Page 43 - Southern Oregon Magazine Winter 2021

Restoration Corporation. The corporation is in its fifth year of activity. We’ve lessons and that just really suited her. She ended up training in Massachusetts
gotten the two principle water quality permits in California and Oregon. and dancing professionally. So, we’ve been surrounded by the arts.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regulates hydroelectric
dams and theirs is a two-step process. Step one transfers the ownership of the Dunbar Carpenter has been one of my mentors. He and Lindsay Berryman
dams from PacifiCorp to the non-profit, and we’ve taken that step. The sec- approached Val and me with a persuasive case for the restoration of the
ond step then is the surrender of the license. That would trigger the National Craterian Theater. Val and I gave the lead grant to get the project started and
Environmental Policy Act and the Army Corp of Engineers would authorize we’ve remained involved. We dearly love the Craterian Theater and what it
the removal of the dams. FERC threw us a curve ball, rather than transfer brings to our region.
the entirety of the license to us, they kept PacifiCorp as a co-licensee. We
then negotiated an arrangement that PacifiCorp would remain as co-licensee WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT SOUTHERN OREGON?
through the permitting process, but would be replaced by the states of Oregon JIM - It starts with the four beautiful seasons we have. The seasons are like
and California once all the permits have been obtained. pages in a book, turning with increasing frequency. I look forward to what
nature is doing over the course of the four seasons. I love being centrally
HOW ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE UPPER KLAMATH located where in less than an hour in any direction I go I can find something in
WATER ISSUES? nature that keenly interests me.
JIM - The George W. Bush administration took the cause and almost $30
million into restoration work and dedicated their administration to solving WHAT WOULD MAKE LIFE HERE BETTER?
the problem. Usually a new president doesn’t take on the previous president’s JIM - I’ve noticed that many of my friends and acquaintances would finish
issues, but the Obama administration addressed it and now the Trump admin- high school and leave the area. The hallmark of making this area better will
istration is interested. The Trump administration sent an interior assistant be seeing our children and our grandchildren stay here and participate in an
secretary to Klamath and he’s formed a “coalition of the willing.” He’s reas- economy that supports them.
sembled much the same group that I had been working with in 2001, and
they’re in conversation and working on the restoration part. WHAT’S CLEARER TO YOU NOW?
JIM - I’m not much of a philosopher, more of a worker bee. I was attracted
YOU AND VALERIE HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN here to work, but what is clearer to me is just how special Southern Oregon
SUPPORTING CULTURAL ACTIVITIES, NOTABLY THE is. I’ve been able to travel all over the world, and I’ve never found a place I’d
CRATERIAN THEATER. WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU? rather be.
JIM – Southern Oregon is a cultural hotspot. Having grown up here and
benefited from all of the theater and music, we’ve just been imbued with
the local arts culture. My mother played the organ at the original Craterian
Theater. Valerie was a classical pianist and left an emerging piano career for
college and other pursuits. Our daughter, Chrysten, started taking ballet

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