FAQ

Where is the Applegate River Watershed?

The Applegate River is a major tributary of the Rogue River in southwest Oregon. The headwaters of the Applegate River lies on the spectacular northern slope of the Siskiyou Crest. The river then flows through the Applegate Valley and the rugged Applegate Foothills before its confluence with the Rogue River near Wilderville, Oregon.

The Applegate Valley is comprised of many watersheds and communities, including

• Sterling Creek
• Little Applegate River
• Yale Creek
• Upper Applegate
• Elliott Creek
• Carberry Creek
• Forest Creek
• Ruch
• China Gulch
• Humbug Creek
• Thompson Creek
• Applegate
• North Applegate
• Slagle Creek
• Provolt
• Williams
• Murphy
• Wilderville

Who manages the federal land in the Applegate Valley?

Federal land accounts for roughly 70% of the Applegate River watershed. In general, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages the Applegate Valley’s lower elevation public lands, and the Forest Service manages higher elevation portions of the watershed.

What types of projects do we work on?

The Applegate Siskiyou Alliance engages in issues that affect the environment and community in the Applegate River watershed. Examples of projects that we work on include, but are not limited to, the following: timber sale monitoring and timber management issues, habitat restoration, pollinator conservation, public land grazing issues, OHV issues, public land trash dumping, unsafe target shooting, water quality, fisheries, and building trails for hikers, runners, equestrians and bicycle riders.

Why does the Applegate community need to engage in federal land management projects?

The Applegate Valley is a rural area with no officially incorporated towns and very little political representation. Our communities are not served by elected mayors or city councilors, and our elected officials on the county level represent all of Jackson and Joesphine County, rather than the interest of the Applegate Valley. State and federal representatives also tend to represent the interest of larger communities in our region. This means that change on a local level comes from direct grassroots efforts developed within our community.

Because federal land management agency activities have local impacts, the NEPA process requires federal land managers to seek community participation and involvement in the planning and decision making process. Yet, federal land managers are increasingly both ignoring or eliminating public involvement opportunities.

Applegate Siskiyou Alliance strives to provide a vital local voice in the federal land management planning process. We advocate for conservation and community values and understand that as rural conservationists, we must assert ourselves to compete with the well-funded timber and mining interests often from outside the Applegate Valley, that work to degrade our federal lands and our quality of life.