Setting the record straight on the Applegate CWPP
Written by:
Amelia Liberatore
Luke Ruediger’s contribution, “A Community Wildfire Protection Plan should focus on protecting homes and communities” (2026 Spring edition, page 16), is presented as a factual article, yet it contains multiple inaccuracies about the CWPP process. Although Mr. Ruediger attended our public meetings, several of his statements do not reflect the facts:
The CWPP document is not complete.
It will include recommendations for home hardening and defensible space.
Community infrastructure was clearly identified as a priority by all of our survey respondents.
The project maps presented in January were explicitly described as preliminary examples shared for public discussion. These were not final versions of prioritized “community projects” as implied by Mr. Ruediger.
The map image printed with Mr. Ruediger’s piece is the intellectual property of Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Collaborative and should be credited as such. The Applegater’s photo policy, on page 5 of the spring issue, requires proper attribution.
Thank you for your attention to these concerns and for your continued work to provide quality information to Applegate residents.
Sincerely,
The CWPP Team
Amelia Liberatore
Community members in support of this letter:
Rich Fairbanks, Mark Hamlin, Annette Parsons, Jim Reiland, Lauri & David Dobbs, Mel Wann, Carey Chaput, Dr. Chris Adlam