Hi World,

It's been a little while. I'm still here and still planning, thinking, envisioning ways to raise funds. We now have a wonderful Fundraising Committee that has been meeting weekly for the past month, working to provide support for Wisdom projects. It's been fun :). In other news, Oregon's AmeriCorps "kick-off" day was this week as well as the AmeriCorps leadership training, facilitated by Jeff Birdsall, past director of Mt Adams Center for the Northwest Service Academy. I met a lot of amazing and excited folks looking to take part in communities around the state. I especially enjoyed connecting with fellow AmeriCorps serving in the Portland area doing similar work. There are so many amazing organizations out there and now I look forward to connecting with more of them soon. That's it for now. I'll try not to be such a stranger in the coming months. Cheers -Jacob

Hi all -

In celebration of fall and the harvest season - Wisdom is having an Elderberry Harvest Celebration event. Above is the flier, including date, time, description, & location.

You can also check & RSVP at the Facebook event page:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=253085591403028

Hope to see you there!

Native Science and Climate Change

For many Native communities, a shifting climate means a dramatic change in the abundance and accessibility of plants and animals they depend on. As migration patterns, water flows, and plant propagation patterns shift, Native communities will need to change locations and practices to adapt to these changes in climate and mitigate harmful impacts. How does this look when a tribe is limited to a small piece of reserved land to do all of their food and resource gathering? The federal government is obligated by the constitution to respect the rights of Native people to gather food and resources off reservations. How do we make sure that obligation is upheld?

This is one of the major themes discussed last week at a conference I attended about the role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in facing the challenges of climate change. It was hosted by Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians up in Seattle and featured speakers from various tribal communities, governments and federal agencies.

How do we facilitate the blending of Western and Native science to help Native and non-native communities lesson the impacts of climate change while preserving and respecting Native science and communities?

Many attendees shared stories about the innumerable abuses done to them and their communities after TEK was shared with federal agencies. Traditional fishing grounds, once exposed, have been opened up to commercial interests forcing locals to travel miles away to fish. Traditional huckleberry-gathering sights have been overrun and damaged by people who do not respect the land, the plant, or the rights of Native peoples to use the land. Information about salmon and river ecology has been exploited for the sake of profits...and the list goes on. Naturally, many Native communities are hesitant to reveal TEK to Western Scientists or Federal agencies. At the same time, TEK is proving to be a vital tool for Native and non-Native communities alike in the struggle to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

What steps can we take to ensure that Traditional Ecological Knowledge is respected and preserved, not abused? How do we protect ecological knowledge that tribes depend on while making elements of it accessible to Western science?

Some conclusions from conference participants include the need to consistently reserve a place at the table for Native communities to be consulted about how their land or knowledge is being used. Consultation is required by law, but often takes the form of Government agencies or Industry simply informing Native communities of their plans. Conference participants also sighted the need for Western scientists to formally acknowledge the legitimacy of the outcomes and decisions that are based on TEK, and respect the need to preserve the knowledge and use it respectfully and with consent from tribes.

The Tribal Climate Change Project, based out of the University of Oregon, is doing great work in these areas. Check em out!

Greetings Fans, Friends, and Relatives

It's been awhile since my last update, and alot has happened in the past few weeks!

First and foremost the deadline for applications for the mentorship program has passed and we've filled all but two of our slots. So if there are any master tellers out there there's still a chance to join us this year!

Our master storytellers for this year are:
Darlene Foster
Ed Edmo
Elaine Grinnell
Esther Stutzman
Roger Fernandez
Rose High Bear
Tajuraden Blackhorn-Delph
Woodrow Morrison

With only two more teams left, act soon and they could be you!

Hot on the Presses

Hello friends and fans of WISDOM! It's been awhile since last we met, but we're back!

These past few weeks have been spent preparing for our next wave of promotional materials and outreach attempts which will be aimed at media outlets and university communities advertising for the Sixth Annual Storytelling Festival this October. I've been collecting contact information for media sources throughout the northwest and am working on the final revisions for our press releases. Within the next few weeks I'll also be sending invitations out to Native Student Groups throughout the region as well.

Well until next time folks!

Double Dig Party

Ever double dug? we have!

On Monday we partnered with Learning Garden Laboratories to host a workshop on double digging. For those of you unacquainted with the process, it is perhaps the most labor intensive method of improving soil health, but one of the most effective and also a barrel of fun (as long as you aren't trying to do it by yourself...).

The main reasoning behind the double dig method is that each layer of soil has unique properties and microorganisms. As such, these distinct layers should not just be mixed willy-nilly. So how to aerate the soil without mixing the layers? The basic idea is to remove the top layer, mix some compost into the second layer, and then replace the top layer, with all of the larger stones and organic (or not so organic...) matter sorted out. Sounds easy, right?

Stay posted for more info on fun garden events!

We Opened Our House and Lived to Tell About It

Hi everyone! I know you have been on the edge of your seat waiting to see what crazy shenanigans we are have been up to! well, wait no further...here's an update!

Yesterday Wisdom of the Elders hosted our first open house at our new location. We spent all day scrubbing, sweeping and sweating over the stove in preparation. Members of the board, new friends from Learning Gardens Laboratory and other members of the Wisdom community came to enjoy the massive amounts of food we prepared while basking in the glorious late-summer dusk.

One of the highlights of the evening was the huge amounts of Raita that Emma made with some of the cucumbers we have been swimming in ever since the plants in the yard surprisingly decided they were exceptionally pleased with their situation.

It was nice to meet new people, hear about everyone's exciting projects and share ours. The plan is to have an open house once a season so stay tuned!

Speaking of climate change, check out this amazing film about the Native inhabitants of the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia and their fight against big oil: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3bKmz4od3g

See you soon!

isobel