The Applegater

Applegater Winter 2014 3 WHO WE ARE The Applegate Valley Community N e w s p a p e r, I n c . i s a n o n p r o f i t 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to the publication of the Applegater newsmagazine, which, we feel, reflects the heart and soul of our community. Our Mission The nonprofit Applegate Valley Community Newspaper, Inc. (AVCN), provides the many rural and diverse communities of the Applegate Watershed with a communications vehicle, the Applegater newsmagazine, free of charge to all watershed residents. Our quarterly paper presents constructive, relevant, educational and entertaining reports on a wide variety of subjects such as: n natural resources n ecology and other science information n historical and current events n community news and opinions AVCN encourages and publishes differing viewpoints and, through the Applegater newsmagazine, acts as a clearinghouse for this diverse community. We are dedicated to working together with community members to maintain and enhance the quality of life that is unique to the Applegate Watershed. Acknowledgements The Applegater newsmagazine is published quarterly by the Applegate Valley Community Newspaper, Inc., and is funded by donations from our loyal readers and advertisements for local businesses. Special thanks to Diana Coogle, Haley May, Margaret della Santina and Paul Tipton for copy editing; Kaye Clayton, Diana Coogle, Kathy Kliewer, Mikell Nielsen, Paul Tipton, and Debbie and Don Tollefson for proofing; Beate Foit for bookkeeping; and webmaster Joe Lavine. Board of Directors Diana Coogle, Chair Debbie Tollefson, Secretary Chris Bratt, Treasurer Barbara Holiday J.D. Rogers Don Tollefson Greeley Wells Editorial Committee Chris Bratt Tom Carstens Barbara Holiday, Editor Rauno Perttu Sandy Shaffer Greeley Wells All articles, stories, opinions and letters that appear in the Applegater are the opinion and property of the author, and not necessarily that of t h e A p p l e g a t e r o r t h e A p p l e g a t e Valley Community Newspaper, Inc. PROTECTION OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL Any and all materials submitted f o r p u b l i c a t i o n m u s t b e o r i g i n a l ( n o r e p r i n t e d a r t i c l e s , p l e a s e ) and the intellectual property of the author unless otherwise credited. All articles submitted to the Applegater are subject to edit and publication at the newsmagazine's discretion. Letters to the editor cannot be more than 450 words. Opinion pieces and articles cannot exceed 750 words. Community calendar submissions must be brief. All photos submitted must be high resolution (300 dpi) or "large format" (e.g., 30" x 40"). Any questions, email gater@applegater.org. All submissions for our next issue must be received either at the address o r e m a i l b e l o w b y t h e d e a d l i n e . Applegater c/o Applegate Valley Community Newspaper, Inc. P.O. Box 14 Jacksonville, OR 97530 Email: gater@applegater.org Website: www.applegater.org Inside the Gater Behind the Green Door: e art of forestry ................................................ 21 Bird Explorer: e Buteo hawks of winter ................................................. 11 Cantrall-Buckley Park News...................................................................... 1 0 Dirty Fingernails and All: When is a cucumber not a cucumber? ................ 9 Grape Talk: Family, holidays and wine ..................................................... 1 7 Opinion Pieces ................................................................................... 18 - 21 Opinion—River Right: Gizmos in the water! ............................................ 2 0 Spiders: Phobias, hoaxes and hobos ............................................................ 6 e Common Buckeye event this year ........................................................ 13 e Starry Side: Two beauties bright and bold ............................................ 7 Time to help thy neighbor? ........................................................................ 14 Advertisers! We c a n h e l p y o u r e a c h y o u r market. The Applegater is the only n e w s m a g a z i n e c ov e r i n g t h e e n t i re Applegate Valley. With a circulation of 10,500 and a readership of over 20,000, we cover Jacksonville, Ruch, Applegate, Williams, Murphy, Wilderville, Wonder, Jerome Prairie and areas of Medford and Grants Pass. For more information, contact: • Jackson County—Terry Ross 541-621-8372 terrywrites4u@yahoo.com • Josephine County—Amber Caudell 541-846-1027 ambercaudell@ymail.com Next deadline: February 1 Photo Specs To be printable, all photos submitted must be high resolution (300 dpi) or "large format" (e.g., 30" x 40"). Masthead photo credit Liz Butler of Williams shot this colorful, frosty Oregon grape at Herb Pharm. We've stopped counting how many masthead photos have been Liz's. Editorial Calendar ISSUE DEADLINE SPRING (March-May)......February 1 Commerce / Community SUMMER (June-Aug)......May 1 Environment/ Fire / Recreation FALL (Sept-Nov)....... .....August 1 Agriculture / Wine WINTER (Dec-Feb).........November 1 Holiday / Arts FROM THE EDITOR Personal mailing label! One year: $14.99 Two years: $24.99 Mail us a check or pay online at www.applegater.org. A huge THANKS to the generous donors who recently contributed to the Applegater. Help us ensure that we have the ongoing support needed to publish the Applegater. All contributions are tax-deductible and receive recognition in the Applegater. Patron $1001+ Sustainer $501 - $1000 Contributor $201 - $500 Supporter $51 - $200 Sponsor $5 - $50 Please make your checks payable to Applegater and mail to: P.O. Box 14 Jacksonville, OR 97530 Donors: We strive to ensure that our donor list is accurate. Please contact us if there are errors or omissions. Dear Readers, We are in disbelief at how fast this year has gone by! It's already time to present our annual "Holiday / Arts" issue, and you'll find that arty articles abound—from a feature story on the art of photography (pages 1 and 23) to "e art of becoming a poet" (page 5) and " e art of forestry" (page 21). Some articles are about the art of maintaining our trails; one local trail is now an official Oregon Scenic Trail (page 12). As you explore these pages, you'll also find a few gift ideas as well as holiday events. And be sure to check out the ads—some advertisers are offering holiday discounts and holding special events. We're never short of opinion pieces and this issue doesn't disappoint. Get your fill of them on pages 18 through 21. For those of you who like to read the Gater online, we hope you enjoy our new format—it allows you to "turn the pages." Try it and let us know what you think. Visit www.applegater.org. And for you high-school students, we hope that you're as excited as we are about our first annual student essay contest. Read all about it on page 4 and be sure to print out the application and Rules and Guidelines from our website. We look forward to your participation! We hope you enjoy our latest issue. As always, feel free to send us your comments. We listen. Happy holidays to all! Barbara Holiday gater@applegater.org SUSTAINER Judie and Richard Cothrun, Applegate, OR CONTRIBUTOR Frank and Evie Ault, Jacksonville, OR SUPPORTER Anonymous, Grants Pass, OR (2) Anonymous, Jacksonville, OR Steve Armitage and Deb Kalmakay, Ashland, OR Dennis & Barbara Crawford, Williams, OR Judy Crowe, Grants Pass, OR R.B. Hodge, Grants Pass, OR Joan Peterson, Applegate, OR Strib & Sharon Schussman, Jacksonville, OR Janice Wilt, Jacksonville, OR SPONSOR Anonymous (2) Anonymous, Applegate, OR (3) Anonymous, Grants Pass, OR (9) Anonymous, Jacksonville, OR (3) Anonymous, Wilderville, OR Anonymous, Williams, OR Martha Auker, Glendive, MT Chuck & Donna Baird, Applegate, OR Janis Bogdanovich, Williams, OR Lester Burgwardt, Henderson, NV Jan Buur, Santa Barbara, CA Merridy & Glenn Cross, Williams, OR Robert & Helen Deltour, Williams, OR Emily Demmin, Jacksonville, OR Richard & elma Goodnough, Applegate, OR Pat Gordon, Jacksonville, OR Sandy Guches and Vera Guches, Hauser, ID eresa Selvy and Craig Harper, Jacksonville, OR Rich & Adrienne Hassanein, Jacksonville, OR OG & Lou Haynes, Applegate, OR Virginia James, Williams, OR Gary & Dolores Lisman, Jacksonville, OR Hal & Rosalind Macy, Jacksonville, OR Colleen McNamer, Grants Pass, OR Louise Nicholson, Applegate, OR Paul & Louisa Porter, Williams, OR Alan & Diana Potts, Jacksonville, OR Nancy Schmidt, Wilderville, OR P Street, Williams, OR Jack Van Syoc, Grants Pass, OR Alan & Cindy Voetsch, Ruch, OR

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