RARE Monday Mailing-Issue 31

Monday Mailing

Year 19 • Issue 31 29 April 2013 1.

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Want To Forage In Your City? There's A Map For That Urban Greening May Reduce Crime Rates in Cities 'Urgent Need' to Remove Space Debris Edible Corvallis Initiative Summer Workshop Series What Does it Mean to be an “American” Corporation Historic Preservation Directory and Funding Sources The Color of Elsewhere: Identity and Wealth in Rural America 8. Rural Unemployment Surpasses Urban Rate 9. Marketing Experts Offer Tips to Farmers' Market Vendors 10. Cycling Past an Afghan Taboo 11. Funding Opportunities 1. Want To Forage In Your City? There's A Map For That If you really love your peaches and want to shake a tree, there's a map to help you find one. That goes for veggies, nuts, berries and hundreds of other edible plant species, too.

Avid foragers and launched an interactive map last month that identifies more than a half-million locations across the globe where fruits and veggies are free for the taking. The project, dubbed "," pinpoints all sorts of tasty trees in public parks, lining city streets and even hanging over fences from the U.K. to New Zealand.

Quote of the Week: "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." ~Laozi Oregon Fast Fact #89: Deadman Creek in Wallowa County was named by James Dale, a sheepherder who said he might just as well be dead as to be in such a lonesome place (1890).

The map looks like a typical Google map. Foraging locations are pinned with dots. Zoom in and click on one, and up pops a box with a description of what tree or bush you can find there. The description often includes information on the best season to pluck the produce, the quality and yield of the plant, a link to the species profile on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's website, and any additional advice on accessing the spot.

To access the full story, click here.

2. Urban Greening May Reduce Crime Rates in Cities Urban planning is not only important to the strategic design behind a city's infrastructure, but now one study finds that the landscaping itself which emphasizes urban greening and the introduction of well-maintained vegetation, can lower the rates of certain types of crime such as aggravated assault, robbery and burglary, in cities.

According to a Temple University study, "Does vegetation encourage or suppress urban crime? Evidence from Philadelphia, PA," researchers found that the presence of grass, trees and shrubs is associated with lower crime rates in Philadelphia.

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"There is a longstanding principle, particularly in urban planning, that you don't want a high level of vegetation, because it abets crime by either shielding the criminal activity or allowing the criminal to escape," said Jeremy Mennis, associate professor of geography and urban studies at Temple. "Wellmaintained greenery, however, can have a suppressive effect on crime."

To access the full story, click here.

3. 'Urgent Need' to Remove Space Debris There is now so much debris in orbit that the space environment is close to a cascade of collisions that would make space extremely hazardous, a major international meeting has concluded.

Its summary position stated there was an "urgent need" to start pulling redundant objects out of the sky.

Scientists estimate there are nearly 30,000 items circling the Earth larger than 10cm in size.

Some are whole satellites and rocket bodies, but many are just fragments.

These have resulted from explosions in fuel tanks and batteries, and from the high-velocity impacts between objects.

Upwards of 10cm is trackable with radar, but there are tens of thousands more pieces that are smaller and move unseen.

To access the full story, click here.

4. Edible Corvallis Initiative Summer Workshop Series May 4 Mushroom Cultivation Date: Saturday, May 4th, 11am – 2pm Instructor: The Woolvertons of Soul 2 Grow Cost: $5 materials fee + $5-10 sliding scale donation May 18 Beekeeping Basics Date: Saturday, May 18th, 10am – 12:30pm Instructor: Karessa Torgerson of Nectar Bee Supply Cost: $25 – 30, sliding scale donation June 2 Chicken Health Date: Sunday, June 2nd, 1pm – 3pm Instructor: Dr. Vickstrom, West Hills Animal Hospital Cost: $5 - 10, sliding scale donation June 8 Intermediate Beekeeping Date: Saturday, June 8th, 10am – 12:30pm Instructor: Karessa Torgerson of Nectar Bee Supply Cost: $25 – 30, sliding scale donation July 13 Composting 101 Date: Saturday, July 13th, 10am - 12pm Instructor: Linda Brewer of OSU Horticulture Dept.

Cost: $5 - 10, sliding scale donation

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July 24 Planning a Winter Garden Date: Wednesday, July 24th, 5:30 – 7pm Instructor: Janet Throop, Master Gardener Cost: $5 - 10, sliding scale donation July 31 Seed Saving Date: Wednesday, July 31st, 5:30-7pm Instructor: Lyle Wallace, OSU PhD Student Cost: $5 - 10, sliding scale donation Also look forward to our upcoming events: May 19 Cooped Up in Corvallis Tour of chicken and duck coops Date: Sunday, May 19th, 12-4pm Cost: $7 in advance, $10 day-of June 30 Buzz About Benton Tour of bee hives Date: Sunday, June 30th, 12-4pm Cost: $7 in advance, $10 day-of More information and registration on our website: www.corvallisenvironmentalcenter.org ECI@corvallisenvironmentalcenter.org (541) 753-9211 5. What Does it Mean to be an “American” Corporation What does it mean to be an American? What does it mean to be an American corporation? An article in the Wall Street Journal the other day should trigger questions like these.

WSJ: Domestic-Based Multinationals Hiring Overseas, -Multinational companies based in the U.S. boosted their global work forces in 2011 almost entirely by hiring workers overseas, underscoring the slow growth in the U.S. job market.… The paltry hiring at home reflects where multinational companies are focusing their attention. Stronger economic growth in overseas markets in Asia and Latin America is driving their expansion, reinforcing their shift toward cheaper labor or closer access to customers. The U.S. parents of multinational firms account for about one-fifth of total private U.S. employment. Since 1999, employment by U.S. multinationals is down by 1.1 million inside the U.S., while it is up by 3.8 million overseas.The hiring by American companies is not happening in the U.S. At the same time these companies are holding $1.7 trillion of profits outside of the country, away from their own shareholders and our economy to avoid their taxes, while pushing to dramatically lower the taxes they pay us – and even to get out of paying any taxes at all on money they make outside of the country!

To access the full story, click here.

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6. Historic Preservation Directory As many of you probably know, May is Historic Preservation Month! Many historical societies, historic house museums and cultural museums have special events planned throughout the month of May. We have added many events, and expect to continue adding events, to the "Preservation Events & Conferences" directory. Be sure to check to see which events are happening in your area!

To view the Preservation Events & Conferences directory, click here.

Historic Preservation Funding Sources We have been working to greatly expand this section. As we continued research into privatelyfunded funding sources, we were happy to find literally hundreds of new funding sources (grants, scholarships, fellowships).

To view the current "Grants & Funding Sources" directory, click here.

7. The Color of Elsewhere: Identity and Wealth in Rural America Most of us have heard of the growing racial wealth gap and the statistics that show how white America continues to diverge from households of color when it comes to building assets, particularly in the form of quality homeownership. While we may tend to think about this disparity in the context of urban and suburban environments, it is crucial to also relate the issue to the households that live on the other 90% of the U.S. landmass, known as rural and small town America.

To place myself in context to the issue, I’ll note that I worked as a researcher at a rural housing organization headquartered in Washington, DC, called the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) before coming to UC Berkeley to study planning. At HAC, I delved into learning about rural development, a field that I had rarely before been exposed to, and discovered some of the complexities of planning and development in small town communities. Nuancing my understanding of rural poverty and rural communities of color was strong takeaway from my work, particularly through examining historical social interactions between different populations and historical relationships to land.

To access the full story, click here.

8. Rural Unemployment Surpasses Urban Rate Rural unemployment rates are now firmly above jobless numbers in urban areas and the country as a whole.

In February, urban (or metropolitan) unemployment stood at 8 percent, according to data released Wednesday (April 10, 2013) by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In so-called micropolitan counties — those with cities between 10,000 and 50,000 — unemployment in February stood at 8.5 percent. And in rural counties with towns below 10,000, the unemployment rate was 8.9 percent.

(For Census buffs, non-metropolitan America consists of these rural – or “non-core” – counties and micropolitan counties.)

Nationally, the rate in February was 8.1 percent, according to the BLS. The non-metropolitan counties had an unemployment rate of 8.7 percent.

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The map above shows all U.S. counties. Green counties are non-metropolitan (rural and micropolitan) that have rates at or below the national average. Orange counties have unemployment rates above the national average of 8.1 percent.

To access the full story, click here.

9. Marketing Experts Offer Tips to Farmers' Market Vendors The founders of the Portland Farmers' Market didn't set out to create a business incubator, but it has nonetheless served as one for more than two decades.

"It has been an accidental purpose of Portland Farmers' Market since day one," said Trudy Toliver, the organization's executive director.

As companies like Dave's Killer Bread flourished and eventually outgrew the market, organizers have come to recognize the role it plays in the evolution of its vendors, she said.

"The businesses create a following," said Toliver.

The nonprofit, which operates eight markets in the Portland area, is now trying to bring more sophistication to the process, she said. Vendors were recently invited to a "beyond the market" workshop that sought to hone their marketing and publicity skills.

Before a company can develop an effective marketing plan, it needs to do some "soul work" to define its identity, said Lee Weinstein, founder of Weinstein PR. "You're all brand managers," Weinstein told the roughly 80 vendors at the workshop. "If you want things to add up in people's minds, you need to be consistent."

A brand is essentially the promise of value and experience, he said. When defining its brand, the company should understand the attributes it represents as well those it doesn't.

To access the full story, click here.

10. Cycling Past an Afghan Taboo In November, Shannon Galpin was riding her single-speed mountain bike through the hills outside Kabul. It was her 11th visit to Afghanistan, and she had grown accustomed to the sight of camel caravans, abandoned Soviet tanks and soldiers sweeping the desert for land mines.

One thing she had not seen was another woman on a bicycle. But one afternoon a barista at a local cafe who happened to be an amateur cyclist told Galpin that not only were Afghan women riding bikes, but that they had formed their own national cycling team. Dressed in long pants and full sleeves, with headscarves tucked beneath their helmets, they practiced on the highways before dawn on dated road bikes, accompanied by the coach of the men’s cycling team.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Galpin, a 38-year-old former Pilates instructor from Breckenridge, Colo.

“I’d been in the most liberal areas of the country, and I’d never even seen a little girl on a bike, let alone a grown woman.”

To access the full story, click here.

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11. Funding Opportunities Urban and Non-Urban Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) Application deadline: May 3, 2013 Funding to provide job training, counseling, and placement services (including job readiness, literacy, and skills training) to expedite the reintegration of homeless veterans into the labor force.

Family Violence Prevention and Services Grants for Domestic Violence Shelters/Grants to Native American Tribes (Including Alaska Native Villages) and Tribal Organizations Application deadline: May 4, 2013 Grants to assist tribes in establishing, maintaining, and expanding programs and projects to prevent family violence.

Flex Rural Veterans Health Access Program Application deadline: May 17, 2013 Provides funding for mental health services for veterans who live in rural areas via the use of networks, electronic communication, and telehealth.

Assets for Independence Demonstration Program Application deadline: Jun 7, 2013 Grants for projects designed to assist low-income people in becoming economically self-sufficient.

Economic Development Assistance Programs Application deadline: Jun 13, 2013 Grants for rural and urban communities to support the implementation of regional economic development strategies.

Open Meadows Foundation Grants Application deadline: Aug 15, 2013 Grants for projects that are led by and benefit women and girls, particularly those from vulnerable communities.

Community Development Transportation Lending Services (CDTLS, the Fund) Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.

Provides loan funding to support transit services in rural areas.

Healthy Environments Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.

Funding to improve the health and well being of vulnerable children from low-income families by making the places they live, learn, and play safe and supportive of overall good health.

Intermediary Relending Program (IRP) Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.

Provides loans to intermediaries for the establishment of revolving loan funds in rural areas.

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