Luther partners with local food producers
FEATURES 6
ArtHaus launches new season
A&E 5
LUTHER COLLEGE
“Let the chips fall where they may.”
CHIPS
SEPTEMBER 25, 2014
Serving the Luther College community since 1884.
VOLUME 137, NO.3
HEAVY LIFTING FOR THE HIGH TUNNEL. (From left) Jayne Pearson (‘15), Director of the Center for Sustainable Communities Jon Jensen (‘89), Maintenance Mechanic Myron Rediske and Mariana Fernandez (‘16) work on the construction of the new high tunnel near the Luther gardens. Abby Carpenter / Chips
High tunnel extends growing season for Luther gardens ABBY CARPENTER STAFF WRITER To extend the growing season and increase the amount of Luther produce in the cafeteria, the Luther gardens will have a movable high tunnel starting this fall. A high tunnel is a structure with metal arches and plastic covering that is used to protect plants from the elements and keep them warm by the heat of
the sun. Construction started earlier this fall near the Luther gardens off of Pole Line Road. “We see major advantages to growing in these structures and growing so close to campus year-round,” Sustainable Foods Educator Maren StummeDiers (‘08) said. “It’s a fairly innovative agricultural technique that’s really gaining a lot of ground at farms across the country.” The high tunnel that Luther purchased is particularly
advantageous because it is movable. “You can plant things in there, and when it’s warm enough for plants that are more frosttolerant to be outside, then you can just move the structure and plant something else inside that needs more protection,” Stumme-Diers said. The structure itself is 30 feet wide and 96 feet long and runs on a track that is three times its length, so that the high tunnel can be put in three different
positions. “Another advantage of a movable high tunnel is that often there’s salt that gets built up in the soil or pest cycles, or things that are really hard to break when you’re using the same soil over and over again,” Stumme-Diers said. “The high tunnel would allow plants to be grown in different areas of soil.” The high tunnel was purchased from Four Season Tools, a company co-founded
by Luther alums Mike Bollinger (‘02) and Katie Prochaska (‘01). “[Bollinger and Prochaska] live a mile from campus and have four of these high tunnels themselves,” StummeDiers said. “They’ve been great resources and have been helping us figure out how to position it and what equipment to order and how to prep the ground and have been very helpful.” HIGH TUNNEL, PAGE 4
Former Luther student survives wilderness NOAH LANGHOLZ STAFF WRITER
GONE FISHING. August Kramer poses while on a fishing trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in the summer of 2013. Photo Courtesy of August Kramer
On Sunday, September 7, former Luther student August Kramer went missing in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana. Kramer grew up in Mahtomedi, Minn., and studied environmental studies at Luther until he transferred to the University of Montana to pursue a degree in forestry. At about 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 7, Kramer’s car broke down. “Right when the car broke down I kind of just felt like my stomach dropped into my feet,” Kramer said. According to Kramer, he did not
experience much panic after his initial reaction. “I knew it was only a matter of time before someone found me,” Kramer said. Kramer was most concerned about his family members and friends who didn’t know his status. “I felt really bad about everybody else, all my family that would be involved in the search effort,” Kramer said. “They had no idea that I had food and I had water.” Kramer was stranded with an energy bar and other small snacks. He also had matches, a lint roller, an axe, a beer can, blankets and a Frisbee. KRAMER, PAGE 4