Zepplin Visits Medford Airport August 14 - 17, Rides!

PRESS RELEASE
For more information contact:
Bern Case, Airport Director
Kim Stearns, PIO
(541) 776-7222
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rogue Valley International-Medford First Oregon Airport to Host Zeppelin Visit
MEDFORD, OR – August 11, 2010 – The Rogue Valley International - Medford Airport
(MFR) will be the first touch-down spot in the State of Oregon for the Farmers Airship, Zeppelin which is on a five-city tour of the Pacific Northwest.

This will be the first visit from the Zepplin,Eureka, in the region. The Airship will be landing at the airport during the morning of August 14, 2010, and will remain for several days offering rides to passengers through August 17, 2010.
Owned and operated by Airship Ventures, individuals will have the extraordinary opportunity to book passage and sail over the Rogue River Valley, on the largest airship to touch down in Medford’s aviation history. “We believe this will be the largest aircraft per cubic foot to land at the airport,” stated Bern
Case, Airport Director. “We had to go out and mark off the perimeter just to make sure there would be enough room for the ship to fit!”

Tethered to a single mast, the Zeppelin will be a sight to behold. The aircraft will be moored at the end of runway nine (9) near Biddle Road. Medford Air Service will be the fixed base operator involved with the event. Would be passengers must book
tickets by calling 1-650-969-8100, ext. 111. Press rides will be available, but must be arranged in advance through that number.

The overall size of the aircraft is impressive at 246 feet in length. It bypasses a Boeing 747 by 50 feet. Not to be confused with a blimp, zeppelins (named after the inventor German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin), are rich in history, and were built using metal frames, enabling the airships to maneuver over longer distances. They were used strategically in the 1920’s as both transport craft and aerial scouts during World War 1.

This Zeppelin Airship serves a much friendlier purpose. Flown with the Farmers® Insurance logo, the Zeppelin, Eureka, will be providing rides to passengers throughout its Pacific Northwest tour. Additional information can be found at www.airshipventures.com/tracking.

Monopoly Maps

(This story was contributed by Jack Brooks of Lake Shastina)

INTERESTING STORY ABOUT WW II
Starting in 1941, an increasing number of British airmen found themselves as the involuntary guests of the Third Reich, and the authorities were casting-about for ways and means to facilitate their escape. Now obviously, one of the most helpful aids to that end is a useful and accurate map, one showing not only where-stuff-was, but also showing the locations of 'safe houses', where a POW on-the-loose could go for food and shelter. Paper maps had some real drawbacks: They make a lot of noise when you open and fold them, they wear-out rapidly and if they get wet, they turn into mush.

Someone in MI-5 got the idea of printing escape maps on silk. It's durable, can be scrunched-up into tiny wads, and unfolded as many times as needed, and makes no noise what-so-ever. At that time, there was only one manufacturer in Great Britain that had perfected the technology of printing on silk, and that was John Waddington, Ltd.
When approached by the government, the firm was only too happy to do its bit for the war effort. By pure coincidence, Waddington was also the U.K. Licensee for the popular American board game, Monopoly. As it happened, 'games and pastimes' was a category item qualified for insertion into 'CARE packages', dispatched by the International Red Cross, to prisoners of war.
Under the strictest of secrecy, in a securely guarded and inaccessible old workshop on the grounds of Waddington's, a group of sworn-to-secrecy employees began mass-producing escape maps, keyed to each region of Germany or Italy where Allied POW camps were located (Red Cross packages were delivered to prisoners in accordance with that same regional system). When processed, these maps could be folded into such tiny dots that they would actually fit inside a Monopoly playing piece.
As long as they were at it, the clever workmen at Waddington's also managed to add:
1. A playing token, containing a small magnetic compass,
2. A two-part metal file that could easily be screwed together.
3. Useful amounts of genuine high-denomination German, Italian, and French currency, hidden within the piles of Monopoly money!
British and American air-crews were advised, before taking off on their first mission, how to identify a 'rigged' Monopoly set by means of a tiny red dot, one cleverly rigged to look like an ordinary printing glitch, located in the corner of the Free Parking square! Of the estimated 35,000 Allied POWS who successfully escaped, an
estimated one-third were aided in their flight by the rigged Monopoly sets.
Everyone who did so was sworn to secrecy Indefinitely, since the British Government might want to use this highly successful use in still another, future war.
The story wasn't de-classified until 2007, when the surviving craftsmen from Waddington's, as well as the firm itself, were finally honoured in a public ceremony. Anyway, it's always nice when you can play that 'Get Out of Jail Free' card.
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/m/monopoly-game.htm




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Killing Squirrels in Lake Shastina

As we were walking the dogs the other day we passed a neighbor's house which has always had a remarkably neat yard. Never a pine needle or leaf on the lawn, all needles raked to bare dirt, etc.

So as we approach I noticed the owner standing in the yard in an odd pose: arms at his side with one slightly behind. He was staring upward, toward the top of a pine tree in the yard and the only thought that occured to me at the moment was why I could not see both of his hands if he was standing like that.

Then I saw the butt of a rifle in his right hand extending beyond his body, as if he was hiding it. A few paces later I heard a pop and a squirrel fell out of the tree and was flailing around on the ground. The man walked quickly over to the squirrel and put the rifle to its head and I heard another pop.

Evidently the squirrel was eating a pine cone and dropping the shards or whatever you call them, onto the lawn and damaging the man's idea of a clean lawn. I had seen the cone's 'leaves' for lack of the proper word scattered around the tree as we passed.

So it's okay to shoot them in our subdivision? I mean, it's odd enough that somebody would have to shoot a squirrel because it's making a 'mess'. But do I want bullets flying around the 'hood?

True, it may have been a pellet gun, or even a B-B gun. But they break windows and put out eyes too. Are there any CC&R's about this?

Recycling Newsletter

Sunday August 1, 2010

Wayout recycling has made progress in its quest to become the first privately owned curbside recycling company in California. At the Weds. night LSCSD meeting, the board approved a motion to enter into a franchise agreement with Wayout Recycling. This will allow us to get certified by CalRecycle, the state agency governing recycling programs. CalRecycle certification means that Wayout recycling can recycle more materials (we’re presently limited to CRV items). Certification will also qualify us for state funding grants to be used to improve our service, i.e. purchase of better pickup equipment, rental of storage/property to sort, possibly the purchase of recycling containers for the community. Remember, this is a community-based business, so put the word out to your neighbors. Have them call or e-mail us. Thank you for your support. Coming soon: Wayout Recycling will be on the web. Look for details in future e-mails.

Jason Robinson
Wayout Recycling
938-9967
wayoutrecycling@att.net

Have You Heard of This Man?

The date is 1946 and the man in the photo is Jens Hopen, father of Lt. Roy Hopen who was killed in the crash of his Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter near the Altoona Mine just across the county line in Trinity County. The date of the accident was Nov. 14, 1945 and our aircraft archaeology group has located and documented the site. The pilots remains were recovered the following year by the Navy and rest now in the Arlington National Cemetary.

But the father, Jens Hopen did not know this in June of 1946 and, overcome with grief, withdrew his entire life savings of $900 and drove across the country from New Jersey, leaving his wife at home, to try and find his son.

On June 12 he arrived in Weed and spent the next two days flying back and forth over the mountains looking for the wreck. On the 14th he hired two local guides and began a 30 day camp-out on Eddy Creek, searching China Mountain, Scott Mountain, Mount Eddy, Cory Peak, and others. He rented horses and at one point he made his own skiis to cross snow fields to range over the terrain eight hours every single day.

But in the end he failed. Money gone, he told his guides he simply could no longer pay to feed the horses or buy supplies for themselves and he returned home hollow-eyed with loss.

No local news stories have surfaced about this quiet desperate visit. No accounts have appeared anywhere that we can find so the question is did he leave a trail here? Has anyone heard about this man?

It is more relevant now because some Hopen relatives are planning to come to the Montague Airport on August 21 for the annual Aviation Day where our archaeology group will display artifacts from the Hellcat site. On hand will also be the brother of the B-24 co-pilot so this will be a family reunion of sorts.

Please call or write if you know of anyone who has information on this sad story that we can share with family members who are still looking for closure.

Bruce Batchelder 530-938-0385 bruce@realestatelakeshastina.com

PS: for a more readable copy of the clipping go to our website and click on Aviation, www.realestatelakeshastina.com.

A Community Perspective

By Will Bullington, CACM
CC&R Compliance Officer

August 2010

Bark Beetles, High Weeds and Abandoned Properties

Have you noticed that the bark beetles are active in Lake Shastina? We are experiencing groups of trees being infected in various parts of our community and, while we are in no way at an epidemic level, we have noticed an increase in their activity. This continues to be a statewide program and much of what I am writing I learned from an article written by a compliance officer for the Pine Mountain Lakes Home Owner’s Association outside of Yosemite.

There are over 20 invasive species of bark beetles and the and the most prevalent is the engraver beetle which goes after the tops of pine trees and the red turpentine beetle attacks the lower portion of the trunk. Bark beetles have a keen sense to recognize trees that are stressed or weakened in some fashion. Recent years of drought have created stress in many trees. A lack of water adds to a trees inability to produce pitch to stop the beetles. Trees compete for water from shrubs, new ornamental trees for landscaping and of course the Juniper tree drinks up to 150 gallons of water a day!

What can you do? Thin out competing vegetation that is fighting for sunlight and water. Prune and removing dead limbs increases a trees health too. There is some chemical control available to prevent the beetles and I would advise visiting www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7421.html for further information. Needless to say a dead 50 to 100 foot pine tree is a threat to life and property. It is your responsibility to prevent such trees from falling down in a good wind storm. Act quickly to cut down and remove the infected tree and all its limbs and wood.

The other area of concern for fire danger is the extremely high weeds due to the late winter and spring storms. Many of these weeds are seen on properties that are abandoned and “waiting” to be taken over by a bank and sold. Sometimes this happens very quickly but most times the bank does not want the property in their bad debt inventory and the property will sit with the water shut off (yep, they don’t pay their water bill too) and the landscaping dies.

It can be very aggravating for a homeowner that lives here and maintains their own property to look next door at a lot full of weeds. We are working with real estate agents and the Board to address these issues. The Board will send a 30 day courtesy notice and then after that must schedule a hearing with the owner. The Board may rule to hire a contractor to go in and abate the nuisance and charge owner. If it is bank owned and there are already numerous liens for taxes, bad credit and home owner’s dues it may not be a good business decision to do this. Each property has to be researched and then weighed as to what is best for the community. Sometimes the property is listed with a real estate agent and a simple phone call will get the weeds mowed down, the water turned back on and the property made more presentable. (Why we need to explain curb appeal to real estate agents floors me). It seems the further away from Lake Shastina the agent is the less concerned they are for how a property looks. “Looks good from where I’m at….”

Just for information our own fire fuel abatement program of mowing unimproved lots is on hold due to the high fire danger. We do not want the mowers to send a spark and start a fire so all tractor work by LSPOA will have to wait for the fall weather to begin.

(Editor's note; "curb appeal" is a basic concept every Realtor knows, what may not be appreciated is that an owner who is upside down on the home has no motivation whatever to take care of it any more. Agents hate brown lawns as much as neighbors do and we realize more than you might expect what that does to value.

I also do not believe that if an agent's office is out of town they are more likely to ignore the condition of a property. If an agent specializes in REO's for example which are homes repossessed by lenders the banks are even less motivated than an upside down owner. We are struggling with an REO sale right now because the bank won't pay overdue LSPOA dues so we can turn the water on just to inspect the home, not to mention green up the lawn and mow the weeds!

In our property management business we have cajoled owner after owner into spending money on bark, mowing, and watering, all for "curb appeal" __ to attract tenants who in turn are required to maintain landscaping in their lease. Most property managers do this very same thing as well, it's just good business.

We will continue to work with the LSPOA in an effort to make our properties strong and attractive members of the Lake Shastina community.)

Aviation Day __ Sat. Aug. 21 Rohrer Field, Montague

Pancake breakfast starts at 8 and if schedules hold together an F-15 from Kingsly will do a low pass shortly after breakfast is over. Cal Fire, CHP, and the Forest Service all plan static displays of their helicopters with a possible rappelling demonstration and other fire fighting tactics.

Every year at this event, sponsored by the local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association, custom and home-built airplanes from surrounding areas fly in and spend the day too, so there will be some gorgeous aircraft for everybody to see.

Terry Weathers who is the former owner-operator of Rohrer Field will be set up in a hanger with an impressive display of old photographs and historic memorabilia. He does this every year and this time around Terry extended an invitation to our B24 and Hellcat recovery group to display our artifacts and research.

It could not have been at a more opportune moment because the brother of one of the B24 crew is flying out from Florida to visit the crash site and share memories at our table. His name is Stacy Churchwell and it is a rare chance for people to connect with a World War II event that happened exactly 67 years ago this past June 11th.

The warbird recovery group is working on plans to display the B24 artifacts and items from their later discovery of an F6F Hellcat in the Trinity Mountains to honor our veterans. The hope is to build display cases for viewing in the Armory at the fairgrounds so there will be a donation jar on their table, too.