The Applegater

Applegater Summer 2016

The Applegater - The best (okay, only) nonprofit newsmagazine serving the Applegate Valley with interesting, relevant and educational articles written by community members.

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Applegater Summer 2016 1 SUMMER 2016 Volume 9, No. 2 Serving Jackson and Josephine Counties — Circulation: 11,000 Applegate Valley Community Newsmagazine Photo by Sue Owen www.applegater.org Applegate Valley Community Newspaper, Inc. P.O. Box 14 Jacksonville, OR 97530 Celebrating Years Nonprofit Org US Postage PAID Permit #125 Medford OR ECRWSSEDDM Local Postal Customer Meet your new fire chief ~23~ Want a thrill? Try these outdoor recreations not for the faint of heart BY DIANA COOGLE See WANT A THRILL, page 12 BY SANDY SHAFFER See CHIEF FILLIS, page 11 SCHMIDT FAMILY VINEYARDS 6 - 9 PM • FEATURING THE EVENING SHADES BAND DINNER • WINE & BEER • SILENT AUCTION • TICKETS ON SALE JUNE 1 Applegate Store, Applegate Valley Realty- Jacksonville, Hidden Valley Market Ray's-Jacksonville, Ruch Country Store www.applegater.org • $50 PER PERSON Includes dinner and 1 glass of wine Must be over 21. No pets. Tickets will not be sold after June 21 and will not be available at the door. All proceeds benefit the Applegater newsmagazine. No refunds; all sales final. • SPONSORS • O u r n e w f i r e c h i e f , M i k e McLaughlin, had been on the job only three weeks, but he agreed to have lunch with me to talk about his background, his family, and how and why they ended up here in the Applegate. Chief McLaughlin comes to our Applegate Valley Fire District #9 with a 30-year résumé of firefighter experience in southern California. He told me that he didn't aspire to be a firefighter as a boy. However, when a friend's father who was a fire captain took him on a full-day "ride-along," he was hooked. Mike calls himself an "adrenalin junkie," and he said that on that day-ride he fell in love with the diversity of the calls and experiences of the job, as well as the "instant gratification" of helping those in Mike McLaughlin, newly appointed fire chief for the Applegate Valley Fire District. See NEW FIRE CHIEF, page 2 Why on earth would a person leap off a cliff "suspended by dental floss and a bed sheet," as paraglider Norm Young puts it? Why would anyone disappear into a cave, jump off a bridge on a bungee cord, or hang by fingernails on a rock cliff? "Because it turns the movie from black and white to Kodachrome," says Darryl Rasmussen, manager of Medford's Northwest Outdoor Store. "And some people just yearn for adventure." You can up the ante with any outdoor activity. What could be more mild than a stand-up paddleboard (SUP) on the Applegate Lake—but try going down the Wild and Scenic Rogue on a SUP! Conditions also matter. What makes you faint of heart today might not be the same tomorrow. e key is safety. If you remember to be safe and if you're not faint of heart, you might try some of these opportunities within reach of the Applegate. Roc k-climbing. Darr yl Rasmussen loves to "chase the good rock," which can be found in Castle Crags near Dunsmuir, at Rattlesnake by Lost Creek, and in the Greensprings. "You get halfway up a cliff," he says. "It's 1,000 feet below. You have to control your mind as much as your muscles. at's a great satisfaction." P a r a g l i d i n g ( o r h a n g gliding; the difference is in the One neighborhood on the Jackson County side of the Applegate recently got together to talk about its wildfire risks and how to tackle and mitigate them. Says Peggy Martin, its new Firewise Coordinator: "On April 13 seven households on the private road off of Griffin Lane got together to work on our defensible space around our homes— 100-foot radius around the houses. is was part of the application process led by Derick Price, the Oregon Department of Forestry's (ODF) fuels reduction specialist. We wish to be accredited as a Firewise Community to be part of Is the Applegate going 'Firewise'? BY PEGGY MARTIN, HERB JOHNSON AND SANDY SHAFFER this nationwide organization. A flyer [see page 14] was sent out to neighbors to announce the workday. Some of the work that was done during the week included burning large slash piles from thinning ladder fuels in woodland areas next to the houses, raking leaves along driveways and burning large piles of leaves and fallen branches, cleaning gutters, limbing trees up to 12 feet, and cleaning the street along our property line from debris. Derick brought a crew of eight hardworking men to help with some of the properties. ey cut down See FIREWISE, page 14 The international Rat Race 2016 paragliding competition at Woodrat Mountain will be held on June 19 - 25 (http://mphsports.com).

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