Page 70 - Southern Oregon Magazine Fall 2018

the good life | staycation

resist having a campfire, you can do it without burning down neighbor-
ing towns and threatening lives.

Hiking and backpacking are year-round activities. Lately, however, when
everyone wants to be enjoying these activities, the air has been hazard-
ous to our health.

On that note, we need a massive push to make our forests healthy again.
Most currently are not. It won’t be cheap or easy, and it will take time.
In the end, however, it will be cheaper and healthier than the current
megafires and corresponding smoke that we’ve dealt with for the past
several summers.

All of Southern Oregon took an economic beating this summer. Please
do what you can to help make sure our local economy thrives. Buying
online may save a few dollars, but that means you are taking money away
from the local economy. That online business will be fine without our
Southern Oregon dollars. The same goes for big box stores. They have
locations throughout the country that weren’t impacted by our local
weather conditions. They, too, will be fine.

On the other hand, your neighbors who operate “mom-and-pop” shops
will not be fine. They depend almost solely on the local economy and
tourism. This year, except for coastal regions, summer tourism in
Southern Oregon didn’t really happen. Not even close.

Southern Oregon is a great place to live and enjoy the outdoors. Let’s all
help each other.

68 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | fall 2018