U.S. Postage Applegater WinterPaid 2009 Permit No. 50 Grants Pass, OR 97526 Log on to our website www.applegater.org Photo: Barbara Holiday Applegate Valley Community Newspaper WINTER 2009 Postal Patron Volume 2, No. 1 Serving Jackson and Josephine Counties — Circulation: 9,000 Rogue Valley horse whisperer tames the wild ones BY ANNETTE PARSONS Local horse trainer, Jani Zigray- Cochran has a reputation as a horse whisperer of sorts. She has a special talent for training wild mustangs to be solid, calm, and dependable saddle What a horses. She trains domestic horses as well, but her niche as a mustang trainer GRReat ride! is set. “I didn’t plan to specialize Tiger owner, actress and lifelong in mustangs, it just happened that equestrian meanders down way.” memory lane The native of Brookings, Oregon, BY BARBARA HOLIDAY grew up with horses and spent much Grants Pass denizen Dee Arlen of her time on her grandfather’s cattle lived a grand life in Hollywood in days ranch along the Chetco River. After gone by. She gave up that life—as high school, Jani spent several years an actress and an interior designer to in Colorado, apprenticing at some the stars—to live with her tiger, B.C. large horse facilities. She returned to (Beautiful Cat), in southern Oregon Oregon in 1989, coming to the Rogue near Wilderville. When I visited her Valley to go back to school and to be equine property recently, she recounted closer to her family. She has been Rue learns to cross a creek. her glamour days while pouring her active in many local horse groups and guests vintage white wine in crystal See WHISPERER, page 8 glasses and serving home-made hors d’oeuvres. Dressed in a full-length designer gown, which still fits her some 40 years later, she recalled the glory days Benefit for the Applegater of Hollywood. But first B.C. B.C. has been gone for a while now, a victim of kidney disease, but she is not far from her owner’s mind. She was just six weeks old when Dee saved B.C. from a life in Valley View Winery, February 28 and March 1 the circus. At their first meeting, B.C. kept biting Dee. Soon after, though, Saturday and Sunday, 11 am – 5 pm the biting turned to cuddling. The cuddling continued for 20 years. ver many years we, as a community, have It was B.C. who was responsible enjoyed our Applegater. With this issue the for bringing Dee to southern Oregon. Gater is going into quarterly publication— O Los Angeles bureaucrats wouldn’t allow downsizing due to current economic constraints. her to keep a domesticated “wild” Now is our opportunity to join some of Oregon’s animal, so she moved around and about premier artists as we come together for our Annual LA several times in an attempt to keep Art Benefit Show at Valley View Winery. B.C there—even staying in a Travelodge J.D. Rogers will be doing a book signing of for three weeks with B.C. and two dogs. his recently published book, Rambling Rants and B.C. enjoyed her life in LA, even visiting Doggie Tales. Meet the author and get your copy of bars where “she used to bite the butts of his book signed while enjoying a fine glass of Valley pool players.” But eventually they had View’s best wines. nowhere to go. This year we are proud to welcome Peggy At the time, southern Oregon did Bjerkan from St. Helena, California. Peggy began not require a permit for exotic animals. making masks a few years ago as a result of her So it was here that B.C. lived out her fascination with masks as ritual objects. These masks days. Like any cherished pet, B.C. slept are a commentary on life and the human condition, on her owner’s bed every night. Dee See ART, page 12 and B.C. were together 24/7. Carol Taylor Photo top: Dee has the original of this sketch, by artist and friend Valerie Vrooman, framed on a wall in her office, and has had its likeness printed on note cards. See GRREAT, page 11 Winter 2009 Applegater Shortage of WHO WE ARE The Applegate Valley Commu- nity Newspaper, Inc. is a nonprofit fire starter 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to the publication of the Applegater newspa- Now that I have your attention, per, which we feel reflects the heart The Applegater Community Newspaper and soul of our community. Make your contributions to either the Applegate will be published quarterly through at Valley Community Newspaper, Inc. or least 2009. As our finances become to the Applegater. more stable, the paper may return to its Our Mission previous bimonthly publication. The nonprofit Applegate Valley All community events and topics, Community Newspaper, Inc., (AVCN) timely or of current interest can easily provides the many rural and diverse be accessed on the Applegater’s own communities of the Applegate Water- shed with a communications vehicle, website at www.applegater.org. At this the Applegater newspaper, free of site you can easily submit information, charge to all watershed residents. Our dates, events, etc. and/or be added quarterly paper presents constructive, to the monthly calendar site. Best of relevant, educational and entertaining reports on a wide variety of subjects Applegater now online! all, your community organization such as: can be linked to our website at www. n natural resource issues The Applegate Valley Community Newspaper is now applegater.org, free of charge. Check n ecology and other science publishing a website that is a companion and expansion of the it often. information n content and services that the printed Applegater newspaper J.D. Rogers, Editor historical and current events provides. n community news and opinions AVCN encourages and publishes Highlights of what this website will offer include: differing viewpoints and, through the Applegater newspaper, acts as a clear- • Index and viewable/downloadable issues of the Note to readers inghouse for this diverse community. We are dedicated to working together Applegater starting from March 2008. Due to unforeseen with community members to maintain • Expansion of content and pictures of selected technical problems, we are and enhance the quality of life that is articles that appear in the printed paper. unique to the Applegate Watershed. • Community calendar that everyone can post to by unable to use the winning contacting our webmaster via email. logo created for us by artist Acknowledgements • Community services directory with contacts, Josie Mendelsohn. We The Applegater is published bi- current activities and bulletins for all our major sincerely regret this, and monthly by the Applegate Valley community services such as police, fire, library, BLM, would like to thank Josie for Community Newspaper, Inc. and is etc. funded by donations from our loyal her considerable time and readers and advertisements for local • Directory of local businesses. efforts on our behalf. businesses. • Listing of websites that pertain to the Applegate So, instead of one logo, Special thanks to Carole Moskovita Valley. for layout; Barbara Holiday, Joan Pe- • Changing collection of images of scenery and we have decided to graphically terson, Sue Maesen and Paul Tipton activities within our beautiful valley. depict the different seasons for editing; Barbara Holiday, P. R. Kel- on the front page. We hope logg and homeschoolers Kelton and We encourage you to log on to http://applegater.org. you will enjoy the changing Jakob Shockey for proofreading; and Lisa Crean for bookkeeping. Gary Brauer, Webmaster artwork. [email protected] Board of Directors Applegater Board Greeley Wells, Chairman Gary Brauer, Webmaster of Directors Lisa Crean, Treasurer Linda Fischer, Secretary Barbara Holiday Hal Macy = Paula Rissler The Gater is gratified by the support of J.D. Rogers, Editor ADVERTISERS! Editorial Board these recent donors J.D. Rogers, Editor We can help you reach Chris Bratt Linda Fischer James Buck - Eagle Point, OR your market —Grants Jan Perttu Virginia Burns - Wilderville, OR Rauno Perttu Pass, Medford and the Marvin Rosenberg Kenneth & Janis Chapman - Applegate, OR Sandy Shaffer Michael & Sara Christian - Jacksonville, OR Greeley Wells Applegate Valley. Call Connie Young John Dutcher - Medford, OR Ruth Austin All articles, stories, opinions and Clint Driver - Jacksonville, OR letters that appear in the Applegater Virginia James - Williams, OR 541-899-7476 are the opinion and property of the Tracy Parks Lamblin - Jacksonville, OR author, and not necessarily that of the Applegater or the Applegate Valley Ellen Levine - Grants Pass, OR Community Newspaper, Inc. Max Lowe - Jacksonville, OR Applegater PROTECTION OF Hal & Roz Macy - Jacksonville, OR COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL ISSUE DEADLINE The Applegater requires that any Karen Mitchell - Jacksonville, OR and all materials submitted for publica- Carol & Joe Neil - Applegate, OR Spring March tion be the intellectual property of the Michael Pearce and Maya Page - Santa Fe, NM author unless otherwise credited. Calvin Perkins - Wilderville, OR Summer June Letters to the Editor cannot be more than 450 words. Opinion pieces Thalia Truesdell - Jacksonville, OR Fall September and unsolicited articles cannot exceed Greeley Wells - Jacksonville, OR 600 words. Community calendar Winter December submissions must be to the point. All Kurt Wilkening - Applegate, OR submissions must be received either at the address or email below by March1 Richard Wolin - Phoenix, OR for our next issue. All donations are tax deductible and are greatly appreciated. Please Loyal Readers The Applegater make your checks payable to Applegater Newspaper and mail to: c/o Applegate Valley Please patronize our Community Newspaper, Inc. Applegater 7386 Highway 238, PMB 308 7386 Highway 238 • PMB 308 advertisers; they help bring Jacksonville, OR 97530 Jacksonville, OR 97530 Email: [email protected] the Gater to you.