Rooted In Hope’s Native Oak Legacy Project grows
more than trees
Written by:
Cathy Rodgers
The best time to plant an oak was 100 years ago. The second-best time is today.
Across the Applegate Valley, a quiet movement is taking root—one that will shape our landscape for generations to come. Rooted In Hope’s Native Oak Legacy Project is bringing together students, educators, artists, conservationists, businesses, and neighbors in an inspiring community effort to restore one of southern Oregon’s most iconic native trees: the Oregon white oak.
Supported by a $10,000 grant from the Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District, the project is a partnership of Rooted In Hope, the Applegate Partnership & Watershed Council (APWC), Ruch Outdoor Community School, and dozens of community volunteers who share a common vision: restoring native oak habitats while inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards. The heart of the project lies with students and landowners.
This fall, fourth and fifth graders at Ruch Outdoor Community School (ROCS) will begin growing Oregon white oaks from locally collected acorns. Working alongside APWC educators, ROCS students will learn about oak ecology, wildlife habitat, watershed health, climate resilience, and the important role native trees play in sustaining healthy ecosystems. Rather than simply reading about conservation in a classroom, these students will nurture seedlings from seed to sapling before helping plant them throughout the Applegate Valley.
It is experiential learning at its finest— where science, stewardship, and community service come together. The Native Oak Legacy Project recognizes that restoring landscapes requires more than funding and volunteers. It requires a community that values both nature and culture.
That spirit was beautifully demonstrated during Art in the Oaks, hosted by Gregg and Jennifer Payne at their Ruch home this spring. Organized by A Greater Applegate, the event showcased how art, music, literature, local food, and conservation can inspire meaningful community connections.
Visitors explored Gregg Payne’s interactive sound sculptures, teleidoscopes, and immersive installations while enjoying live music by Conrad Rogmans and locally prepared food from Jefferson Farm Kitchen. Artists—including Katie Walker of Sticks and Stones Studios, Sweet Colene Art, Diamond, Tongue Drum, and S.O. Bees—displayed their work throughout the afternoon.
Katie Walker’s participation reflected another important investment in local youth. Through grant-supported programming, Sticks and Stones Studios provides free art education to students at Ruch Outdoor Community School, ensuring rural children have opportunities to develop creativity alongside academic learning.
Throughout the event, Rooted In Hope volunteers introduced visitors to the Native Oak Legacy Project, demonstrating how anyone can collect, germinate, and grow Oregon white oak acorns at home. Families left not only inspired by local art but equipped to participate in restoring the native habitat themselves.
Community support extends far beyond conservation organizations. Musicians, artists, educators, volunteers, and neighbors all contributed their talents, demonstrating that successful conservation is built upon relationships as much as restoration. As an environmental advocate, local author, and proprietor of RiverCrest Ranch Wines, I donated both time and support during Art in the Oaks, sharing copies of my book, Trail Mix: Food for the Sole, and helping showcase Applegate wines. The Applegate Valley has long been defined by its rugged beauty, vineyards, forests, farms, and independent spirit. The Native Oak Legacy Project reflects those same values. Every acorn planted represents an investment not only in wildlife habitat and watershed health, but also in the children who will inherit this remarkable valley.
Oregon white oaks can live for several centuries. The seedlings planted by today’s students may one day provide shade for future generations, shelter countless birds and pollinators, stabilize soils, and stand as living reminders that communities working together can accomplish remarkable things. Projects like this succeed because they belong to everyone.
From Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District’s financial support to the educational leadership of the Applegate Partnership & Watershed Council, from Rooted In Hope’s vision to the creativity of local artists, musicians, businesses, and organizations like A Greater Applegate, the Native Oak Legacy Project represents the very best of community collaboration.
Together, the Applegate Valley isn’t simply planting trees. It’s cultivating hope, stewardship, and a living legacy that will endure for centuries.
Cathy Rodgers
Image 1: Bella Payne and Marion Ginet hard at work nurturing the acorns collected at the kickoff of the Applegate Valley Native Oak Tree Initiative. Photo by Cathy Rodgers.
