November Change for Good Partner: Vesper Meadow Education Program
November's Change for Good Partner is
Vesper Meadow Education Program
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The Vesper Meadow Education Program is building a culture of land stewardship and nature connection. They demonstrate biocultural restoration through Tribal partnership, collaborating with a broad network for land stewardship, community involvement in scientific monitoring, and sharing our work through nature-inspired art and creation of education materials.
Funds raised from November will help support their work with the Southwest Oregon Indigenous Gardens Network.
The Indigenous Gardens Network (IGN) serves as a hub of collaborative, Indigenous-led land projects that aim to restore traditional gathering areas throughout Southwestern Oregon (SWO) so that First Foods and plants of cultural significance can be cultivated, harvested, and made accessible to Indigenous partners. The IGN mobilizes new and existing resources in innovative ways to create project-based and experiential learning opportunities that address the urgent issues of food security, climate change, and Indigenous food sovereignty. The project represents a regional partnership that brings diverse partners together (Tribes, educators, conservation organizations) to address barriers to First Food access and cultivation.
Read the IGN Press Release, December 2020
The IGN is a partnership between the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Southern Oregon University (SOU), Vesper Meadow Education Program, and other regional partners that received funding from the Oregon Cultural Trust to initiate the Indigenous Gardens Network.
Since 2019, Vesper Meadows has worked with the Native Studies Department at SOU to envision and support the development of the IGN. In the winter and spring of 2020/2021, they engaged in six listening sessions with Grand Ronde and Siletz Tribal members to collectively develop the vision and structure of this Indigienous-led network.
During the summer of 2021, Vesper Meadow served as a pilot site for the IGN, providing Indigenous partners with unique opportunities that are often hard to come by in Southwest Oregon:
- ease of land access to the 950-acre Preserve
- opportunities to create, lead and enact native plant restoration plans
- safe spaces for culturally significant activities
Vesper Meadows continues to provide fundraising and logistical support for the IGN and for trips to SWO by IGN partners living elsewhere. The Vesper Meadow Restoration Preserve serves as a primary location
Vesper Meadow’s primary outpost is the Vesper Meadow Restoration Preserve, a 1,000 acre mix of upland wet meadows, conifer forests, and open shrub-steppe hillslopes in the heart of the Cascade-Siskiyou region. The Vesper Meadow Restoration Preserve is recovering from over a century of heavy forest and meadow use, and now serves as a biocultural restoration demonstration site for the Vesper Meadow Education Program. All restoration efforts are made with the intention to restore and enhance:
- the natural hydrology of Latgawa Creek
- the native plant community, and biodiversity reflective of the greater Cascade-Siskiyou region
- Indigenous connections through Tribal partnership and self-determined goals for First Food land management
- imperiled wildlife habitat for Mardon Skipper, Vesper Sparrow, and other rare species detected through ongoing monitoring efforts
- the ecological integrity of the creek, meadow, and forest-slope habitat for climate resiliency
- creating enhanced opportunities for human relationship with the land
To learn more about this local nonprofit, the work they are doing in our community and get involved in upcoming restoration projects, please visit vespermeadow.org
Vesper Meadow Education Program was chosen by our owners in our 2022 election to be a Change for Good Partner. Through the cumulative register round up donations over the course of this month ~ our shoppers will help support this local nonprofit organization and the work that they are doing in our community.
2020 was the first year of Change for Good, a register round-up program to benefit a slate of ten organizations, voted on by Co-op owners, through the cumulative donations of shoppers choosing to round-up their shopping total to the nearest dollar.
From one cent to 99 cents, it all adds up to feeling good about supporting the community.
More Co-op News
SNAP in the Co-op Kitchen and Thanksgiving
Use your SNAP EBT benefits for all Co-op Kitchen items through November 20th, 2020!
Recognizing the difficulties in food preparation for families who lost their homes in the local wildfires, the State of Oregon has expanded SNAP benefits to be used for hot foods, like made-to-order and hot bar meals from the Co-op Kitchen, through November 20.
And starting on November 16, you can get an early taste of Thanksgiving as the Co-op Kitchen hot bar rolls out the full Thanksgiving spread.
Black Lives Matter
We acknowledge that the Ashland Food Co-op has not had a culture where all employees and community members felt safe sharing their experiences of discrimination in our store. We apologize for this. We are on a learning journey. We have reached out for help, and are listening to our Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) employees and owners who want to be part of the positive change we seek.
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Vendors & businesses donating to relief efforts
From day one of the Almeda Fires, the Co-op team wanted to help the community. They reached out to vendors across the region and country to ask for their help with products, supplies and food to get to the fire victims.
And that help came through in big ways, getting nutritious food to displaced families, home supplies in high demand, and wellness and food for first responders and firefighters. Thank you for supporting these businesses as thanks for their help in our community's relief efforts.
October news at the Co-op
October is typically Co-op month, to highlight how differently cooperatives do business. But instead of talking about the 7 Cooperative Principles, or the ownership benefits of being part of the Co-op, we only need to look at the past four weeks to see what being a cooperative really means.
As part of the co-op family, you've helped the entire community immensely.
Lecture recording: "Nutrition for autism and related conditions"
Lisa Shelton, BioIndividual Nutrition Practitioner & Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, put together this recording to discuss nutrition for autism and related conditions including, ADHD, anxiety, and learning disorders as well as strategies for picky eating.
Click here to watch the lecture at your convenience.
Password: p!=Fw6R7
Support Co-op staff to rebuild
The Ashland Food Co-op is dedicated to helping our community and our staff rebuild after the Almeda Fires in early September.
For immediate support, the Co-op gave $1,000 to staff who lost their homes in the fires, as well as $250 for food and other household needs for anyone displaced due to a level 3 evacuation order.
Change for Good in September: Southern Oregon Land Conservancy
For the month of September, Ashland Food Co-op shoppers can round up at the register to support Southern Oregon Land Conservancy. Since 1973, SOLC has been working on multiple fronts to improve land quality and conservation for humans and nature alike. Check out some of the projects below that SOLC has been working on recently. And mark your calendar for Saturday, October 24, as SOLC hosts an Open Lands Day hike and tour on the Rogue River Preserve.
Free Monday Night Lecture - Some Cool Science about Breathing
Join Kelly Martin as she explains how your breath impacts everything from ankle sprains to headaches. Learn why belly breathing isn't good for you, how to breathe correctly, and how to maximize lung health, improve posture, enhance walking efficiency, reduce anxiety, and improve sports performance.
Access the Zoom recording here.
Zoom access password: 2zu@KQWU
Chatting about community giving with JPR's "Jefferson Exchange"
Recently, Julie O'Dwyer, Ashland Food Co-op board vice-president, joined a panel of guests on Jefferson Public Radio's "Jefferson Exchange" to discuss how the pandemic has led to an even greater need for community giving and support of local non-profits.
Change for Good in August: KS Wild
This month's featured organization in the new Change for Good register round-up program is KS Wild (short for Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center).
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Get to know Ashland Emergency Food Bank
The sixth cooperative principle, "Concern for Community," has become even more important since the pandemic began and economies, locally and globally, started to constrict. To address this, the Board of Directors agreed in April to release 100% of patronage dividends and designate Ashland Emergency Food Bank as a donation option for those dividends - resulting in over $20,000 in donations. And with the early launch of Change for Good register round-up, AEFB was a natural choice to receive round-up donations.
July / August GM Update: Walking the Walk
I wrote at the beginning of the year that the Co-op model of business was a blueprint for the future. The concept of “planet, principles and people before profit” is a guide for how cooperatives can run a successful business that puts more back into the community and local economy than national chains, while using less resources and creating less waste.
2020 Co-op Election Results
2020 Co-op Election Results
Ashland Food Co-op owners voted for three open seats on the Board of Directors, and for ten non-profit organizations for the Change for Good register round-up program.
Click a name below to read more about that Co-op Board member.
A statement from the Board of Directors on racial justice
Dear Ashland Food Cooperative Family and Community,