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About Applegater. (Jacksonville, OR) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2008)
Applegater May-June 2008 7 New weed groups offer ‘Pulling Together Days’ BY BARBARA A. MUMBLO NOW OPEN Both Jackson and Josephine County Weed Boards were disbanded some time ago. For several years, folks in southwestern Oregon have wanted to coordinate dealing with invasive species/noxious weeds. To work on this issue, two new groups have formed recently. They are the Jackson County and Josephine County Cooperative Weed Management Areas (CWMAs). Through the dedicated facilitation of Amy Wilson (with the Southwest Oregon Resource Conservation and Development Council), these groups have come a long way in getting organized. Both are having “Pulling Together Days” to work on controlling weeds in some areas in the Rogue Valley and to give members of the community a chance to learn about weeds with hands-on experience. This is the first year for this event in southwestern Oregon. We were inspired by a similar event in Bend, where this has been going on for several years and has grown to include multiple counties. Last summer when I drove through La Pine, I was pleasantly surprised to see a sign on Highway 97 that said “Control Noxious Weeds—It’s Your Responsibility.” I thought, “Now there’s a town that knows about this subject.” Many people have become more aware of the natural resources of their community on the east side. Josephine County’s “Pulling Together Day” will be Saturday, June 14, at Tom Pearce Park, 3700 Pearce Park Road (approximately three miles east of the city of Grants Pass). Folks will meet at 9 or 10 am to work on yellow star thistle and Scotch broom in the more natural area upstream where there is a disc golf course. Jackson County’s “Pulling Together Day” will be Saturday, June 28. At 9 am folks will meet to pull weeds at various sites, including Prescott Roxy Ann Park, Denman Wildlife Refuge, North Mountain Park in Ashland, Valley of the Rogue State Park, Jefferson Nature Center in Medford, and the Bear Creek Greenway in Central Point near the Expo turnoff. Weed pullers will receive a T-shirt and are welcome to meet at noon at Hawthorne Park in Medford for a complementary barbecue (beer tent for those of appropriate ages) and celebration of our natural resources. See the contacts below for more information. If you are interested in assisting in any way—coming to a site to pull weeds, sponsoring the event, having a booth at the event (noncommercial booths only), helping to set up—we’d be glad to have your help. Gentle Treatments Nutritional Counseling Saturday Appointments 255 Bayard Drive • Grants Pass Dr. Martin D. Mack, DC (541) 955-4749 Near the corner of Hwy 238 & New Hope Rd Contacts for “Pulling Together Days” Josephine County Robin Taylor, 541-471-6549 or Amy Wilson, 541-582-1118 ext 23 Jackson County Barbara Mumblo, 541-899-3855 or Bob Budesa, 541-899-3928 Barbara Mumblo • 541-899-3855 Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District Photos above: Don’t be taken in by their pretty fl owers. These plants have all become invasive pests in the Oregon landscape. From left: Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius); Himalayan blackberry (Rubus discolor); and creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens). Applegate Riparian Restoration Program Saturday, May 17th — 9 am to Noon BLM Nursery at Provolt (look for the signs on Hwy. 238 across from the Provolt Store) Come on out and get your hands dirty, or stop by to check out the plants. Volunteers will be doing routine maintenance of potted stock and cutting beds, and we’ll be selling surplus stock to raise money for the restoration program. Great rates on mock orange, pacifi c ninebark, oceanspray, snowberry, white and black oak, alder, and Oregon ash in gallon pots. Call Tim Franklin at 899-9982, ext. 3# for more information. ADVERTISERS! Get your word out to our amazing community. Contact Ruth Austin at 541-899-7476 or Matthew Eldridge at 541-941-6834