Estelline, SD

What do you think of having the SD sanctioned chili cook-off in Estelline?  It is one of the ideas that came up after the Tues. meeting.

Who would like a job in Estelline?  Can you help us find a  Farmers Market manager (every Friday night for 18 weeks and promotions time), and a unit director (full time) and a part time staff person to serve a Boys and Girls Club.   Here are three new jobs for Estelline — exciting      YES!     Job descriptions need to be developed: can you help?

We also need leadership help for getting the Club going.  So speak up if you could help out with working or giving ideas.   Contact Tonya Williams.

SDSU Cooperative Extension Service and our community coordinator popped the question  –HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO CELEBRATE  — achieving intermediate Horizons goals?  After mid July sometime they’ll provide the cake and funds!! Whoooopeee!!!!

April 15th we mulled it over a bit and thought a party on Friday in conjunction with Farmers Market would be good.  What do you think?

And “thank yous” to Northwest Area Foundation, and SDSU,and CES staff, and especially the always cheerful Cheryl Jacobs, our coordinator.

At the school cafeteria we will start an effort to get some monetary support for your interests.  Bring writing materials and, if you have some idea or proposal already, bring it along.  We will be presenting basic information from the experts, a glossary, and some suggestions for funding sources.

You do not have to be aiming your effort towards a Horizons project to participate, but we surely welcome your help and a community orientation. 

Introductory evening everybody will get the vocabulary and some “moral support” so we can move ahead with preparing a preliminary draft.  There will be some sample materials to work with, and teamwork is encouraged – a few of the ideas are for individuals though, and some are for youth age 8-18.  Then we have one week to think and work on the project.

On the second session we will have some of the experienced assess our efforts.  And remember, a full proposal is usually months in the making, so consider this community work just a beginning in the process of asking for help in reaching our dreams.  Also remember that over 80% of funding supporting non-profit agencies comes from individuals ( that is you and me buying memberships, making donations, sharing our aluminum cans, eating at fundraisers and patronizing sales, and putting our charities in our wills), so our begging from people/foundations with deep pockets is the tip of the iceberg when all is actually done.  And grant agencies expect the applicant to have a plan to continue the good work after their participation is complete.  Northwest Area Foundation expects Estelline Horizons to move forward on our own after June 2008, for example. 

Additional sessions will be arranged — Horizons will fund professional assistance as we progress in the preparation process.  We have several volunteer editors in our network wanting to help, and at least one has multiple projects he wants to see funded through his program.   

Light supper provided; child care provided in the Kindergarten room (more kids have more fun).

A burst of April get togethers — getting prepared for summer!

9th    Grant writing,  school cafeteria 6:30- 8pm

14th   Farmers’ Mkt committee  school cafeteria  6-6:20pm followed by Garden committee 6:30- 8:30pm

15th   Strategic Planning  east room Trails’ Edge  6:30-8:30pm

16th   Green Group meets to discuss spring cleanup etc.    school cafeteria  6:00-6:20pm followed by

16th   Grant writing   school cafeteria  6:30-8pm

Four instructors from SDSU taught Estelline Horizons the basic concepts of Permaculture. Karl Schmidt, Jane Hegland, Dean Isham and Jessica Miller described this agricultural and productive ecosystem.  Its major concepts are: design with energy efficient planning; perennial agriculture with multiple crops in the field; tree crops; garden agriculture; energy efficient housing; animal forage system; aquaculture; community and ethical development.  The concept of cooperation rather than competition with the emphasis on earth, people, and fair sharing fits well into plans for Estelline’s community garden.  

Kristi Hollenback is pictured with Jane, Dean and Jessica going over some of the Permaculture literature.  Trevor Gilkerson  provided free seeds for the community garden. Linda Svec announced plans for the community garden and the farmers market at the meeting. More can be learned about Permaculture on April 19, 1-3 pm, at the Brookings Public Library.  Contact Karl Schmidt for more information.  There will also be a two day seminar  at SDSU June 28-29.

Friday evenings 4-7pm starting June 20, 2008, Estelline Horizons will sponsor vendors of produce and flowersand crafts from those things, eggs, poultry, and (if we can locate and use a community commercial kitchen) value-added produce and baked goods.  Location provided by the Estelline Coop Grain Co is the site of the aluminum recycling trailer at the south end of Main Street.  Rules and Regulations, and Vendor Applications for the market were defined by the committee and will be available in print format soon.  Persons who grow their own materials within a 100 mile distance of town are qualified to participate.   A manager for the Market is needed still. 

Four area residents will give an introductory talk on permaculture at the Legion Hall (Main Street) on Saturday, March 29^th.  The one-hour talk starts at 1 pm and is free and open to the public.  The talk is hosted by the Estelline Area Horizons project.

Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is a design science which integrates landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way.  The philosophy behind permaculture is one of working with, rather than against, nature.

“The permaculture concept originated in Tasmania, Australia, in the 1970s,” said Karl Schmidt, one of the four presenters.  “From Australia it has spread across the globe and is practiced and taught in virtually every country on the planet.”

Schmidt, and his three colleagues, Jane Hegland, Dean Isham, and Jessica Miller, were trained in permaculture design by Bill Mollison, one of the two originators of the concept, and Geoff Lawton, managing director of the Permaculture Research Institute in Australia.

Permaculture draws information from many fields, including agriculture, horticulture, soil science, animal systems, geography, agroforestry, interior design, construction, and engineering.  Its goal is to integrate this information into sustainable planning and design.

“This talk will be of interest to anyone concerned about the future of the planet, food security, and sustainability,” said Schmidt.  “But more than that, it is about sharing the proactive message of permaculture and what people can do themselves in dealing with these concerns.”

For more information, contact Karl Schmidt, 688-4913, or kjschmidt@mchsi.com.

Let’s get the ‘letterhead’ on our site to the gazebo photos on our Strategic Plan.  Cyndi and David have the file and have been eager to share. 

Also, can we gear up for grant writing and have some materials ready to work on March 22?    

The Welcome Wagon subcommittee has had several meetings to get started on putting a Welcome Wagon together for our area.  They are now looking for businesses and area groups that wish to get their information out to new residents in our area.  Please  contact Lisa Loomis at 873-2261 with questions on how to be part of this program.  If you need to develop some promotional materials for your business, help will be available to create flyers, coupons, etc.

 I do not know if anyone else put the crew up that completed the Leadership Plenty Series last fall with the “Can Do” T-shirts but I have one to share with the group!  Again, since I attended the blog traning, I am trying to catch up by sharing some photos.