richardson
said. “We think
somebody else was involved. Some-
body knows where he is.”
Skaggs said Richardson may have
enlisted help to end his life, though
without more details, it’s diffi cult to
determine exactly what happened.
“Let’s bring him home,” Skaggs
said. “Closure is needed.”
Those with any information regard-
ing Richardson’s whereabouts are
urged to contact Skaggs at dskaggs@
cgpolice.org or by phone at 541-942-
9145 x. 140.
Sigh of Relief luncheon
details Nursery efforts
BY SAM WRIGHT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
L
photo by Gloria Campuzano
Dakota Roth gives a thumbs-up to the Nature for
Kids program and its trip to Rujada campground.
in the creek.
The Library will offer trips through its Nature for Kids pro-
gram through the end of August, though the trip to Spirit Falls
on July 15 has reached capacity. It also offers trips for teens
aged 13-17 through the Teen Adventures program. On Friday,
July 1 at noon, sign-ups will begin for a trip to Dorena Lake
for the kids on July 29 and to the Cascades Raptor Center on
Aug. 26, in addition to teen trips to Dorena on Aug. 15 and the
Wildlife Safari in Winston on Aug. 19.
ast Tuesday, June 21, the Fam-
ily Relief Nursery hosted its
annual Sigh of Relief luncheon at
Cottage Grove High School to raise
awareness of the Nursery and raise
funds for its cause of helping troubled
families. Over 200 individuals fi lled
the high school’s cafetorium, all with
intention to help support and donate
to the Nursery.
The event started on a happy note
with the presentation of the Betty
Wright Good Neighbor Award to
Cynthia Sharp and John Hogan.
Although only an hour, the event
was fi lled with heavy emotions, as
the Nursery has made a huge impact
on the lives of many Grovers and
their children.
Executive Director Diane Hazen
expressed her awe and gratitude of
the attendance.
“As I look around the room I’m
inspired by such an amazing combi-
nation of people,” she said. “We have
legislators, civic leaders, business
leaders, staff, former clients, current
clients, we have volunteers and we
have concerned citizens; it’s an amaz-
ing combination of people.”
The Nursery is the fi rst of its kind
in the state of Oregon, and many who
attended had a chance to share what
the nursery had done for them. Em-
cee Larry Tardie roamed the room to
pass the microphone off to anyone
who was willing to share. It was hard
for a lot of those sharing to hold back
their tears.
The most memorable story came
from guest speaker Nicole Cary, who
benefi ted immensely through the Re-
lief Nursery. Cary struggled through
a methamphetamine addiction while
she became pregnant and gave birth
to her fi rst child. With an absent fa-
ther and a mother facing jail time,
Cary’s son was given support through
the Nursery.
“I’m so happy for the help they’ve
given my son and even myself,” she
said. Cary started serving a short jail
sentence today to take responsibility
for a car crash she was involved in.
She noted that she knows her child
will be in loving and caring hands at
the Nursery.
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