The Applegater

1 Fall 2021 Applegater Nonprofit Org US Postage PAID Permit #125 Medford OR ECRWSSEDDM Local Postal Customer FALL 2021 Volume 14, No. 3 Serving Jackson and Josephine Counties — Circulation: 13,000 Applegate Valley Community Newsmagazine Celebrating Years Photo by Linda Kappen • applegater.org ~27~ ISSUE AGRICULTURE - WINE See REGULATORY HOOPS, page 3 See BETTY AND BARNEY SMITH, page 2 See DRAGONFLY PLACE, page 2 e board of the Applegate Partnership and Watershed Council (APWC) has recently established a Cultural Committee with a commitment to diversity and inclusion. This committee is actively seeking members to represent the broad diversity of people who contributed to the rich history of the Applegate Valley and Rogue Basin. e Cultural Committee will help introduce and authenticate history and stories of the cultures living with and on the lands in the Applegate, providing education and interpretation at our public parks and recreation sites. The first project of the Cultural Committee is to develop a memorial for Agnes Baker Pilgrim, called "Dragonfly Dragonfly Place: Park monument to honor Grandmother Aggie BY JANELLE DUNLEVY Place," at Cantrall Buckley County Park. is memorial will also serve as a template for Native American interpretive signs. Agnes Baker Pilgrim, also known a s G r a n d m o t h e r A g g i e , w a s a celebrated Takelma Elder, a member of the Confederated Tribe of the Siletz Indians, and one of the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers who advocated for our mother earth. She was especially fond of the Applegate Valley communities. She passed in November 2019, yet her enduring Indigenous wisdom lives on. Dragonfly Place is a large multi-level cement platform at Cantrall Buckley County Park. is memorial will feature Grandmother Aggie's life, family, and Last fall, vineyard owners in the Applegate mourned the loss of two people intimately associated with wine growing in this area: Betty and Barnard ( B a r n e y ) S m i t h , o f T h e Academy, at 18200 Highway 238, who both died in that sad season of many losses. Betty died on September 11, 2020, and Barney 18 days later, on September 29. ey had just celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in August. Both died of Alzheimer-type illnesses. e Smiths left a remarkable legacy. e Applegate is known as a wine- growing region, with wines characteristic of the locale, in large part because it is officially recognized as an American Viticultural Area (AVA), one of only 18 in Oregon. It has that important designation because of the work of Barney Smith. What an AVA, also called an appellation of origin, means is that the grapes grown in that area are distinct because of the particular attributes of the locale: climate, geology, soils, and so forth. It allows wines made with at least 85 percent of the AVA area's grapes to bear labels displaying that name. AVA is a distinction to be proud of, one that not only makes sommeliers nod wisely but gives grape growers and wine makers a joint marketing approach Betty and Barney Smith left a legacy to Applegate wineries BY DIANA COOGLE for the unique microclimate of their area. The Applegate's AVA gives our vineyards prestige and increases the price our winemakers can put on a bottle of Applegate wine. In an article for vinepair.com about the process of obtaining an AVA from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Laura Burgess says, "From analyzing soil maps to drafting boundary lines, there's enough to discourage even historically relevant wine-growing areas from applying. In comparison, the IRS tax code sounds like fun." But Barney was up for the challenge, stuck with the process, and in 2001succeeded in having the Applegate recognized as an AVA. Betty and Barnard Smith of The Academy. Photo: From the Wine of Southern Oregon collection, courtesy of Southern Oregon University Hannon Library Special Collections. Why is the Applegate Valley swamped with plastic "hoop houses"? ey're not necessarily for hemp, which normally does just fine in an open field, but they are a good idea for marijuana, partly because light deprivation can spur growth, increase the number of harvests, and boost the plant's tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical that enables the psychoactive effect. Hemp THC content cannot legally exceed 0.3 percent. But with marijuana, the more the better (and the greater the profit). Since both crops are of the same cannabis species and virtually identical in appearance, some commercial growers have chosen to subvert the regulations and mix unregistered marijuana plants with registered hemp grows. is is not the route chosen by honest farmers who obey the regulations and produce legal cannabis. is is the route chosen by folks who circumvent the law. Hoop houses have the additional benefit of shielding bootleg operations from prying eyes. So the Applegate Valley is seeing an uptick in leased land with these hoop houses. Landowners can command top New state funding boosts hoop house code crackdown BY TOM CARSTENS The inside of a black market hoop house near Central Point that was raided by a multi-agency task force in July. Similar operations in the Applegate are being targeted for code violations. Photo: Jackson County Sheriff's Office. accomplishments, as well as the history of her tribal groups both before and after their removal to reservations. It is a place where dragonflies thrive and visitors can hear water flowing to the nearby Applegate River, a peaceful place for remembering and learning about this region's earliest inhabitants. e content for this memorial site will be verified through Grandmother Aggie's family and the website dedicated to her life. The project includes design and installation of a commemorative sign for Grandmother Aggie and restoration of the site's surrounding area by removing invasive species, releasing suppressed native species, and reestablishing native flora. The Cultural Committee will also create a study area to facilitate t h o u g h t t h r o u g h i n t e r p re t i v e a n d educational materials. e public is invited to support and get involved in this first project of APWC's Cultural Committee. The project's funding goal is $20,000, including more than $8,000 of in-kind volunteer Grandmother Aggie teaching about Takelma ways with a traditional canoe made by Gray Eagle and George Fence. Photo: Julie Norman.

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