The Applegater

6 Winter 2016 Applegater BY MELANIE MINDLIN What does a sustainable lifestyle look like—not sustaining the convenient middle-class expectations or the growth economy, but a lifestyle that can be persistent on the only planet we have? How can we regenerate our land, address climate change, and change ourselves to feed a vision of the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible? Permaculture provides skills, resources, and perspectives—from water harvesting to regenerative forestry, from perennial horticulture to appropriate technology, from homestead planning to the sharing economy—that offer a way to be the change you want to see in the world Siskiyou Permaculture offers education and design services for southern Oregon. e Permaculture Design Course, offered once a year, gives you the opportunity to experience the internationally renowned curriculum with lots of local applications and resources for our region provided by our three instructors: Tom Ward, an Applegate Valley resident, a storyteller and counselor, a permaculture teacher renowned throughout the northwest, and a social forester with over 30 years of experience; Karen Taylor, a permaculture teacher, designer, and rainwater and greywater consultant; and Melanie Mindlin, a permaculture Permaculture for southern Oregon teacher, land-use planner, home designer, and community facilitator. Andrew Millison, permaculture instructor at Oregon State University, says, "Permaculture has become a major buzzword throughout the design world, as all gazes are shifting toward green. is is because the permaculture design system, founded by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the 1970s, has demonstrated innate wisdom and enduring designs around the globe. Permaculture is a system of land-use planning and a design protocol for creating human habitations that embody three ethical foundations: care of the Earth, care of people, and the reinvestment of surplus to support those ethics. Permaculture design principles are based around the notion of energy descent, where industrial society will need to drastically reduce energy consumption in order to sustain a stable climate and support life on Earth." Permaculture is a human-centered and positive approach that invites us to see ourselves as positive agents for change, to see our place within nature, and celebrate the good we can do. Building resilient communities means providing for our material and nonmaterial needs locally in a sustainable way, reversing centralizing and globalizing trends that require massive energy inputs, and relieving pressure on the rest of the world. The Permaculture Design Course starts in February 2017 and is held over six weekends through May 1 at Jackson Wellsprings classroom in Ashland. See the sidebar for more information about this course and others. More information about Siskiyou Permaculture can be found on the website at siskiyoupermaculture.com or by writing siskiyoupermaculture@ gmail.com. Melanie Mindlin Siskiyou Permaculture 541-482-7909 siskiyoupermaculture@gmail.com Siskiyou Permaculture Courses and Events Annual Storytelling December 11, 2016 "Now en Forever: A State of the Bioregion Story" told by Tom Ward (aka Hazel) at UCC Ashland church, 717 Siskiyou Boulevard, Ashland. Free event. Donations accepted. Where are we and what's happening? e long view is what matters. Social Forestry February 4 - 9, 2017 Advanced permaculture course with Tom Ward, aka Hazel, at Wolf Gulch in southern Oregon. is course explores reconnecting with forests through ecological knowledge, use of hand tools and woodcrafts, seasonal festivals and work cycles, and more. Fee: $600, includes camping. Early registration by January 4 is $500. Register online at siskiyoupermaculture.org. Weekend Permaculture Design Courses Start February 18-19, 2017 This certificate course is offered around the world with lots of local flavor included. Lead instructor is Tom Ward with co-teachers Melanie Mindlin and Karen Taylor. Fee: $725. Early registration by January 17 is $625. Full course description and registration available at sites.google.com/ site/siskiyouper/permaculture-design- course. Tom Ward, renowned permaculture teacher and social forester. For decades, residents of Jacksonville and surrounding communities have dreamed of having a community center to serve as a focal point for all the cultural and civic activity that makes this area so special. Now supporters are close to achieving this dream—construction plans are being prepared and the final push to raise the remaining funds is under way. Origin of the project Si n c e 1 9 9 8 , t h e Ja c k s o n v i l l e Community Center (JCC) has been housed in a small, 842-square-foot cottage at Fourth and Main Street in Jacksonville. e two-room cottage was remodeled by volunteers and has been used by local nonprofit organizations for meetings, crafts, music and social activities, and the staging of parades and other Jacksonville events. However, the cottage was intended to be a temporary solution and could not come close to housing all the activities that residents desired. Plans for the new center incorporate the current cottage but include a large expansion that will accommodate a greater variety of activities and events. What will the center be like? JCC will be an approximately 3,000-square-foot multipurpose building with small meeting rooms, a great room that can be subdivided, an event kitchen, ADA compliant restrooms, and a small outdoor amphitheater. Re s i d e n t s e n v i s i o n a c t i v i t i e s throughout the day: performing and visual arts classes for kids, well-baby clinics, club meetings, tutoring, teen Jacksonville Community Center: Moving from a dream to reality a c t i v i t i e s , a n d adult classes. The g r e a t r o o m w i l l be used for events s u c h a s m e d i u m - sized conferences, m e e t i n g s , m u s i c r e c i t a l s , d a n c e performances, class reunions, and family events like showers a n d w e d d i n g receptions. It can serve as the staging area for parades and historic education. Outdoor space is being planned to accommodate small groups for an outdoor club, hiking, and nature study. Who will use the center? e center will serve residents of all ages from Jacksonville and surrounding areas, including the Applegate Valley. We are particularly interested in increasing the opportunities and activities for children and teens in our community. What stage is the project at now? As the nonprofit organization l e a d i n g t h e p ro j e c t , Ja c k s o n v i l l e Community Center has secured a 50-year lease for one dollar per year from the City of Jacksonville, enabling construction on the site. Ausland Group has been engaged as the construction firm. Approvals have been obtained from the City Planning Commission and the Historic Architectural Review Commission. Construction will begin once funds to complete the full project are raised. Construction is expected to take roughly five months. How much will the center cost, and what are the plans for raising the funds needed? e total budget for the community center project is $828,000. Of that, $270,000 is comprised of in-kind contributions (primarily the lease from the City of Jacksonville), leaving the "cash cost" for the project at $558,000. is figure is comprised of two parts: (1) $450,000 to construct the building and (2) $108,000 for furnishings, equipment, and related expenses. e fundraising campaign is well under way. For nearly 20 years, dedicated volunteers from the Jacksonville Seniors, Inc., have had the vision and community- mindedness to focus the proceeds from sales at Jacksonville Thrift and Collectibles toward a multiuse center. Proceeds from the annual Celebrate the Arts event have been conserved over many years toward the same end. ose combined f u n d s t o t a l o v e r $200,000, and an additional $107,000 in contributions and p l e d g e s h a s b e e n received. Proposals have been submitted to several regional f o u n d a t i o n s ; t h e C a r p e n t e r a n d C h a n e y F a m i l y Foundations have made grants. JCC recently received a $40,000 challenge grant from the Collins Foundation, which will award $40,000 to JCC if we are able to raise $40,000 from individuals and businesses in the community. us far, about half of the challenge amount has been raised. JCC is now seeking contributions from friends in the community—both individuals and businesses. Every gift, no matter how small or large, counts! To make a tax-deductible donation, mail a check to Jacksonville Community Center, PO Box 1435, Jacksonville, OR 97530, or visit our website at cedarson4th.org. Sue Miler Volunteer, JCC Funding Committee samiler17@gmail.com BY SUE MILER Rendering of the future Jacksonville Community Center. — N O T I C E — e Community Calendar, usually found on page 4, has been temporarily relocated to our website at applegater.org.

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