The Applegater

1 Winter 2019 Applegater Nonprofit Org US Postage PAID Permit #125 Medford OR ECRWSSEDDM Local Postal Customer WINTER 2019 Volume 12, No. 4 Serving Jackson and Josephine Counties — Circulation: 13,000 Applegate Valley Community Newsmagazine Celebrating Years Photo by Linda Kappen applegater.org ISSUE HOLIDAY - ARTS See HOLIDAY CATERING, page 4. Applegate caterers dish up holiday advice BY HALEY MAY PETERSON You might have heard a rumor that Josephine County is opening a new park near Provolt. Well, that rumor's false. What's really happening is that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) just opened a new recreation site at the old Provolt Seed Orchard at 14171 Williams Highway. e site lies along the banks of the Applegate River near its confluence with Williams Creek, where Samuel and Mary Provolt settled in 1895. Technically BLM can't call it a "park"— in the federal system that takes an act of Congress. So BLM is calling it a "recreation area." (Maybe we can call it a "park.") Whatever it's called, the site has been a big hit right from the start. Opening the third weekend in October, the park welcomed over 100 visitors, including a ton of bird watchers. In 1982 BLM bought the 294 acres of farmland to use as a high-quality seed production site to replace Douglas fir and some sugar pine after wildfires and timber harvests. Having fulfilled its purpose, the site was decommissioned after 32 years. In 2016, BLM came out with a big new recreation plan that included the seed orchard property. To its credit, BLM sought advice from the Applegate Valley BLM opens new park in the Applegate BY TOM CARSTENS community. e Applegate Partnership and Watershed Council (APWC) took the lead in marshaling the suggestions that came pouring in. BLM then took these ideas and designed a recreation site to accommodate many types of uses. is year and last, they held several public meetings to further refine the details. In May, after the Grants Pass Field Office signed off on the final plan, BLM employees got to work. Under the direction of Todd Neville, the Grants Pass assistant field manager for recreation, they've made a lot of progress to get the site ready for visitors. Trails. Already BLM has converted most of the site's existing road system to 2.5 miles of beautiful trails for hikers, bikers, and equestrians. River access. Several access points are available for swimmers and anglers, and a nice gravel ramp was built to accommodate paddlers and floaters. Day use. Eight picnic tables have been placed on lovely shaded sites along the river. Portable toilets are strategically located. ere are two parking areas. Wildlife watching. e site is rampant with wildlife. Visitors have viewed Top photo, left: Sean Crandall from Murphy fishes for the big one. Top photo, right: The pond at the park is prime habitat for the western pond turtle. It is also for the enjoyment of anglers. (Rumor has it that there are bass in there.) Photos: Tom Carstens. Bottom photo: A trio of equestrians enjoys the trails available for hikers, bikers, and equestrians. Photo: Christina Beslin. See PROVOLT PARK, page 15. An essential part of business has always been its "design"— the visuals that present the business to the public. ink about the signs hanging outside English pubs. In days gone by, these street signs were "brand re c o g n i t i o n" f o r p l a c e s o f commerce. Since the emergence of the internet and social media, a business's website has become that street sign. Businesses seek artists who specialize in online design: websites, social media pages, logos that stand out in a digitized world. Today, says Ann Nguyen (pronounced "Win"), of Idyllwild Studio in the Applegate, "websites are the storefront." Applegate artists who do design— such as Noel Ruiz and Ann Nguyen of Idyllwild Studio; Laurel Briggs, of Creative A good designer will make your business look good BY DIANA COOGLE Marketing and Design; and Gregg Payne, a designer and sculptor who lives in Ruch— must consider the same kinds of things a Designers Ann Nguyen and Noel Ruiz, of Idyllwild Studio, at the Oregon Country Fair. See APPLEGATE DESIGNERS, page 22. H o l i d a y s a r e synonymous with food. But between arranging lodging, accommodating restricted d i e t s , a n d s t r u g g l i n g with colds and flus, we sometimes don't feel like cooking. Luckily, when that happens, we can call on some great catering services in our valley. Chef James Daw e Perfect Bite is run by Chef James Daw, who believes in fresh food that is full of life, inspired by the Chinese term "wok hei," or the "breath of the wok." Working onsite, he services birthdays, work parties, and buffets, from intimate dinners to weddings. Holidays remind James of his mother's Vietnamese spread with copious amounts Chef James Daw of The Perfect Bite. of pho (a rich noodle soup) and banh xeo (rice crepes filled with mung beans, pork, and shrimp). But for him, holidays are about more than food; they are about reveling i n t o g e t h e r n e s s . E s p e c i a l l y a s y o u g e t o l d e r, t h e s e t i m e s a re a precious opportunity to reconnect. is year, he urges you to remember that the meal is "just food" so be kind to yourself! ere's a lot of self-induced pressure, perhaps from television shows that make cooking look effortless. e real challenge is time-management, so don't over-complicate. He is always willing to take a call if you get into a bind. He also •

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