Supporting Stream Smart: Our June Change for Good Partner
We are delighted to announce our June Change for Good partner, Stream Smart, a remarkable local organization dedicated to improving the health of our streams and rivers.
What is Stream Smart?
Stream Smart is an educational campaign that empowers individuals to make environmentally conscious choices to protect and enhance our local waterways. Their mission is to increase awareness of how our daily habits impact our streams and rivers. By making simple changes at home—like picking up after pets, using porous materials in landscaping, and planting trees to restore riparian areas—we can all contribute to turning our streams from brown to blue.
Rogue Basin Salmon Watch Program: A Highlight of Success
One of Stream Smart's shining achievements is the Rogue Basin Salmon Watch program. This program has reached nearly 2,000 students and hosted 34 field days during the 2023-2024 season. It provides students with hands-on learning experiences about watershed health, water quality, and the importance of riparian areas. Students gain insights from local experts, including fish biologists, hydrologists, and botanists, who generously share their knowledge during these field trips. Best of all, this program is offered at no cost to schools, thanks to the generous support of numerous funders, partners, and volunteers.
Community Involvement: Making a Difference Together
Stream Smart also thrives on community involvement. Every spring and fall, hundreds of volunteers join forces to clean up local waterways, remove invasive species, and plant native trees and shrubs. These efforts not only enhance the beauty and health of our creeks and rivers but also provide essential habitats for a variety of aquatic plants and animals. The program supplies everything needed for these events, from tools and gloves to snacks and educational materials, ensuring that volunteers can focus on making a positive impact.
Recent Events: Celebrating Community Efforts
On April 20th, 2024, Stream Smart collaborated with the Bear Creek Stewards for the Bear Creek Stewardship Day, a biannual event in honor of Earth Day and National Public Lands Day. Over 100 volunteers gathered along the Bear Creek Greenway to remove several tons of trash, plant native species, weed pollinator gardens, and install bird nesting boxes. This massive effort spanned from Central Point to Ashland and significantly benefited both Bear Creek and its surrounding areas.
Similarly, on May 18th, the 32nd Annual Rogue River Cleanup and Let’s Pull Together Weed Pull saw over 150 participants come together to pick up trash, pull invasive weeds, and inventory aquatic invasive species along the Rogue River. This event not only cleaned up the river but also fostered a stronger sense of community and stewardship among participants.
Long-term Commitment: Adopt-A-River and Beyond
Stream Smart’s commitment to our waterways is unwavering. As part of SOLVE’s Adopt-A-River program, they have adopted a section of the Rogue River near Hog Creek County Park. This initiative has expanded their educational outreach and volunteer opportunities. From trail building to installing pollinator gardens, controlling invasive weeds, and setting up educational signs, Stream Smart continues to make a lasting impact.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, Stream Smart adopted a section of the Bear Creek Greenway and Riparian Corridor. Collaborating with various partners, they have restored the area affected by the 2018 Peninger fire, installed educational signs, hosted events, and planted native species to revive the ecosystem.
Join Us in Supporting Stream Smart
We at the Ashland Food Co-op are incredibly proud to support Stream Smart through our Change for Good program. Your contributions, simply by rounding up your purchase, directly support the amazing work Stream Smart does in our community. To learn more about Stream Smart or to get involved, visit their website at www.stream-smart.com or email them at [email protected].
Together, let's continue to make positive changes for our streams, rivers, and the entire Rogue Basin. Thank you for your generosity and support!
More Co-op News
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March Change for Good Recipient: North Mountain Park Nature Center
March's Change for Good Recipient is
North Mountain Park Nature Center,
a division of Ashland Parks and Recreation, that encompasses demonstration gardens, a nature playground, and approximately 14 acres of Natural Area that is managed for wildlife preservation and public education.
February Change for Good Recipient: Ashland High Arts Advocates
January Change for Good Recipient: Rogue Valley Mentoring
Since 2005, Rogue Valley Mentoring (formerly the Rose Circle Mentoring Network) has trained over 500 adults who have mentored over 2,000 youth in our valley; letting young people know that they are not alone. A caring and compassionate ear shows them that they matter, and they they are experts of their own experience.
Coronavirus Preparedness at the Co-op
Update as of March 15th, 2022: Oregon Health Authority no longer requires face coverings to be worn in all public indoor settings.
Shopping Safely & Efficiently
As coronavirus cases increase in Jackson County, the Co-op is taking extra precautions to protect shoppers and employees.
To ensure social distancing in the store, the number of persons allowed in the store at once has been reduced to 50% capacity. Understandably, this may lead to a short wait outside of the store, but please be assured the line moves quickly.
In order to keep the wait as short as possible, here are a few steps you can take to help out:
10 Ways to Shine Your Light in Dark Times
By Allan Weisbard L.C.S.W.
Since 1963, autumn has been a difficult time for me. Two months shy of my 13th birthday I lost my younger brother to cancer, then shortly afterwards, President Kennedy was assassinated.
Masks Required for All In-Store Shoppers
To protect the health of Co-op staff and shoppers, all shoppers and other visitors on Ashland Food Co-op property must wear face coverings over mouth and nose except when dining in an approved area. As of November 11, 2020, face shields will not be permitted unless worn with a mask.
From the Board: Co-ops Look in the Mirror
By Annie Hoy, Board Secretary and Chair of Owner Engagement Committee
Food Co-ops around the nation proudly display signage saying EVERYONE WELCOME. Or they use the slogan, “Anyone can shop. Anyone can join.” But are food co-ops, and other cooperative businesses, walking the walk?
November/December GM Update: Overcoming Challenges
It’s probably already cliche to say “it’s been one heck of a year.” There have been challenges a-plenty for all of us, whether we’re working or shopping at the Co-op - but I’m so proud of how all of us have persevered.
End of year wrap-up on Strategic Energy Management at the Co-op
Hi there. I hope this finds you well. It’s me, Nina Friedman, Strategic Energy Management (SEM) intern for the Ashland Food Co-op. The global and local crises have only devolved into further chaos since we last spoke. As we sit with the reality of coworkers, neighbors, and friends who’ve lost their homes and businesses to the recent fires, and thousands more across the nation losing their loved ones to COVID-19, I imagine many are feeling frozen and powerless to help those that are suffering.
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.