RARE Monday Mailing-Issue 27

Monday Mailing

Year 19 • Issue 27 01 April 2013 1.

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A Night in Serve-Landia Orion Grassroots Network Conference Calls Archive 'Monsanto Protection Act' Slips Silently Through US Congress Deaths and Births in Rural Counties Surprising Studies Find D.C. Does What Wealthiest Want, Majority Opposes Younger Farmers Join Food Movement Seven Ways to Increase Community Power in Local Decision-Making Wine Growler Bill Passes Senate Oregon Gun Debate Will Heat Up Next Week in Legislature Funding Opportunities Galore

1. A Night in Serve-Landia Wednesday, April 24 from 7-9pm at the Picnic House, Portland, OR Oregon Campus Compact is hosting a fundraiser to support Oregon students and to ensure they graduate as engaged, global citizens. Join us at the Picnic House for drinks, snacks, music, and amusements and to raise much-needed funds for the work of ORCC.

Quote of the Week: Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. ~Chinese Proverb

Oregon Fast Fact #78: Oregon’s state motto is “Alis volat propriis” (She flies with her own wings)

Oregon is famous for its livability, bike-art-book-food culture, and unabashed keep-it-weird mentality. Oregon is unique, we think pulling ivy in the rain from Oregon’s forests, planting community gardens, and serving hot and healthy meals to low-income neighbors is fun. Students get their kicks by serving their community, so it’s no wonder that Oregon ranks 8th in the country for college student volunteerism.

A Night in Serve-Landia will tip its hat to the big-hearted campuses, communities, and individuals who are working to make this corner of the country a better place—the communities that share as much passion for volunteering as they do for handlebar mustaches and microbrews. Whether you’re visiting from out of town or calling this kooky place home, purchase your ticket, don your favorite college tshirt, and get ready for A Night in Serve-Landia!

For more information, click here.

2. Orion Grassroots Network Conference Calls Archive From 2008-2011, the Orion Grassroots Network hosted regular conference calls with authors and consultants offering practical advice and inspiration to help individuals and organizations learn and do more.

Audio transcripts of all past calls are available in .mp3 format. Click on a call to download its audio.

To access the archive, click here.

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3. 'Monsanto Protection Act' Slips Silently Through US Congress The US House of Representatives quietly passed a last-minute addition to the Agricultural Appropriations Bill for 2013 last week - including a provision protecting genetically modified seeds from litigation in the face of health risks.

The rider, which is officially known as the Farmer Assurance Provision, has been derided by opponents of biotech lobbying as the “Monsanto Protection Act,” as it would strip federal courts of the authority to immediately halt the planting and sale of genetically modified (GMO) seed crop regardless of any consumer health concerns.

The provision, also decried as a “biotech rider,” should have gone through the Agricultural or Judiciary Committees for review. Instead, no hearings were held, and the piece was evidently unknown to most Democrats (who hold the majority in the Senate) prior to its approval as part of HR 993, the short-term funding bill that was approved to avoid a federal government shutdown.

Senator John Tester (D-MT) proved to be the lone dissenter to the so-called Monsanto Protection Act, though his proposed amendment to strip the rider from the bill was never put to a vote.

As the US legal system functions today, and largely as a result of prior lawsuits, the USDA is required to complete environmental impact statements (EIS) prior to both the planting and sale of GMO crops. The extent and effectiveness to which the USDA exercises this rule is in itself a source of serious dispute.

To access the full story, click here.

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Deaths and Births in Rural Counties Nearly half of all rural counties had more deaths than births in the 12 months ending July 1, 2012.

The number of births in the U.S. has declined during the recession — and the population is aging.

Is your county dying?

The U.S. Census issued a report last week showing that counted births and deaths in all U.S. counties from the end of June 2011 to July 1, 2012. There were more deaths than births in 36 percent of the nation's 3,100-plus counties.

In rural counties, the percentage of places with more deaths than births was even higher. Nearly half (46 percent) had more deaths than births. A number of news reports carried headlines saying that these counties were "dying."

The map above shows all rural and exurban counties in either red or green. Green counties had a natural increase in 2012, meaning they had more births than deaths. Red counties had more deaths than births. If you click on the map, you'll get an interactive version. Click any county and you'll find population statistics for the year ending July 1, 2012. Or, just click here.

To access the full story, click here.

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Surprising Studies Find D.C. Does What Wealthiest Want, Majority Opposes A new study, Democracy and the Policy Preferences of Wealthy Americans, by Professors Benjamin I. Page, Jason Seawright and Larry M. Bartels sought to gauge the political and policy priorities of the wealthy, and how these concerns contrast with the concerns of the rest of us. Amazingly, the priorities of the 1% match up with the priorities of our political class, while the priorities and needs of the vast majorities of us are ignored.

The study questioned people with wealth that placed them in the top 1%. They were asked what they felt were the “very important problems” facing the country. The most common response was the budget deficit, with 87 percent believing this to me the most important problem. This contrasts with the rest of the population, with only 7% saying this is the country’s most pressing problem. Of course jobs and the miserable state of the economy for people what are not in that 1% were cited by regular people as the most important problem.

The 1%’ers want “entitlement programs” like Social Security and healthcare cut while the American Majority want (and need) them expanded.

To access the full story, click here.

6. Younger Farmers Join Food Movement Nick Batchelder and his wife moved to Chicago at the start of the economic recession, hoping their years of experience in ecology and construction would land them jobs.

After months of scouring the Internet for openings and pumping their contacts for leads, it was only when the couple responded to a Craigslist ad for two farmhands on an organic vegetable farm that they found steady employment.

“All the other stuff we knew how to do weren’t really hiring,” Batchelder said. “We were like (we) might as well. It wasn’t any spinning moment of clarity.”

Now Batchelder and his wife, Becky Stark, both 32, are hoping the demand for local food will help them expand their own organic farming business.

For decades, the average age of farm operators has been rising, but experts say the growth of the local food movement is giving a new generation of farmers a foothold in the market.

To access the full story, click here.

7. Seven Ways to Increase Community Power in Local Decision-Making CommunityMatters, a partnership of seven national organizations including Orton, share the belief that people have the power to solve their community’s problems and direct future growth and change.

As leaders in the fields of civic engagement and community and economic development, the partners believe that by strengthening civic infrastructure, communities can become more prosperous, vibrant places to live.

Why is civic infrastructure key? Because, like the physical infrastructure that supports a community’s built environment, civic infrastructure supports the social sphere. It consists of the opportunities,

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activities and arenas, both online and face-to-face, that allow people to connect with each other, solve problems, make decisions and celebrate community.

Many towns have little civic infrastructure, and every town could use more of it. Strong civic infrastructure manifests itself in different ways. In one town, gathering places promote dialogue, while residents of a neighboring city might communicate through online forums. Other communities are great at participatory planning processes, or hosting inclusive public meetings.

To access the full story, click here.

8. Wine Growler Bill Passes Senate Fans of Oregon craft beer can bring a reusable container known as a “growler" to their local brewery and fill up, and the Oregon wine industry wants in on that kind of trade.

The state Senate raised a glass to the idea Thursday, voting unanimously to let wineries, restaurants, grocery stores and wine shops dispense wine in consumer-supplied growlers of up to two gallons.

The measure now goes to Gov. John Kitzhaber.

Winemakers say they’re always looking for new ways to market the products of a growing Oregon business, adding that growlers save a lot of glass and cork.

“It is really environmentally friendly, and it’s also promoting wine as a daily commodity that can be enjoyed with meals and shouldn’t be thought of as something extraordinarily special every time," said Wynne Peterson-Nedry, the second-generation winemaker at Chehalem Winery in Newberg.

Chehalem already offers growler fills at its tasting room. The legislation will allow its customers to fill their growlers at restaurants and grocery stores, Peterson-Nedry said.

To access the full story, click here.

9. Oregon Gun Debate Will Heat Up Next Week in Legislature When it comes to the red-hot issue of gun violence, President Barack Obama was in the spotlight Thursday trying to raise public pressure on Congress to act.

Meanwhile, in the Oregon Legislature, Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, scheduled a long-awaited hearing for Friday, April 5 to consider four bills that would tighten the state's gun laws.

Prozanski has already said he isn't interested in proceeding with the most controversial bills introduced in the wake of the Clackamas mall and Newtown, Conn., shootings: bans on military-style semi-automatic rifles and on large-capacity gun magazines.

However, Prozanski did schedule an 8:30 a.m. hearing -- and potential work session -- on four bills, including one that would expand the state's background checks to cover private gun transfers.

To access the full story, click here.

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10. Funding Opportunities Galore Small Rural School Achievement Program <http://www.raconline.org/funding/details.php?funding_id=189&utm_source=hs&utm_medium= email&utm_campaign=update032713> - Application deadline: May 31, 2013 Grants awarded to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) to address the unique needs of small, rural school districts.

Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) <http://www.raconline.org/funding/details.php?funding_id=76&utm_source=hs&utm_medium=e mail&utm_campaign=update032713> - Application deadline: Jun 11, 2013 Grants to build capacity, conduct outreach, establish new fair housing enforcement organizations, and/or provide fair lending enforcement in underserved areas.

Planning Program and Local Technical Assistance Program <http://www.raconline.org/funding/details.php?funding_id=2931&utm_source=hs&utm_medium =email&utm_campaign=update032713> - Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis. Provides grants to assist in the creation of regional economic development plans, designed to increase the economic development efforts of a community or region.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program <http://www.raconline.org/funding/details.php?funding_id=2268&utm_source=hs&utm_medium =email&utm_campaign=update032713> - Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis. Offers loan forgiveness to individuals working in public service jobs.

National Storytelling Network Seeks Applications for Brimstone Award for Applied Storytelling <http://e.foundationcenter.org/a/hBRTNAkB8ixfdB8xkk4AACSSkay/rfp17> - Grants of $5,000 will be awarded in support of storytelling projects that are service-oriented, based in a community or local organization, and replicable in other places and situations.... Deadline: April 30, 2013 Johnson & Johnson Community Health Care Program Invites Applications From Evidence-Based Childhood Obesity Programs <http://e.foundationcenter.org/a/hBRTNAkB8ixfdB8xkk4AACSSkay/rfp22> - Approximately eight grants of $200,000 will be awarded to community-based education programs that improve the knowledge and healthy lifestyle choices of children between the ages of 8 and 12.... Deadline: May 15, 2013 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Seeks Proposals that Apply Behavioral Economics Principles to Healthcare Problems <http://e.foundationcenter.org/a/hBRTNAkB8ixfdB8xkk4AACSSkay/rfp13> - Grants of up to $200,000 will be awarded for two-year projects that test innovative solutions to the challenge of reducing the use of low-value services in health care.... Deadline: April 17, 2013 (Proposal brief) MVAT Foundation Invites Applications From Military and Veteran Support Organizations <http://e.foundationcenter.org/a/hBRTNAkB8ixfdB8xkk4AACSSkay/rfp24> - Grants are awarded to military and veterans organizations that support or provide services designed to promote and enrich the lives of active and retired military and their families.... Deadline: May 31, 2013 and October 31, 2013

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RedRover Seeks Applications From Emergency Shelter Organizations to Help Victims of Domestic Abuse and Their Pets <http://e.foundationcenter.org/a/hBRTNAkB8ixfdB8xkk4AACSSkay/rfp25> -As many as eight grants of up to $3,000 will be awarded to emergency shelter organizations to support the creation of space to house the pets of victims of domestic violence.... Deadline: May 15, 2013 and October 30, 2013 NOAA Sea Grant Climate Adaptation Funding - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is funding Sea Grant programs with the goal of enhancing climate adaptation efforts in coastal communities. Communities should contact their regional Sea Grant Program<http://seagrant.noaa.gov/other/programsdirectors.html> for potential partnerships for such funding. Applications are due April 19. See funding synopsis <http://lists.icfwebservices.com/t/70566/1195121/4949/34/> for more information.

Make it in America Federal Funding Opportunity - The Obama Administration announced this week a new funding opportunity to encourage businesses to bring production and jobs back to the U.S. Up to 15 awards will be made to accelerate job creation by encouraging re-shoring of productive activity

by U.S. firms, encouraging U.S. companies to keep or expand job opportunities at home, and train local workers to meet business needs. Click here <http://www.eda.gov/challenges/MakeItInAmerica/> for more information on the Make it in American Challenge; applications are due by May 31, 2013.

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