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Tuesday Mailing

Year 20 • Issue 37 16 June 2014 1. CTUIR Begins to Buy Back Lost Land 2. The Rise of Private 'Luxury' Mass Transit Buses 3. New USDA Census Results Show 23.5 Million Kids Participating in Farm to School

4. Free eBook: Storytelling for Nonprofits 5. WEBINAR: National Good Food Network Webinar, CommunityBased Food Business Financing 6. Watch Detroit's Rapid Collapse In These Side-By-Side Street-View Images 7.

Download a Free Guide on Engaging Small Businesses in Disaster Preparedness

8. What is Crop Mob? 9. "Made in Rural America" Export and Investment Initiative 10. FEAST Leadership Network Webinar- Farmer Networks: Getting Started and How Can They Help?

11. Shrinking Arctic Ice Prompts Drastic Change in National Geographic Atlas 1. CTUIR Begins to Buy Back Lost Land More than 400 tracts of land will return to Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation stewardship under a buy-back agreement with the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Quote of the Week: “Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground.

Let their spirit ignite a fire within you, to leave this world better than when you found it. ~Wilfred Peterson Oregon Fast Fact: The Oregon Trail is the longest of the overland routes used in the westward expansion of the United States.

The parcels are "fractionated" lands that the federal government allotted to individual tribe members in the late nineteenth century. The law dictated that title ownership of each parcel be passed down evenly among heirs, with the result that some parcels now have scores of owners with an equal stake in the property.

"If you get down four generations you have 40 or 50 people," CTUIR spokesman Chuck Sams said. "If one person wants to build they have to get permission from the other 49."

The Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations is part of a class-action settlement against the federal government on behalf of the tribes. It allots $1.9 billion for tribal governments to purchase these fractionated lands from the many owners and place them in trust to use for the benefit of the tribes and their members.

To access the full story, click here.

2. The Rise of Private 'Luxury' Mass Transit Buses If you ride a public bus with any regularity, you know all the common complaints. It's not very clean and it's very, very crowded. It stops so often you can see pedestrians keeping pace on the sidewalk. It arrives 7 minutes late and yet is considered "on time." But if you don't own a car, or simply don't want to drive it, sometimes the bus is the only option.

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That might be changing. A new wave of private buses are popping up in several big cities across the U.S. They all seem to share a common "luxury" quality — promoting WiFi and reserved seating — as well as a common mission: to offer "choice" transit riders a better choice.

Take Bridj, a private bus still in its testing phase in metro Boston. For $6, or four times an MBTA bus fare, Bridj carries riders non-stop from Brookline to downtown Boston, Kendall and Harvard squares, and Back Bay. Bridj says it uses data to identify key service corridors (though the beta routes aren't exactly counter-intuitive). An MBTA spokesman recently told the New York Times that the authority didn't see Bridj as a competitor, but the beta riders clearly do.

To access the full story, click here.

3.

New USDA Census Results Show 23.5 Million Kids Participating in Farm to School

This week the USDA released the final results of the Farm to School Census, a first-of-its-kind effort to measure the amount and type of farm to school activity taking place across the country. Initial results were released last year, but the data now includes new or updated information from 1,500 school districts, resulting in an overall school district response rate of 75 percent. The data reflects farm to school activity during the 2011 - 2012 school year.

The new census data is also packaged in an updated website that offers a customized search tool, raw data downloads and infographics, all aimed at helping users find and share detailed information and local statistics. The survey results demonstrate that farm to school is taking root across America, impacting the health of kids and their communities: • • •

23.5 million kids are participating in farm to school activities 40, 328 schools are using farm to school practices $385+ million dollars were spent on local food for schools

Since our network first took shape in 2007, we have encouraged the expansion of farm to school practices across the country by serving as a resource and information hub for communities working to bring local food sourcing and food and agriculture education into school systems and preschools. We advocated for and informed the content of the census, and we applaud the USDA Farm to School Program for their great execution of this important piece of work. We are thrilled that farm to school is quickly becoming the rule rather than the exception and that we have the data to prove it!

To access the full story, click here.

4. Free eBook: Storytelling for Nonprofits Storytelling is the single most powerful communications tool you have available. Stories make your nonprofit's work relatable, tangible, and touching. Download the Storytelling for Nonprofits eBook and learn how to build the elements of the story, how to craft stories for different mediums, and how to use emotion and a sense of urgency to get donors to give and give now.

To access your free copy, click here.

5. WEBINAR: National Good Food Network Webinar, Community-Based Food Business Financing Thursday, June 19, 3:30 - 4:45pm ET (12:30 - 1:45 PT).

In Austin, Texas a group of folks hungry for local food have cracked the code to access capital – looking to the community. Using a cooperative model they are continuing to innovate. Starting with the Page 2 of 5

knowledge gained from such ventures as a co-op grocer, their success led them to experiment with opening a co-op brew pub. This venture has been another striking success, and are now working to open a cooperative food hub.

This webinar will start with the basics of what a co-op is, how it works, and then they'll discuss accessing community-based capital through what is called a Member Investor Share Offering (MISO). By leveraging the dollars from the community, they have been able to finance the start-up and beginning operations of innovative co-ops. Hear what the organizers of these businesses believe to be the secrets to their success, and some suggestions on how you might consider financing your planned operation in this way To sign up for this webinar, click here.

6. Watch Detroit's Rapid Collapse In These Side-By-Side Street-View Images Earlier this year, hundreds of workers drove down Detroit streets block by block, mapping out every abandoned home, decaying factory, and trash-filled vacant lot. They counted nearly 85,000 blighted parcels; just tearing the buildings down will cost $2 billion.

Thanks to an unending public appetite for ruin porn, these numbers aren’t necessarily surprising. The modern image of Detroit is of a city that’s falling apart. But it’s easy to forget how quickly things have changed. One Detroiter decided to turn to Google Street View and Bing Maps to show how blocks keep evolving in the GooBing Detroit Tumblr, with side-by-side views of the same street in different years.

7.

Download a Free Guide on Engaging Small Businesses in Disaster Preparedness The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) released a user-friendly guide for business support organizations with practical tips on engaging small businesses in disaster preparedness. The intended audience for this resource includes local chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, small business development centers, SCORE offices, community colleges, business schools, community development financial institutions, local banks, and nonprofits that serve small businesses. Developed with input from continuity professionals, the information from this guide can be referenced when creating workshops or writing articles for company newsletters and e-blasts.

Highlights from the guide include: • • • •

Why community and business organizations should engage small businesses in continuity exercises; The top ten ways to engage small businesses in preparedness activities; A case study on ‘A Day without Business’ Workshop in Tulsa, OK; Resources for Crisis preparedness.

To access your free copy, click here.

8. What is Crop Mob? Crop mob is primarily a group of young, landless, and wannabe farmers who come together to build and empower communities by working side by side. Crop mob is also a group of experienced farmers and gardeners willing to share their knowledge with their peers and the next generation of agrarians. The membership is dynamic, changing and growing with each new mob event.

Crop mob began in the Triangle region of North Carolina in October of 2008. A group of 19 farmers, farm apprentices and members of the larger agricultural community came together at Piedmont Biofarm in Pittsboro, NC to harvest sweet potatoes. In what has become a tradition, the crop mob returns to Page 3 of 5

Piedmont Biofarm every October for the sweet potato harvest. Each year the number of participants grows as does the volume of the harvest. Since that first mob in 2008, more than 50 crop mob groups have started up around the United States, each with its own unique constituency and additions to the model. Much of the rapid growth is attributed to a single New York Times article.

In the past farming was much more labor intensive. Activities like planting, harvesting, processing, and barnraising often required the collective effort of entire communities. This interdependence fostered strong connections within those communities. As farming became more mechanized and reliant on petroleum based inputs, it became a more independent and solitary career. Today, in the industrial farming system, a few people may manage hundreds or even thousands of acres.

For more information about crop mobs, click here.

9. "Made in Rural America" Export and Investment Initiative The “Made in Rural America” export and investment initiative is charged with bringing together federal resources to help rural businesses and community leaders take advantage of new investment opportunities and access new customers and markets abroad. With more than 95 percent of the world’s consumers living outside the United States, companies across the country are seizing the opportunity to make global sales. Ensuring that rural companies, including manufacturers and service providers, can capitalize on international opportunities to grow their business is key to advancing economic growth in rural areas – and a strong rural economy is essential to our nation’s overall economic health.

For more information about this initiative, click here.

10. FEAST Leadership Network Webinar- Farmer Networks: Getting Started and How Can They Help?

Wednesday July 9th at 10:30am-11:45am PT "A farmer network is a way for farmers to exchange information, socialize, learn, and connect with peers on a regular, on-going basis. What is most important about a farmer network and sets it apart from, for example, traditional Extension-based classes, is that the farmers decide what they want to learn and create together. Through the network, farmers can also organize subgroups based on their interests, such as organic farming, women farmers, or specific commodities." *From the Pacific Northwest Extension Publication, Creating Farmer Networks: A Toolkit for Promoting Vibrant Farm Communities Our presenter will be Melissa Fery, OSU Extension Small Farms agent, who co-authored the "Creating Farmer Network" toolkit. She will talk about starting farmer networks, how to use the toolkit, and also share a couple examples.

You do not need to pre-register. To join the webinar: 1. Visit: https://global.gotomeeting.com/meeting/join/610730677 2. Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended.

Or, call in using your telephone.

United States: +1 (213) 929-4131

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Access Code: 610-730-677 Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting If this is your first time using GoToMeeting, it would be a good idea to sign on a few minutes early in order to download the software.

For more information, or to view previous webinars, visit Oregon Food Bank's Webinars/Trainings page.

If you have questions about the webinar, or for any inquiries about the FEAST process in your community or elsewhere, don't hesitate to get in touch!

Sharon & Spencer The OFB Community Food Systems Team 11. Shrinking Arctic Ice Prompts Drastic Change in National Geographic Atlas The shrinking of the Arctic ice sheet in the upcoming 10th edition of the National Geographic Atlas of the World is one of the most striking changes in the publication's history, geographers say.

The reduction in multiyear ice—commonly defined as ice that has survived for two summers—is so noticeable compared with previous editions that National Geographic Geographer Juan José Valdés calls it "the biggest visible change other than the breakup of the U.S.S.R." As the ocean heats up due to global warming, Arctic sea ice has been locked in a downward spiral. Since the late 1970s, the ice has retreated by 12 percent per decade, worsening after 2007, according to NASA. May 2014 represented the third lowest extent of sea ice during that month in the satellite record, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).

Ice loss is accelerated in the Arctic because of a phenomenon known as the feedback loop: Thin ice is less reflective than thick ice, allowing more sunlight to be absorbed by the ocean, which in turn weakens the ice and warms the ocean even more, NASA says.

To access the full story, click here.

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