Ruralite
February 2025 • Volume 72, No. 2
CEO Michael Shepard
SENIOR VP OF CONTENT Leon Espinoza
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Chasity Anderson, CCC
DEPUTY EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Noble Sprayberry
SENIOR EDITOR Jennifer Paton, CCC
ASSISTANT EDITORS Victoria Hampton, CCC; David Herder, CCC; Sable Riley, CCC
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Valeri Saldanha Rosa, Nina Todea
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCTION SR. MANAGER
Elizabeth Beatty
SENIOR PUBLICATIONS COORDINATOR
Alyssa McDougle
Ruralite (USPS 397-460) is published monthly for members for $5.43 per year, plus postage, by Pioneer Utility Resources Inc., 5625 NE Elam Young Pkwy. Ste. 100, Hillsboro, OR 97124—a not-for-profit Oregon cooperative corporation—to serve the communication needs of 46 consumer-owned electric utilities in Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Nevada and California. Preferred periodical postage paid at Hillsboro, Oregon, 97123 and additional mailing offices. © 2025 Pioneer Utility Resources. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.
Postmaster: Send address changes to Ruralite, 5625 NE Elam Young Pkwy. Ste. 100, Hillsboro, OR 97124-6454
HOW TO CONTACT RURALITE
Subscription services:
Nonmember subscriptions $15 (U.S.) per year; $25 per year (foreign). Prepayment required. Allow 4-8 weeks for first issue. Be sure to identify which local edition you want to receive.
Address Changes:
Utility members, contact your local utility. Subscribers, call us at 503-357-2105 option 3 or email mailingdept@pioneer.coop.
Back issues:
Back issues and extra copies $3. Prepayment required. Supply is limited. Be sure to identify edition, month and year. Call first if ordering back issues to check availability.
To contact Ruralite: Ruralite magazine is published by Pioneer Utility Resources.
P.O. Box 1306, North Plains, OR 97133-1306; 503-357-2105; email: info@pioneer.coop. For more information, visit www.pioneer.coop.
DISPLAY ADVERTISING INQUIRIES
American MainStreet Publications
611 S. Congress Ave., Ste. 504 Austin, TX 78704
800-626-1181 or 512-441-5200
Celebrating Community
February always has a chill to the air, but it’s also a month brimming with warmth and connection.
As we lean into the spirit of Valentine’s Day, our stories reflect the love and care that bind our communities together— from the joy of making music to the dedication of those nurturing the land and each other.
In a small, historic schoolhouse near Junction City, Oregon, the lively strains of fiddle music fill the air. Thanks to music teacher Amy Burrow, young musicians are discovering the joy of traditional jam sessions.
Amy’s quarterly gatherings, supported by grants, are more than just lessons. They are opportunities to build confidence, creativity and camaraderie. For 14-year-old Sapphire Rain, fiddle music is all about freedom and expression.
“You can do what you want with it,” she says.
What better way to share the love of music than by passing it on to the next generation? You can read more on Page 10.
The idea of sharing knowledge and building connections extends to our feature on University Extension programs. Across the country, these programs empower individuals and strengthen communities.
From helping women in farming gain confidence through Annie’s Project in Idaho to saving lives through the Diabetes Prevention Program in Arizona, Extension offices focus on uplifting people in practical, meaningful ways. Read more on Page 12.
February is a time to embrace moments of connection. Whether it’s a warm meal shared with loved ones, planning a spring garden with a friend or learning something new and sharing that new skill, this month invites us to celebrate the ties that bind us.
Have an idea for a story we should share about your community? Reach me at editor@pioneer.coop.
Chasity Anderson Editorial Director
For supplemental and interactive content, search @Ruralite on your favorite social media sites.
Old School Fiddle Tunes
Up Close, Page 10
Extension Programs Empower Communities
From hands-on farming skills to diabetes prevention, initiatives help America innovate
Spotlight, Page 12
Eat More Greens
In The Kitchen, Page 16
throughout the region.
Demand is increasing as the Northwest population grows and turns to electricity for transportation and heating. Data centers have proliferated throughout the Northwest due to our cheap and abundant hydropower and compound the pressure on the grid.
Washington state legislators are also increasing demand for renewable electricity by encouraging us to electrify residential heating, support electric vehicle transportation and require energy users to pay climate penalties for using carbonbased energy sources.
Supply throughout the Northwest is shrinking as coal plants shut down, but replacement energy projects are held up or canceled due to local permitting and public opposition. The regional hydro system is at capacity, with no plans to bring on more hydropower.
With the current trajectories, rolling blackouts and market price shocks will increase until supply can meet demand. OPALCO can invest in off-island generation projects, but this doesn’t benefit the local grid. Only local generation benefits the islands with reliable power if or when the power goes off on the mainland.
How can we prepare as a community?
San Juan County gets most of its power from the mainland via submarine cables. During the January 2024 cold snap,
OPALCO’s electric bill from our mainland power supplier had a $310,000 demand charge. Due to price shocks like these and the heightened likelihood of mainland blackouts, it’s increasingly necessary for our community to start exploring local, renewable energy projects.
OPALCO has long encouraged conservation efforts with rebates for energy-efficiency projects. The Switch It Up program supports the wise use of electricity by offering on-bill financing for conservation and renewable energy projects. Electric vehicles are five times more efficient than gas cars, and heat pumps are three times more efficient than other heaters. Through this program, about $20 million has been invested in local energy-savings projects.
A clean energy future, which is critical for protecting the health and resilience of the Salish Sea and our pristine maritime environment, requires a broad mix of renewable energy sources. Tidal energy technologies show great promise in adding to our portfolio of energy needs. OPALCO is studying the feasibility of a 2-megawatt tidal generator in Rosario Strait with funding from the Department of Energy.
What about rooftop solar?
There is a misconception that if you put solar on all rooftops and parking lots, the problem is solved. Unfortunately, rooftop solar is not a silver bullet.
Rooftop solar has grown throughout San Juan County. Installations have increased since 2022 when OPALCO made its on-bill financing program available for solar and battery projects. About $7.5 million in local rooftop solar and battery storage projects have been financed through this program.
OPALCO strongly encourages those who have viable rooftops to install solar, but this alone is not going to meet the projected load growth for San Juan County. Rooftop solar can only supply about 5% of our local energy needs, even if maximized. We need to explore utilityscale renewable energy projects to meet our future energy needs.
Utility-Scale Microgrids
OPALCO’s proposed Bailer Hill microgrid could more than double the county’s current rooftop solar generation. This project is an agri-solar system that will partner with local farmers to graze sheep in the shade of the solar array. Pairing solar with battery storage ensures we can access the energy when the sun isn’t shining, making it more of a reliable source of power for the county.
This and future microgrids can only happen if there is public support. On the mainland, more than 70% of utility renewable energy projects are canceled due to local permitting and public opposition.
Each year we delay the Bailer Hill microgrid is equivalent to burning 230,000 gallons of gasoline or emitting 4.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide. We can’t afford to wait for these projects.
Our community and planet will greatly benefit by investing now in local, renewable generation. It is time for us to step up, invest in solutions and begin to address these critical issues. OPALCO needs the support of co-op members to get these projects up and running. n
OPALCO has sources for the data shared and more detailed information about this article at www.opalco.com. Email communications@ opalco.com for more information. Part two of this three-part series will dive into why OPALCO chose Bailer Hill as the site for a future microgrid. Look for this segment on the OPALCO website.
urging D emand, hrinking Supply S
Increasing need for power affects electric utilities and their consumers
By Scott Flood
When rural electric utilities first strung power lines from farm to farm, across waterways and through remote forests less than a century ago, most consumers had but a handful of light bulbs to power. With time, they added appliances like refrigerators, but they surely couldn’t imagine the number and variety of electrical devices in today’s homes and garages.
Across the United States, consumers use a growing amount of electricity at work, at home and, with the growth of electric vehicles, on the road.
The demand for electricity increased by 2.5% in 2024 and is expected to grow by 3.2% this year. This comes after many utilities saw a 4.8% increase in 2022. Through 2029, the nation’s peak demand is projected to grow by 38 gigawatts. That would be like adding another Californiasized state to our nation’s power grid.
Driving this surge are advancements in technology, including artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency and cloud computing, which rely on energy-intensive data centers. These facilities, often located in rural areas due to affordable land and fewer neighbors, require massive amounts of electricity.
According to the U.S. Department of
Energy, data centers consume up to 50 times more energy per square foot than traditional commercial buildings. By 2030, these centers are expected to account for 9% of the nation’s electricity use, up from nearly 2% today. A single large data center may demand more than 100 megawatts of power, enough to supply 80,000 homes.
At the same time, baseload power—the always-available energy typically generated by coal and nuclear plants—is being retired at a rapid pace. More than 110 gigawatts of this reliable power are slated to disappear by 2033. As renewable energy sources like solar and wind grow, they cannot fully replace baseload generation due to their intermittent nature. Without sufficient baseload power, the risk of rolling brownouts and blackouts increases, a scenario experts warn could affect 19 states by 2028.
This growth in demand is unprecedented. A decade ago, a huge commercial project might boost a utility’s total load by 20 or 30 megawatts.
“Now, they’re getting requests for projects in the hundreds of megawatts,” says Stephanie Crawford, regulatory affairs director for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
This growth places immense pressure to expand capacity and upgrade infrastructure.
To address these challenges, the efforts fall into two categories: increasing knowledge and building relationships. A generation ago, power supply discussions were fairly straightforward for utility directors, given the widespread availability of baseload generation. Today’s directors increasingly find themselves learning about
sophisticated and challenging issues as they weigh decisions affecting operations and financial viability for years to come.
They must grapple with complex energy issues, from ensuring sufficient transmission capacity to understanding regulatory hurdles. Supply chain constraints also pose significant barriers, with delays for critical components like transformers stretching up to two years.
Relationship-building is equally crucial. Utilities must engage early and often with companies planning large energy projects to ensure alignment on costs, timelines and infrastructure needs. For instance, phased development of a data center can give them more time to prepare for peak loads. Partnerships to develop on-site generation assets may also alleviate transmission challenges.
While these tech companies are often willing to invest in infrastructure upgrades, their focus is on reliability rather than cost. Utilities must balance these demands with their obligation to maintain affordability and reliability for all consumers.
In addition to preparing for new projects, Stephanie notes the importance of leaders keeping their fingers on the pulse of their existing commercial accounts.
“Being proactive and reaching out to understand how a commercial account’s energy needs may be changing in the coming years will inform conversations and decisions about timing, rate design and other factors, even if they’re not making specific requests yet,” she says.
Stephanie says this improved communication helps utilities serve emerging needs while protecting reliability for all consumers. n
4 Major Reasons for Increasing Demand
After decades of flat or declining electricity demand, the United States is in the midst of a boom in power use. Recent government data shows power consumption nationwide is set to increase by at least 38 gigawatts between now and 2029. This trend would ordinarily be great news for the power industry. But government policies aimed at shutting down fossil fuel-based generation and yearslong delays in permitting and siting for new transmission lines are turning this power boon into a capacity crisis. Here are the primary demand drivers:
Electrification
Electric vehicle adoption, electrification of home heating and industrial electrification are expected to increase overall U.S. energy consumption by 1% per year through 2026.
Economic Growth
Data Centers
Driven by explosions in artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency and cloud computing, total U.S. data center load is projected to increase by 65% by 2050.
Residential power consumption is expected to increase by 14% to 22% through 2050 due to increases in population and steady economic growth.
Manufacturing Growth/Onshoring
New, expanding and “onshored/reshored” manufacturing capacity driven by federal incentives is expected to increase industrial demand by 13,000 GWh per year. Key products: EVs, batteries, semiconductors, solar power components
Total Demand
Analysts predicted in 2023 that U.S. peak demand will increase by at least 38 GW over the next five years, nearly double the growth rate predicted in 2022.
Generational Wealth
for only $299 each. These beautiful $5 Gold American Eagles are a perfect way to enter the gold market. They are set for immediate public release and will sell out fast.
Old-School Fiddle Tunes
Story and photos by Mike Teegarden
The distinctive ring of fiddle music fills the small, one-room 1888 schoolhouse near Junction City, Oregon, as musicians tune up and prepare to jam.
But before an outburst of jigs and reels gets toes tapping, a few preliminary instructions from organizer Amy Burrow are in order because this is a jam session lesson.
Amy, a music teacher and fiddler from nearby Eugene, used grants to fund a quarterly jam session for students ages 8 to 18. Her goal is to teach the next generation of fiddlers how to participate successfully in a traditional jam session.
“What I want is that kind of language of knowing 50 to 100 tunes that they can go sit in on a jam almost anywhere in Oregon and call a tune with confidence,” Amy says. “Start it at a tempo that they can manage. Get everybody to play along and know how to finish it.”
The 21/2-hour lesson and jam includes learning new tunes and practicing the etiquette surrounding playing with a group.
Students learn “Dry and Dusty” and “The Snake River Reel.”
The tunes are taught by ear. Amy plays a phrase, and the fiddlers do their best to play it back to her. Once they have a section
down, Amy moves on to the next until the music reaches their fingers.
The real fun begins once notes are memorized. Now, the musicians are free to add their own flair to the tune. They may slide certain notes or add staccatos—quickly played notes—or use other fiddle techniques that add character to the music.
Sapphire Rain, 14, from Monmouth, Oregon, has played fiddle for about two years. She loves fiddle music because the structure allows her to experiment.
“It’s the freedom,” she says. “You can do what you want with it. I have always wanted to play fiddle since I was 4 or 5.”
Tristan Lulay, 15, from Scio, Oregon, loves the feeling of a large group playing together.
“When everyone is playing, it all comes together,” he says. “Even if everyone isn’t a great player.”
Old-time fiddle music is perfect for dancing, so students set down their instruments and pair up for a circle dance as the adult musicians play. The simple circle dance uses moves common to square dancing to mix and move the dancers around the room. It ends with the dancers raising their hands in the center together with a loud whoop and big smiles. n
Jam session instructor Amy Burrow leads students through an old-time fiddle tune in a historic schoolhouse.
Extension Programs Empower Communities
From hands-on farming skills to diabetes prevention, initiatives help America innovate
By Ginger Meurer
When Emily Black and her husband, Luke, started farming, they needed help.
“I went to the library and got every single farming book I could find, but that only takes you so far,” Emily says. “Then, there’s YouTube channels that you’re following, but they’re so generic. What about my area? What about my soil?”
To find those close-to-home answers, Emily turned to Annie’s Project at the University of Idaho Cooperative Extension.
Extensions services spread the mission of land-grant universities beyond campuses, reaching out to residents of all ages across America. Educational opportunities provided by extension services cover a wide range of topics, such as helping farmers grow crops and livestock, educating adults about gardening and health, and teaching youth hands-on skills.
University of Idaho Extension educator Colette DePhelps says Annie’s Project courses help women farm operators gain skills, manage risks and build professional networks. While participants have met in person in the past, recent sessions have been virtual—three hours weekly over 12 weeks.
Classes are structured to accommodate the realities of life.
“We know you are multitasking, and it’s fine,” Colette says. “It’s fine if your kids are on Zoom. It’s fine if you have to step away and come back. We totally understand. We’re a very welcoming class.”
Participants come from all scales of operations.
“Newer farmers are learning from farmers who have been farming for a long time,” Colette says. “But also, newer farmers have a different perspective, and they may be more comfortable with technology or direct marketing, so they have fresh ideas to share with more experienced farmers about reaching modern clientele.”
That was the case for Emily, who now teaches marketing strategy through the extension and offers one-on-one coaching through cultivatingyourmarket.com.
Annie’s Project is only one of a wide variety of courses offered through extensions. While 4-H youth development programs and
Emily Black feeds chickens at her Athol, Idaho, farm. The former student now teaches through the University of Idaho Extension.
PHOTO BY ANNIE ZASADNY
Communities
Master Gardeners community gardening experts are well known, extensions across the country lead a host of other projects they’re excited about.
Inviting Kids Into the Kitchen
In Twin Falls County, Idaho, extension educator Siew Guan Lee leads Kids in the Kitchen, a live online cooking program co-launched with the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension in 2020.
“One of the goals is that kids are the chef, and they’re making the meal for the family that night,” Siew says.
She started out offering kid-trusted basics with healthy twists, such as baked chicken nuggets and mac and cheese with broccoli. Participants encouraged Siew to embrace diverse dishes, including offerings from Mexico, Japan, Hawaii, Thailand, Ireland and more. Inspired by a colleague in Georgia, Siew also offers Southern dishes.
“And, of course, we’re Idahoans,” she says. “So, potatoes. We have to have that featured.”
Though the program is intended for Idaho residents, Siew says children log in from Wyoming, Washington, Utah, Oregon, Colorado, California and even Canada. And they aren’t just learning nutrition and food prep skills. They’re bonding with their sous-chef parent assistants.
“Parents said in their feedback that it actually improved their family dynamics,” she says.
Sharing Nutrition Stories
Getting families involved in nutrition education was also one of the goals behind Washington State University-Chelan and Douglas Counties Extension’s Story Walk.
Extension director Margaret Viebrock says they teamed with Friends of the Library to select and dissect oversized nutritional picture books. They mounted pages on foamcore with English on one side and Spanish on the other, then took them on the road.
The first book was, “I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato,” which was set up at the Master Gardeners’ Tomato Gala, an annual sample fest where the community votes on which tomato varieties the Master Gardeners grow for the spring plant sale.
The story walk was a hit with families strolling through, reading and collecting prizes after a quiz at the end. The project won a regional award and has been duplicated in half a dozen other extension offices in the state.
The extension also teaches nutrition basics in schools so children “understand that food doesn’t come from the back of a grocery store,” Margaret says. “There’s actually a farmer out there who grows it.”
The mission continues in community gardens, where aspiring green thumbs of all ages can rent small plots for the summer with water, seeds and a few starter plants included.
Lessons get serious when it comes to food preservation. It’s not like baking cookies, Margaret explains. If you’re out of chocolate chips and you substitute raisins, it’s still a cookie.
“With canning and preserving food, you just can’t make a substitution and put it in a sealed jar and expect it to be safe,” she says. “Just because it’s on the internet doesn’t mean it’s right. It’s important to know the source of a recipe to make sure it’s safe to use.”
A family takes in nutrition education on the go during a cooperative extension story walk in Washington. PHOTO COURTESY OF WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION
Preventing Diabetes
Saving lives is at the core of the Diabetes Prevention Program that University of Arizona Extension specialist Vanessa da Silva directs. The 12-month intensive course is targeted not at the 1 in 10 Americans who have diabetes but at the 1 in 3 who are prediabetic.
“We use the image of an iceberg,” Vanessa says. “What you can see above water are the people with diabetes. Underwater is this huge number of people that, if nothing changes, are very likely to progress to Type 2 diabetes. We’re trying to have an impact on that through extension.”
Participants in groups of 10 to 20 meet for 26 one-hour sessions over 12 months, starting weekly and easing toward monthly at the end. Lifestyle coach facilitators lead the sessions, but participants are encouraged to get involved.
“We really try to get people to work together and figure out for themselves,” Vanessa says. “What are the changes that they can make?”
Alfred McDonald of Tucson, Arizona, says he had “zero knowledge about diabetes” when he signed up for the program.
“I immediately started learning things out of the gate, like how to read a food label, carbohydrates, proteins, things like that,” he says.
Alfred lost 60 pounds, brought down his blood sugar and learned to manage his stress.
Exploring Through 4-H
Southern Nye County Extension educator Hayley Maio says her extension operates in an area short on youth programs.
“We focus a lot on 4-H and positive youth development programs to help fill that gap,” she says. “It’s really fun to work with the kids and see them learning and blossoming.”
Tapping volunteers with expertise in a variety of backgrounds, the Southern Nevada extension gives youngsters a taste of robotics, creative writing, art, sewing, baking, gardening and more.
“Whatever kids are looking for or their parents think might be of interest to them, we try to make it happen,” Hayley says. "I’m a firm believer in if somebody wants it, we can figure out how to make it happen. If you can dream it, we can do it.”
Southern Nye County’s Master Gardeners and other adult programs have found success with online education, but when it comes to 4-H, in-person is vital “because it’s a learn-by-doing, experiential learning, hands-on type of program,” Hayley says.
In Washington, Whitman County Extension Office Acting Director Michael Gaffney says if he had to pick just one program he’s excited about, it would be 4-H robotics. He says the program is a science, technology, engineering and mathematics—or STEM—recruitment tool for student engagement in the sciences.
Regional and national competitions are great, but Michael says the real proof of the program’s success is watching kids head off to college to study things like engineering.
“For us, that checks all the boxes for 4-H,” he says.
Pinal County Extension agent Dr. Cathy Martinez demonstrates the use of a resistance band to participants in her Diabetes Prevention Program. PHOTO BY CHRIS CROCKETT, MULTIMEDIA SPECIALIST, PINAL COUNTY EXTENSION OFFICE
IN THE NEW YEAR Eat More Greens
BY NATALIA
Collard Greens With Bacon
2 pounds collard greens
4 thick-sliced bacon strips, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Trim thick stems from collard greens, and coarsely chop leaves. In a Dutch oven, saute bacon for 3 minutes. Add onion. Cook until onion is tender and bacon is crisp, about 8 to 9 minutes. Add greens. Cook just until wilted. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and cover. Simmer until greens are tender, about 45 to 50 minutes.
Recipes by Gertrude Treadaway
ADOBE STOCK PHOTO
Books/Magazines
Free to an appreciative home. Almostcomplete sets of “Idaho Magazine” years 2018-24. Pick up at my address in Idaho or by arrangement in Netarts, Oregon. Will ship by UPS if prepaid.
Jim Fazio 1049 Colt Road Moscow, ID 83843
Crafts/Hobbies
Looking for used postcards featuring the greater Bend/Central Oregon area with writing on the back. These likely would have been from people visiting the area and mailing postcards to friends or family in other parts of Oregon or other states. Thank you.
J. Stephens 19110 Buck Drive Bend, OR 97703
Please help with a legacy artwork of black and white photography portraits for my art project. I will email you a photo of the final. I don’t have any photos of family, so anything will be appreciated. I’m a hobbyist, not a professional photographer.
NJ Bittick 1009 Orchard St. Susanville, CA 96130
I have many used greeting and Christmas cards and a surplus of wrapping paper. If anyone would like to have some of these for a project, I will help with shipping.
Tam Judy 456714 Highway 95 Careywood, ID 83809 jslashbrand@gmail.com
Milestones
Our father, Marvin, will celebrate his 89th birthday in February. When he was in his 20s, he was stationed with the Air Force in Alaska and never left. He has been in Alaska for over 65 years, worked for the FAA, owned a construction company and enjoyed years of wilderness adventures. Please send to, Marvin Hassebroek, 518 Slater Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99701
Melanie Hinzman Fairbanks, Alaska
Our wonderful grandmother Marian celebrates 100 years in February. Longtime residents of Brookings-Harbor will remember her beautiful smile and gracious presence working at her in-laws mercantile, Hanscam's Store, following her move to Oregon from Kentucky with her Fort Knox soldier after the war. She still attends mass and bakes a terrific cookie. If you care to send a card, poem, cookie or bar recipe, recollection, postcard, etc., to her c/o of me, I'll be sure to deliver them on her birthday. Thank you in advance for sending cheer.
Marian, c/o Cora Rose P.O. Box 490 Brookings, OR 97415
My father-in-law, Elisardo “Alex” Camarillo, will turn 100 in February. Alex was raised in Southern California and served in World War II as a Private First Class from 1942-1945. After the war, he returned to Southern California working on some of the large ranches, such as the Rancho Santa Margarita. He learned to train horses and also worked as a farrier. He moved to Oregon in 1948 and raised his family near Carlton. He continued to work as a farrier until he was 80 years old. It would be wonderful if he could receive cards from you for this special event. Please send cards to Elisardo “Alex” Camarillo, 400 Frank Gilliam Drive, Apt. #15, Heppner, OR 97836.
Sharon Camarillo
Heppner, Oregon
Recipes
I'm looking for new dinner recipes to add to my family's collection. I would love meals that can be prepared in advance and frozen for later use. If you have a favorite family recipe, please share it with me by email or mail. Thank you.
Stefanie Steward P.O. Box 566 Susanville, CA 96130 stefsteward@gmail.com
Submitting Requests Is Free
Send your request—with no attachments—to readerexchange@ruralite.org or mail to Reader Exchange, 5625 NE Elam Young Parkway, Suite 100, Hillsboro, OR 97124. Fill in the subject line with Reader Exchange. Acceptance, scheduling and editing are at the editor’s discretion. Single requests only, please. No duplicates. Submissions are handled on a first-come, first-served basis and as space allows. We cannot honor every request.
Please affirm you have authorization from all appropriate parties before submitting. By submitting, you indemnify Reader Exchange, Pioneer Utility Resources Inc., its officers, directors, employees, utility clients and insurers from all legal liability incurred by the publication of information.
We no longer accept pen pal requests. You may submit a pen pal request as a Marketplace ad. Marketplace pricing applies.
When submitting a milestone request, please send it at least two months before the milestone.
Phone numbers will not be published. Email addresses will be published if part of the ad, but the request must include a postal address.
Request must include the name and address of the electric utility that provides your magazine.
See bluffs, beaches and history in
Washington at
Ebey’s Landing
National Historic Reserve
What Is It?
Walk into history at Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve in the far reaches of Northwest Washington. The reserve, on Whidbey Island near the Canadian border, features unique plants and habitats, tall bluffs that lower into the sea and centuries of historic structures.
First National Historic Reserve
Whidbey Island has been home to many over thousands of years, and, for a long time, was part of the territory of the Lower Skagit tribe. In the mid-1800s, settlers came to the area for the great soil and maritime benefits. In 1978, the area became the United States’ first National Historic Reserve to preserve the natural landmarks and farms that tell the story of rural life.
Spectacular Views
Ebey’s Landing has more than 30 miles of hiking and biking trails through forests and prairies and along coastline. The Bluff Loop trail and Ebey’s Prairie Ridge trail are popular. Ebey’s Landing is also home to a beach with miles of shoreline, and nearby Crockett Lake is a popular spot for birders during migration seasons.
Three State Parks
Inside the reserve are three state parks. Fort Casey State Park is home to a fort built in the late 1800s that was used during World War II and Admiralty Head Lighthouse. Fort Ebey State Park is home to another fort used during WWII and many popular trails.
Ebey’s Landing State Park includes the Bluff Loop Trail and many other sweeping viewpoints.
More Information
Weather on the reserve is known to change quickly, and quick rainstorms can cause trails to become slick or even cause landslides. The reserve is not all public land—85% of the reserve’s area is privately owned. Please avoid private property. Entering the reserve is free, but entering any of the state parks requires a discovery pass—$10 for a day or $30 for an annual pass. To start planning your trip, visit nps.gov/ebla or call 360-678-6084.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN CHAO/NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
(Continued from previous page)
vice is available whether you’re out watering the garden, driving in a car, at church or even hundreds of miles away on a tour or at a casino. You are never alone. With just a single push of the One-Touch E Button you instantly get connected to free unlimited help nationwide with no monthly bills ever,” said Jack Lawrence, Executive Director of Product Development for U.S. based Universal Physicians.
“We’ve never seen anything like it. Consumers absolutely love the sleek new modern design and most of all, the instant rebate that practically pays for it and no monthly bills ever,” Lawrence said.
FastHelp is the sleek new medical alert device with the best of combinations: a quality, high-tech engineered device that’s also an extremely great value because there are no monthly bills ever.
Better still, it comes with no contracts, no deposits and no monthly bills ever – which makes FastHelp a great choice for seniors, students and professionals because it connects to one of the largest nationwide networks everywhere cell service is available for free.
And here’s the best part. All those who already have an old style monitored medical alert button can immediately eliminate those monthly bills, which is why Universal Physicians is widely advertising this announcement nationwide.
“So if you’ve ever felt a medical alert device was too complicated or expensive, you’ll want to get FastHelp, the sleek new medical alert device with no monthly bills,” said Lawrence.
The medical alert device slugfest was dominated by two main combatants who both offer old style monitored help buttons that come with a hefty bill every month. But now Universal Physicians, the U.S. based heavyweight, just delivered a knockout blow sending the top rated contenders to the mat with the unveiling of FastHelp. It’s the sleek new cellular
embedded medical alert device that cuts out the middleman by instantly connecting you directly to highly trained 911 operators all across the U.S. There’s absolutely nothing to hook-up or install. You don’t need a land line and you don’t need a cell phone. Everything is done for you.
“FastHelp is a state of the art medical alert device designed to make you look important, not
old. Old style monitored help buttons you wear around your neck, or require expensive base station equipment or a landline are the equivalent of a horse and buggy,” Lawrence says. “It’s just outdated.”
Millions of seniors fall every year and spend hours lying on the floor helpless and all alone with no help.
But seniors who fall and get immediate help
HOW TO GET IT:
IF BORN BEFORE 1961:
IF
are much more likely to avoid getting sent to a nursing home and get to STAY living in their own home independently.
Yet millions of seniors are still risking their safety by not having a medical alert device. That’s because seniors just can’t afford to pay the monthly bills that come with old style medical alert devices.
That’s why seniors born before 1961 are rush-
ing to cash in the whopping $150 instant rebate before the 21 day deadline ends.
So there’s no need to wait for FastHelp to hit store shelves later this year because seniors born before 1961 can get it now just by using the $150 instant rebate coupon printed in today’s newspaper before the 21 day deadline ends. If lines are busy keep trying, all calls will be answered. ■
Use the rebate coupon below and call this Toll-Free Hotline: 1-800-330-4294 DEPT. HELP8438
BORN AFTER 1961: You cannot use the rebate coupon below and must pay $299 Call: 1-800-330-9423 DEPT. HELP8438
THE BOTTOM LINE: You don’t need to shop around. We’ve done all the leg work, this deal is too good to pass up. FastHelp with the instant rebate is a real steal at just $149 and shipping and there are no monthly bills ever.
PROS: It’s the sleek new medical alert device that comes with the exclusive FastHelp One-Touch E 911 Button that instantly connects you to free unlimited nationwide help everywhere cell service is available with no contracts or deposits. It connects you to the vast available network of cellular towers for free and saves seniors a ton of money because there are no monthly bills ever making this deal irresistible. Plus it’s the only medical alert device that makes seniors look important, not old.
CONS: Consumers can’t get FastHelp in stores until later this year. That’s why it’s so important for seniors born before 1961 to call the National Rebate Center Hotline within the next 21 days. For those who miss that deadline, the sleek little medical alert device will set you back over $300 bucks.
The Power of Contrast
By Dave LaBelle
Without darkness, I would never know light. I have heard variations of this truth since my youth.
Though we often speak about contrast—the degree of difference between the darkest and lightest parts of an image—there is another form of contrast that emphasizes the variances between subjects in a composition. And while, generally, we want a photograph to have good tonal range, compositionally, contrasting subjects can also be important for storytelling impact.
For instance, positioning someone tall next to someone short in the same frame helps show the height differential. The same goes for the contrast of a man dressed in an expensive, tailored suit passing by a man partially clothed in soiled rags, communicating the different place in life each occupies.
Henry Cartier-Bresson’s photographs of children playing in war-torn ruins or children pushing a steel hoop down the street as a hearse passes behind them and Margaret BourkeWhite’s 1937 Great Depression image of hungry people in a breadline as a billboard behind
them shows a smiling family in a nice car are examples of iconic photographs employing the concept of contrast.
Of the tools in a writer’s and photographer’s toolbox, the use of contrast can be a powerful and effective device to quickly communicate ideas and concepts. n
Renowned author, photographer and lecturer Dave LaBelle has captured special moments for more than half a century. For more of his writings, visit davidlabelle.com and bridgesandangels.wordpress.com.
Reader Challenge
See if you can capture or make a photograph that tells a story by using a contrast of subjects. Consider a still-life composition of objects, such as your child’s baby shoes arranged next to their grown-up shoes. It’s a way of revealing time passed. Or illustrate aging with a photograph of a frisky new puppy crawling over a tired, old dog.
Email your best image (just one, please) with caption information, including an explanation of how it affects you, to gph@pioneer.coop. We may share submissions on our website and social media channels.
While working on a story about a vaquero who rode bulls, horses and roped until he was 91, I shot this picture of Bob Yanez, 98, with his 4-month-old great-grandson, John, who was visiting from another country. It is a way of showing and connecting the cowboy’s legacy.
PHOTO BY DAVE LABELLE
NIKON
Board Member Nominations By Petition Open Until Feb. 15
Make a difference in your community and run for the Orcas Power & Light Cooperative Board of Directors. OPALCO board members attend monthly meetings to review company policies and set the co-op’s strategic direction. The board also sets power rates, oversees co-op finances and keeps up to date on the issues facing our island communities.
Board members are educated on a variety of topics, including renewable energy generation, co-op governance, technology, legal and insurance issues,
and local government policies. Being a board member makes a difference in your communities by helping shape your local electric co-op and future power supply.
OPALCO welcomes and encourages members of all backgrounds to apply to join the board. Basic requirements are: be a co-op member; be a resident of the district in which you are running; be at least 18 years old, and have a high school diploma or equivalent.
The nomination process by committee has passed, but members can still run via
the petition process. You must have 20 members sign a petition on your behalf, fill out the application and sign the forms at www.opalco.com/why-run.
Voting Opens March 5
All members vote for all districts, regardless of where they reside. Learn about the candidates on our website, and attend the virtual candidate forum at 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 5. Register for the forum at www.opalco.com/forum.
OPALCO members receive a ballot via email and by mail.
2025 Annual Meeting
Save the date for the OPALCO annual meeting Friday, April 25, at the San Juan County Fairgrounds. Watch for more details to come. n
OPALCO members enjoy the 2024 annual meeting at the co-op’s Orcas Island headquarters. PHOTO COURTESY OF SATYA CURCIO PHOTOGRAPHY
MARKETPLACE
Agriculture
4x5 round bales, Meadow Foxtail Orchard Grass. 4x4 Timothy, small square. 208-4354637 or 208-435-4002; nas@cpcinternet.com. 1225
Reinforced custom-sized pond liners (39 cents/sqft). Hay covers, greenhouse covers, any width and length. Truck tarps and more. High puncture and tear strength. Best price guaranteed. Celebrating 43 years in business. www.btlliners.com. 541-447-0712. 0425
Antiques and Collectibles
Buying antiques and collectibles: advertising signs, porcelain signs, gas pumps, beer signs, antique toys, cast-iron coin banks, neon signs and more. Jason, 503-310-3321 or tjabaughman@yahoo.com. 0325
Buying American Indian collectibles, Navajo blankets and rugs, baskets, beadwork, etc. Also, quality paintings of the early Southwest and Americas. Call 760-409-3117 or send photos to amer.ind.baskets@gmail.com. 0225
Books, Magazines and Videos
Book restoration. Bibles, cookbooks, cherished family heirlooms. Beautiful work. We give renewed life, more durable than original, to last for generations. 775-537-7066; salacanstudio@gmail.com. 0225AR Business Opportunities
For sale: successful Northeast Oregon drive-in diner. Union, OR. Owner wishes to retire after 28 years. RMLS #24493530. Walt BrookshireBroker, Oregon Trail Realty, 541-805-8689. $185K. 0325
Tremendous opportunity to own restaurant, bar, liquor store with pull tabs and lotto sales near Fairbanks, AK. Located near university, airport and musk ox farm. Ivory Jacks since 1975. $1.4M; 5.9 acres. Dick: home, 907-455-6666; cell, 907-888-6668; dickells74@gmail.com. ivoryjacksrestaurant.com. 0225
Community Events
Celestial Resonance by Darcy Dolge. Feb. 7March 29, 2025. Art Center East, La Grande, OR. A multisensory exhibit combining art and sound. artcentereast.org. 0225
Equipment and Tools
Fireproof combination lock safe, $300. DR multi trimmer, $300. Kubota tow rototiller, $1.75K. Land pride 4-ft. mower, $800. Ted, 458-910-3727. 0225
Quick, Affordable: How to Place an Ad
Ads 25 words or fewer are $35 a month. An extended ad of up to 35 words is $50 a month. Contact information is included in the word count. Phone numbers and emails count as one word.
Longer ads may be placed. Contact 503-357-2105 or info@pioneer.coop for pricing information.
Ads are for customers of member co-ops, public utility districts and municipals only. Subscribers and nonmembers may inquire about pricing at 503-357-2105 or info@pioneer.coop.
Ads must be direct and in first person, and are subject to approval and editing.
Closing deadlines (in our office): April issue—Feb. 28, 2025.
If submitting ad by mail, send appropriate payment with your name, address, email, phone number and the name of the electric utility that provides your magazine to: Marketplace, P.O. Box 1306, North Plains, OR 97133. Make check or money order payable to Ruralite.
We accept credit card payments for ads submitted by email. Send ad to info@pioneer.coop. Call 503-357-2105 to pay by credit card.
Advertisements are accepted in good faith. Pioneer Utility Resources is not liable for interactions between buyers and sellers.
For Rent, Lease
NE, OR. 1 bd, 1 ba, bonus room. Nice smaller home. Water/sewer/garbage paid. $650 month/plus deposit. 55-plus preferred. Phone calls only. 541-519-3400. 0225
Free Items
Free materials—church, government uniting, suppressing “religious liberty,” enforcing National Sunday Law. Be informed. Need mailing address only. TBS, P.O. Box 374, Ellijay, GA 30540. tbsmads@yahoo.com; 888-211-1715. 0325AR
Livestock, Supplies
28th annual Oft Angus Bull Sale. March 20. Producers sale yard, Vale. Selling 90 fall and 2-year-old bulls. Terry, 208-741-0824, or Colleen, 208-202-8352. 0325
Miscellaneous
Foster parents needed to care for teen youth in Wasco and Hood River counties. Agency provides on-call support, training, $2.1K/youth monthly reimbursement, 2 days off/month. Fosterinfo@nextdoorinc.org; 541-308-2207. 0625
Looking for that special knife? I hand make custom hunting and fishing knives. I also make other metal and woodcrafts. 559-212-0693; Buckeyeknives.com. 0225
Local commercial fisherman sells summer catch of preserved freshness by blast freezing at sea, gourmet canned tuna on internet. Sept.June. 100% guaranteed the best canned tuna you ever tasted. Original, jalapeno and garlic flavors available. To order: twofisherstuna.com or 206-799-1082. 0225
Granite cemetery markers at affordable prices. Will ship to most places. For more info: Joe, highdesertmemorials@gmail.com or 541-815-8906; www.highdesertmemorials.com. Pets and Supplies
Border collie/McNab puppies. The best dog you will ever have. Males and females, $450 each. Colton, OR. 503-314-0145. 0225
Real Estate
$180K. 160 acres, proven gold claims. 131 miles north of Fairbanks, AK. 50-yard-per-hour shaker plan. Complete water system. Text, 907-223-3036. 0225
Dedicated to Service
Rex Guard celebrates nearly five decades at OPALCO
Holding guard as Orcas Power & Light Cooperative’s current longest-serving staff member, Rex Guard is a familiar face at OPALCO and a mainstay in the San Juan Island community. He has served co-op members for nearly 47 years.
While he now holds the position of the San Juan Island crew’s general foreman,
Rex’s time at OPALCO started with humble beginnings.
Rex is one of six siblings raised on his family’s farm on San Juan Island. In June 1978, only two weeks out of high school, Rex was offered a job as a fisherman on a local fishing boat. Just days later, he was parked in front of King’s Market—started
by his grandfather, Lyle King—with his father when George Goff, then-general foreman on San Juan Island, walked out of the OPALCO office across the street to offer him a job as a brush trimmer for the in-house tree cutting crew.
“I turned to him and said, ‘I don’t know, I just got a job’,” Rex says.
A 1990 OPALCO crew is on-site to repair a span of submarine cable from Blakely to Orcas Island. From left are Rex Guard, Jim Gardner, Vern Coffelt and Pete Stoothoff. PHOTO COURTESY OF OPALCO
With some encouragement from his father, Rex met with George to chat more about the offer. Rex signed on to work seven days in a row: three days for the fishing boat and four for OPALCO.
“By the age of 18, I was working seven days a week, which I hadn’t planned,” Rex says. “And I never did trim any trees. By Day 1, I was setting transformers with the crew. They were great guys who took me under their wing.”
Rex’s early days at OPALCO were different from the way they are now. There was no union in place yet, and there weren’t as many strict requirements for work eligibility. Most of the lineworkers on the crew did not go through a formal apprenticeship program.
“Back when I started, those things weren’t required for the job,” he says. “If you could do something, you did it. Learning about electricity was the hardest part of the job because of that. But a lot of the work was based in common sense as well.”
The lineworkers were trained on the job in the moment and did what they could to teach each other.
In 1979, only one year into the job, Rex was already taking part in building crucial OPALCO infrastructure, namely the span of line on Douglas Road on San Juan Island. He was also on the 1990 crew that spliced the submarine cable from Blakely Island to Orcas Island, alongside Pete Stoothoff, Vern Coffelt and Jim Gardner.
Rex played a key part in some of OPALCO’s historic moments. His work in the past few years as general foreman has focused on making things easier for the next group of lineworkers that will follow in his footsteps.
He has done tremendous work repairing or replacing sections of buried cable that have been trouble spots, and has been diligent with OPALCO’s rightof-way line-clearing program to ensure fire safety and safe access to transmission areas.
“I feel like I got done what I could get done before my time here is up,” Rex says, looking ahead to retirement. “We have a great crew coming up. They’re a super
capable bunch. They made my job easy.
“I’ve had a lot of fun. I feel like they got the best of Rex Guard.”
After retiring, Rex looks forward to devoting time to his family. He is ready to settle into his new full-time role of grandfather. Rex has five grandchildren and wants to make the most of his time with them.
He also plans to travel the world with his wife, something they love, but haven’t had much of a chance to do.
For now, Rex can be found hard at work at the Friday Harbor OPALCO office or in the community, interacting with members and lineworkers, finishing his time with OPALCO doing what he does best.
The co-op thanks Rex for his many years of committed service. n
Rex has worked for the co-op for nearly 47 years. PHOTO COURTESY OF ORCAS VIDEO
Rex and his wife, Lisa, traveled to Rome in 2023. PHOTO COURTESY OF REX GUARD
Rex spends time with his wife and grandchildren on their family farm. PHOTO COURTESY OF REX GUARD
BEFORE YOU GO
Unexpected Friends
After seeing the photo we published in September of a fawn and cat, Ron Kopp decided to photograph similar events in his own backyard between a cat and a young buck.
“On our family ranch, south of Pilot Rock, Oregon, it is not unusual for deer to be in the yard—or cats, for that matter,” Ron says. “It is unusual for them to interact, however, especially on the sidewalk that leads to the ranch house’s front door.”
To submit your photo, email a JPEG file to photos@pioneer.coop. Include “Before You Go” in the subject line. Please share a bit about what inspired you to make your photo. n
A cat named Cat lies on a sidewalk as a curious buck leans down to lick it. As Cat placed his paw on the buck’s nose, neither seemed to mind the interaction. PHOTO COURTESY OF RON KOPP
Soup, Stews and Chowders
Get more than 220 recipes in a perfect-bound 8½-by-11-inch indexed book for $10, postage included.
Cooking for Two
The 2008 contest cookbook contains more than 180 recipes—most with a side dish and dessert, too. Included are the heartfelt and entertaining stories that accompany the recipes. The 8½-by-11-inch indexed book is $8 (includes postage).
for
of cookbooks wanted, along with your name and address, to Ruralite Cookbooks, P.O. Box 1306, North Plains, OR 97133. BY PHONE: with Visa, MasterCard, Discover card or American Express. The 2008 contains recipes—most and dessert, the heartfelt stories recipes. indexed postage).
TO ORDER BY MAIL:
Submit payment with cookbook title, your name, address and number of cookbooks wanted to: Ruralite Cookbooks P.O. Box 1306 North Plains, OR 97133
TO PAY BY PHONE: Call 503-357-2105 for credit card payments with Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express.
TO ORDER ONLINE: Visit www.ruralite.com.
Please allow two to three weeks for delivery.
TO ORDER Submit your
cookbooks
Your member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative utility. Providing energy services to San Juan County since 1937.
Eastsound Office
183 Mount Baker Road
Eastsound, WA 98245-9413
Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday Harbor Office
1034 Guard St.
Friday Harbor, WA 98250-9240
Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Lopez Crew Station 4232 Center Road
Lopez Island, WA 98261-8098
No regular office hours
360-376-3500
General Manager Foster Hildreth
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Vince Dauciunas, District 1
Vice President
Jerry Whitfield, District 4
Secretary/Treasurer
Tom Osterman, District 3
Mark Madsen, District 1
Chuks Onwuneme, District 2
Wendy Hiester, District 2
Brian Silverstein, District 3
Board meetings are the third Thursday of each month, unless otherwise indicated on our website. Board materials are posted on the website the Monday before the meeting.
www.opalco.com
Supporting Our Futures Together
Happy February, co-op members!
I’ve been getting in some fun winter hikes around the islands. Rain or sun, I’m out there running amok in some of my favorite spots. I’m glad we are starting to get a little more daylight out there.
I hope you will follow our series on local, renewable energy. Part 1 is on Page 5 of this issue, and Parts 2 and 3 are available on the OPALCO website.
It can feel daunting as we think of some of the critical issues we are tackling. But remember, we are in this together. Now more than ever, showing up in support of renewable energy projects is critical for us to move the needle on the climate emergency we are facing.
Stop by virtually at 5 p.m. on Feb. 12 for our Island Way Workshop, Our Energy Future, via Zoom. Register for the event at www.opalco.com/events.
Safety is our priority—which you can see from my safety gear picture—and we want to encourage everyone to always keep safety top of mind. Give us a shout if you see a tree too close to the power lines. We take every precaution with our right-of-way program to keep our system safe and prevent wildfires.
Happy Trails, Pepper
P.S. Save the date for the OPALCO Annual Member Festival on April 25 at the fairgrounds.