Karen Cooper-Mtg Banker|Broker Ashland|Medford

Like Greg and Valri Williams' dream development Verde Village in Ashland, a 62 unit project mix consisting of cottages, single-family homes and 15 affordable housing units that will all be Net-Zero Energy Homes (homes that combine energy-efficient construction, equipment, lighting and appliances with commercially available renewable energy systems to provide homeowners with annual net-zero energy consumption), Southern Oregon Builders are on board the Green Building train which is picking up steam on a journey toward rapidly expanding the number of Energy Star, Earth Advantage, L.E.E.D. certified homes, emphasizing clean air, clean water, with limited impact on landscape in the Rogue Valley. From Shady Cove, to Jacksonville, to the Applegate, to Talent, on to Ashland, with many other Jackson County cities in between, more and more homeowners are turning toward building and remodeling their homes to meet these standards.

The City of Ashland is very committed to green building practices. The Ashland Conservation Division, established more than 20 years ago, is responsible for operating water, recycling, air quality and energy conservation programs. This division works with the Ashland School District, Southern Oregon University, and Ashland businesses and homeowners to increase the efficiency of their resource usage by offering energy and water expertise, as well as programs and guidance to Ashland residents. Zero interest loans or cash incentives are available to both private and business sectors, which many Ashland home and business owners have been using to help fun the additional expense associated with funding improvements to increase their efficient use of electric energy in both new construction and weatherization of existing homes and businesses. Solar water heating incentives, including tax credits, are available through the Oregon Department of Energy.

Need Southern Oregon Architects dedicated to designing energy efficient, sustainable homes? Look up Jason Zook at Ogden Roemer Wilkerson Architecture (541)779-5237, who is on the Rogue Valley Branch of the Cascadia Region Green Building Council, or Carlos Delgado of Ashland at (541)552-9502 who built a beautiful home that Superior Windows & Doors of Ashland provided the energy-efficient windows and doors for.

For new construction of Net Zero or other Green levels for homes, Eric Artner Construction is a name we know and trust. The quality and experience Eric Artner brings to a job is what a homeowner will want for their dream home. Look for Eric Artner Construction's subdivision Pacific Stage Heights, a 143-unit all Green village to be built in Talent, Oregon.

D.A. Boldt Construction offers both residential and commercial new construction and remodeling. Their historic renovations can be seen all throughout the Rogue Valley. In addition, there are several smaller builders, contractors and developers who focus is also on building quality projects. If you would like more contacts, just contact me at (541)608-6003 or e-mail me at Karen@Quality4Loans.com.

Earth Advantage has an ambitious plan to increase the percentage of homes in the Rogue Valley that meet their standards to 10-12% over the next four years. Although many builders have expressed concern about the added costs associated with building to these specifications, many seem to have greater concerns about the amount of paperwork involved to get their projects certified, as the energy savings and incentives available help offset a large part of these costs. Even Affordable Housing Developers in the Rogue Valley are building homes to Earth Advantagestandards, at only an added cost of roughly $2,000. For questions you may have on projects you plan to build to Earth Advantage standards, contact Fred Gant at (541)840-8302 or fgant@earthadvantage.org.

The local branch of the U.S. Green Building Council is growing, and Jackson County Home Builders Association has established a Green Building committee. This Green Train is steaming along! As of now, true Energy Efficient Mortgages giving preferred rates to homeowners who are building green are not yet available, but Quality Home Loans wishes to support our Green Building homeowners doing the right thing by building their energy-efficient, sustainable homes and receiving Earth Advantage and/or L.E.E.D. certifications. Go to http://www.quality4loans.com/ for more information on this program, or other construction, remodel and purchase loans for your California and Southern Oregon projects.

See you at the closing table!

Karen Cooper - OR/CA Mortgage Consultant - http://www.quality4loans.com/

The discovery of Gold in the Oregon Territory at Rich Gulch in 1851 created the boom town of Jacksonville, Oregon, like many of those towns established in the California Gold Rush of 1849. The resulting gold rush fever quickly created the prosperity of Jacksonville, the hub of commerce as well as the County seat until it was finally moved to Medford in 1927. With the designation of much of the city of Jacksonville in 1966 as a National Historic Landmark District, the first such district in Oregon, many of the buildings and mansions built as a result of the wealth resulting from this gold rush have been preserved in this living museum we see today. This gold had washed down from the Siskiyou Mountains long ago, deposited in old river gravels until it was discovered, washed loose, sorted out by the hydraulic miners, until the gold was uncovered and it was gone.

Jacksonville's boom years lasted until 1884, when the railroad decided to bypass Jacksonville, establishing its area hub in Medford instead, resulting in Medford becoming the center of commerce for the Rogue Valley as many of Jacksonville's residents and businesses moved away. Agriculture replaced mining as the main industry in the 1890's. Jacksonville remained relatively the same for the next 4+ decades, while its surrounding communities continued to grow. In 1927, the County seat was moved to Medford, a more central location for serving the Rogue Valley residents. These changes actually helped to preserve Jacksonville and the surrounding area, such an intrinsic part of the historical fabric of Southern Oregon.

Located just behind the grounds of the estate of Peter and Amelia Britt including the Britt Woods, Britt Ridge, and Britt Park, the site of a summer music festival you will find the Rich Gulch area, lands that are part of the managed lands covered in the management agreements among the City of Jacksonville, Jackson County, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Jacksonville Woodland Association, resulting in a chain of properties connected by woodland trails and city pathways marked with interpretive signs that help protect a variety of natural and historic features.

The Jacksonville Woodlands Historic Natural Park and Trail System has 15 outstanding all-weather hiking trails for hikers of differing abilities. Last Sunday, we hiked the Rich Gulch Trail, one of 15 trails. This trail is a moderate one mile hike that took us through the site of one of the Western United States' richest gold strikes in a forest of Douglas fir, madrone, white oak, and ponderosa pine. The trail follows old hydraulically mined gulches and glory holes resulting from this gold rush era beginning in the 1850's, the Rich Gulch Diggings which are on the National Historic Registry.

Hikers will find twelve interpretive signs along this trail that give a wonderful narration about the area's mining history. If you follow the trail to the viewpoint, you will experience a view out over Jacksonville and the Rogue Valley to Mount McLoughlin. For a listing of the trails throughout this preserve and trail maps, go to Jacksonville Woodland's website.

Getting There: From Interstate 5, take Medford exit 30 and follow signs 7 miles to Jacksonville on Highway 238. At a "Britt Parking" sign opposite the Jacksonville Museum, turn right on C Street for four blocks to its end at a visitor center and parking lot. At the far end of town, take a left on Oregon Street, an immediate right on Pine, an immediate left again on First, then another right after the Britt Festival grounds. Park in the lot at the trailhead.

Fees: None for the trails, $1 for the trail map.

See You Out There!

Karen Cooper - OR/CA Mortgage Consultant - www.Quality4Loans.com

Two of the most prominent topographic features in the Rogue Valley in Southern Oregon are Upper and Lower Table Rocks. These mesa buttes rise immediately above the north bank of the Rogue River near Tou Velle State Park in southwestern Oregon, between Sams Valley and Central Point, providing amazing vistas of the surrounding Cascade Range to the east and the Siskiyou Mountains to the south and west.

Both Upper and Lower Table Rock have trails to their summits. In Summer 2005, we hiked Upper Table Rock with the Super Tuesday kids from Tablerock Fellowship. This trail is shorter, a little steeper, and a bit more open for views than the trail on Lower Table Rock. Both Upper and Lower trails offer a great wildflower walk in Spring, and Park checklists show roughly 140 kinds of plants reside here, including dwarf meadow foam, which grows in the small vernal ponds that collect on top of the buttes, nurturing the wildflowers that flourish in early spring. The wildflower display may be seen February through May, and usually reaches its peak in April. A dozen species of flowers cover the rock-strewn flats with bright yellows and vivid purples. The children in our group were very intrigued by the summit of Upper Table Rock, which has been used in the past to land a plane on. Our early start made for an enjoyable hike, and it was getting pretty warm by the time we were headed back down. Beware of poison oak which is prevalent, and watch for rattlesnakes, ticks, and the steep cliff edges. The views are spectacular from the top, where you can see the Sams Valley, Rogue Valley, and south to Ashland and Mount McLoughlin.

The Lower Table Rock Preserve was established in 1979 as a 1,890-acre preserve which is near the westernmost butte towering 800 feet above the valley floor. The preserve was established by the Nature Conservancy, then later was turned over to the government. The preserve protects an area of special biologic, geologic, historic, and scenic value. Both Table Rocks were designated in 1984 as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) to protect special plants and animal species, unique geologic and scenic values, and education opportunities, providing outstanding opportunities for environmental education to the many area school children that have attended outdoor school here. The two Table Rocks are the most popular hiking destination in the Rogue Valley with over 10,000 visitors each year, who will find Pacific madrone, white oak, manzanita, ponderosa pine, grasses and wildflowers. Madrone trees, found mostly in the Northwest, are a glossy-leafed evergreen that has a "skin" that peels in warm weather to reveal a smooth, coppery orange bark. As firewood, it makes for long, slow, hot-burning fires. For those hikers taking the two mile trail to the top of Lower Table Rock, you may see batches of pale lavender fawn lilies near the scrub oaks on the way up the mountain, and on the top, occasional mounds of soil that support grasses, as well as lichens and mosses that manage to grow on the lava exhibiting their luxuriant greens and fluorescent yellows during the wetter months.

History tells us of the Table Rocks having been the site of a decisive battle in the first of a series of Rogue Indian wars in the 1850s, with a peace treaty signed here soon afterward by the Rogue (Takelma) tribe and the American government. For a time, this area was also part of the Table Rock Indian Reservation, but the reservation status was terminated shortly thereafter.

To get to Upper Table Rock, take I-5 North out of Medford. Take the Central Point Exit (Exit 33) east about one mile to Table Rock Road, and turn north (left). Continue 7.6 miles, passing Tou Velle State Park. Turn east (right) and continue approximately one mile to the signed parking lot, which will be on your left. The trail to the top of Upper Table Rock begins there. There are some basic campground-style toilets at the trailhead. The BLM (3040 Biddle Rd., 541-770-2200) has additional information on the Table Rocks.

To get to Lower Table Rock, take I-5 North out of Medford. Take the Central Point Exit (Exit 33) east about 1 mile to Table Rock Road. Turn north (left) onto Table Rock Road. Proceed 7.6 miles, passing Tou Velle State Park. Turn west (left) onto Wheeler Road and continue approximately 1 mile to the signed parking lot. The 2-mile trail to the top of Lower Table Rock begins there.

See You Out There!

Karen Cooper - OR/CA Mortgage Consultant - www.Quality4Loans.com

Although Southern Oregon has a wealth of natural beauty to share with us, one of her special places is Lithia Park. This was one of the first places my family and I discovered upon moving here in June 2004, as we attended the City of Ashland's 4th of July Parade, enjoying the many different food, art and craft booths lining the entrance drive to the Park on this special day. We enjoy this park so much, every person who comes to visit us is brought here to experience the glory this National Historic Reserve has to offer, strolling through the many paths picking Mulberries and Blackberries, putting their feet in Ashland Creek, laying on the grass deciphering cloud formations, feeding the ducks, viewing the incredible landscape and wildlife that present themselves.

In the heart of downtown sits Lithia Park, Ashland's crown jewel. Lithia Park started as an 8-acre gathering spot, growing to what is now a 93-acre gem that has gorgeous lawns good for picnics, tennis courts, a sand-pit volleyball court, fabulous landscaping and playground equipment including some of the best swings in Southern Oregon. The park follows Ashland Creek through undeveloped woodlands, and includes a Japanese garden, two duck ponds, a formal rose garden, groves of sycamore trees and a number of secluded spots great for enjoying a good book or a romantic snuggle.

Lithia Park's History

Ashland started out in the 1800's with a water-powered sawmill and a flour mill which stood on the banks of Ashland Creek. This mill occupied what is now the entrance to Lithia Park. The plaza at the entrance was a popular gathering spot for early settlers. These early settlers had ties to Ashland County, Ohio and Ashland, Kentucky, hence the town's name, which became official in 1855 when the Ashland Mills Post Office opened.

From 1859 to 1900, the city grew from 50 to 3,000 people, growing faster than any town South of Portland, and was the largest in Jackson County. Hotels, schools, churches and mills sprang up throughout the 1870's and 1880's. Natural spring water, discovered a few miles east of Ashland, was being piped into town and bubbled out of the three new fountains in the park. This water has a high concentration of lithium and is said to have been used by the Native Americans to care for the sick and the elderly.

The Chautauqua Association brought entertainment to Southern Oregon in 1892, building a domed building for their shows whose walls now surround the world famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Elizabethan Theater. Visitors came from miles around in the summers to participate in various attractions offered, camping in what has since become Lithia Park. In 1935, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival began with a three-day summer festival of Shakespearean plays under founding director Angus Bowmer.

Today, 42 of Lithia Park's 93 acres are listed in the National Historic Register. Visitors approaching Lithia Park may first see the towering Tree of Heaven at the Plaza entrance, which according to legend was planted in the 19th century by Abel Helman's Chinese cook. In 1908 with the urging of the Women's Civic Improvement Club, the people of Ashland passed a measure to include park maintenance in the City Charter.

In 1909 the old flour mill was torn down, a park board was elected, and additional acres bordering Ashland Creek were acquired. By 1910 the lower duck pond and waterfall that feeds it were constructed, while Bert Greer, an ambitious newspaper editor conceived the idea of making Ashland a world-famous spa capitalizing on the Lithia Springs of the area. The development of today's park began in 1914 with the hiring of John McLaren as the landscape architect. John McLaren also designed San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Lithia Park embodies the distinctive characteristics of park design in the tradition of Frederick Law Olmsted. McLaren's landscape plan for Lithia Park was organic in layout, following the natural canyon of the water course. The plantings were naturalistic to the extent that native alders, oaks, conifers and madrones were incorporated, but other plants, such as willows, maples, sycamores, and numerous ornamental varieties were introduced and selected for hardiness, form and color.

Lithia Park is located at 59 Winburn Way and is open to the public. Trail guides and other booklets about the park can be obtained from the park office of Ashland Parks and Rec. Dept., open Monday-Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm, and free performances are frequently offered at the Butler Band Shell. For performance schedules and further information call 541-488-5340 or visit the Ashland City Band's website. The Ashland Chamber of Commerce offers nature walks Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 10:00am; call 541-482-3486 to confirm tours.

Rogue Valley Community Development Corporation (RVCDC) held their annual meeting tonight in Ashland, Oregon at the Ashland Community Center across from Lithia Park. Created in 1990 to work with low-to-moderate income people, this non-profit corporation has successfully developed 42 units, and has 14 units under development with the hope of soon pushing that number up to 28. These homes are spread out throughout the Rogue Valley, including homes in Ashland and in Medford. They are well on their way to meeting their mission to serve low-to-moderate income people of Jackson County through community development and self help, offering homeownership opportunities, assisting people to build assets through Investment Development Accounts, and by participating in other community development activities. All this with a staff of 6, eight board members, and the help of volunteers and the support of the community working with the people purchasing these homes.

Chosen to be the affordable housing developer for 15 homes to be designated as affordable homes in Verde Village in Ashland Oregon, RVCDC is excited to join the rapidly growing movement toward building sustainable, energy efficient housing. Their co-director, John Wheeler, is a member of the Rogue Valley Branch of the Cascadia Region Building Council, a chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, and is looking forward to working with RVCDC to join the many affordable housing developers nationwide who are building their homes to meet these standards, from Energy Star appliances to more extensive Earth Advantage. They are still working on defining the nature of this goal, but know that building sustainable, energy efficient housing makes sense.

Reaching out to help a fellow non-profit affordable housing developer, RVCDC, who has been one of the collaborative partner of the Rogue Valley Youth Build program since 2004, sent teams of the youths participating in this program over to assist Rogue Valley Habitat for Humanity who was facing a missed deadline on the two homes they recent dedicated on 11th Street in Medford, just down the street from RVCDC's Grape Street Village project. To find out more about Rogue Valley Community Development Corporation's current projects, jobs, or volunteer opportunities, call (541) 734-2355.

See you out there!

Karen Cooper - OR/CA Mortgage Consultant - www.Quality4Loans.com