The Applegater

Applegater Winter 2020 3 Map: Bureau of Land Management (slightly altered by Annette Parsons). Applegate Partnership board member Janis Mohr-Tipton, second from left, hands a $1,000 Momentum Grant check to Liz Shen, co-chair of the Provolt Volunteer Team. Also present are, at left, Cathy Rodgers of A Greater Applegate, Tom Carstens, Barbara Chasteen, and Caleb Galloway. Photo: Joelle Jorissen. Birders enjoy an outing at the Provolt Rec Site. Photo: Tom Carstens. Are you ready to volunteer? The Pr ov o l t Vo l u n t e e r Te a m h a s b e e n o r g a n i z e d t h r o u g h t h e A p p l e g a t e Pa r t n e r s h i p & Wa t e r s h e d C o u n c i l (APWC). This group of volunteers and staff members is working together to give the Bureau of Land Management ( B L M ) Gr a n t s Pa s s Fi e l d O f f i c e , their ne w Recreation Planner, and their Outdoor Education Specialist a jumpstart at developing the Provolt Recreation Site. The volunteer team is an eclectic group of fifteen people from all walks of life. Our commonality is our love for the outdoors and our dedication to making this special site on the banks of the Applegate River a destination for everyone in our community. Despite COVID-19, smoke, and the heat, the team and its partners from the BLM have made a good start and hope to get some on-the-ground projects started soon in two of the four recreation management zones (RMZ). (See map.) B L M r e - o p e n e d R M Z A t h i s s u m m e r. T h i s 8 6 - a c r e a r e a f r o n t s the Applegate River across from the Volunteer opportunities abound at Provolt Recreation Site BY PROVOLT VOLUNTEER TEAM MEMBERS AND APWC STAFF Provolt Store. Visitors to RMZ A can enjoy hiking, biking, horseback riding, fishing, picnicking, kayaking, wildlife viewing, or just plain ol' hangin' out. This area is open Thursday through Sunday, year-round, from sunrise to sunset (we're hoping for expanded days in the future). I m p r ov e m e n t s s o f a r i n c l u d e a paddlers' launch ramp and a short t r a i l , r e c e n t l y i n s t a l l e d t h r o u g h an Eagle Scout Project by Graeme Wiltrout (see story in this edition of the Applegater). The Education Trail will be the focal point for outdoor education in partnership with BLM and the Applegate Partnership's Youth Environmental Ste wardship " YES" program. BLM is funding an entry kiosk, which the volunteers will help install, to welcome visitors and educate them about the site. E arlier th is sum m er a group of volunteers gathered and pulled star thistle near the parking area, an effort that had an amazing impact on the small treated area. We hope to have m o re e ve n t s t o h e l p e r a d i c a t e t h e invasive weeds around this site. Finally, we're planning and fundraising for a one-mile river-walk trail in the riparian area of the Applegate River where invasive blackberries have been treated and native plants reestablished by the APWC restoration program. RMZ B, located on the west side of Williams Creek is designated as the disc golf area in BLM planning. The only thing this zone is limited in is funding, because the possibilities are great. Calling all equestrians! BLM has designated RMZ C as a 155-acre equestrian riding area with almost five miles of gravel or dir t r o a d s n e t w o r k i n g t h r o u g h o u t f o r great horse trails. BLM has plans to open this area for equestrian use as soon as funding for a few required critical elements, such as a safe point of entry, turnaround, and parking area on Williams Highway, can be obtained and installed. Recently, the volunteer team helped prepare an application for a Momentum Grant from A Greater Applegate. The APWC received a $1,000 grant to duplicate and install the Applegate Wa t e r s h e d M a p , d e s i g n e d b y t h e APWC for Cantrall Buckley. We are very excited to have this map in two public parks in the Applegate. (See photo.) The volunteer team experts and the APWC have been instrumental in preparing and submitting federal grants for infrastructure and recreation needs at this site, reaching a total of $286,000 to help fund infrastructure, recreation development, interpretive signage, and future upland restoration projects at the site. Some of these p l a n n e d i m p r o v e m e n t s i n c l u d e improved parking areas, vault toilets, information kiosks with maps and interpretive information, picnic tables, and barbecue grills. T h e A P W C a n d t h e P r o v o l t Volunteer Team are working with the BLM Grants Pass Field Office to fund and implement these improvements at this community gem. Please join us and help facilitate the transition from the seed orchard into a quality recreation site for everyone. We're especially in need of grant writers at the moment. Feel free to contact the APWC Provolt Project Manager, Caleb Galloway (caleb@apwc. info), or Provolt Volunteer Team Chair, Elizabeth Shen (provolt@apwc.info). If you need more information about equestrian trail planning, we will gladly forward your information to the team's equestrian experts. Janelle Dunlevy, Executive Director Applegate Partnership & Watershed Council janelle@apwc.info, 541-899-9982 PO Box 899 Jacksonville, OR 97530

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