Whirlwind is an Understatement
Whirlwind is an understatement. In less than a fortnight back in Ashland we did honey harvest, got honey our back on shelves, I ran two fundraisers, and moved all of my personal things from one apartment and two storage lockers into one storage locker (with some hefty loads going to Goodwill and my local consignment shops). I also fit in a slew of medical appointments and a whole day off (the 4th of July!!). Ashland is hands-down my favorite place to celebrate the 4th, we have a banger of a parade followed by a whole day of pool parties, live music, and general small town wholesome cheer and togetherness.
There was no update last Monday, as I was elbows-deep in moving boxes and had negative zero time to sit down for even a moment.
That is until the evening when I tried to treat myself to an Ashland Folk Collective concert at Fry Family Farm. Just as the opener was finishing up a black wall of weather swept through the Rogue Valley. The sky went from high blue to low dark purple, filled with white lightning. One of the organizers calmly made her way to our blanket and suggested that we go sit in the car as Ashland (15 miles to the south) was currently being hammered with torrential rain, wind, and lightning and the storm was moving fast. I concurrently received a warning on my phone for quarter-sized hail. We packed up, and went to the car to wait out the storm.
Unfortunately, the wind and lightning knocked out power to 30,000 households and businesses and FFF was among them. No power = no music. Bummer.
The storm started dozens of wildfires around Southern Oregon.
One was on a property that my bees are currently on (though it was about 7 miles away). Another about two miles from one of our vineyard partners (where I’m storing our bee truck while I’m away for the remainder of field season).
Though our fire crews throughout the west are woefully understaffed due to DOGE cuts, our local guys and gals got right after it and have been giving it all they have to keep our towns safe since July 7th.
Over the weekend I had the great good fortune to time my road trip back to Montana with the National Bison Association Summer Conference for the “Western Region” in Enterprise, Oregon, at the Stangel Bison Ranch. I loved seeing this dynamic father-daughter duo (Theresa and Bob Stangel) work together to regeneratively manage their herd of 500 bison on 6,800 acres in the foothills of the Eagle Cap Wilderness. This family has been committed to ranching for the conservation of grasslands before it was cool. They bought their first bison in 1979 and sold their last cow in 1987.
Wide open spaces that are properly managed for biodiversity and biological health are one of the best solutions that we have for climate change. I’m so glad I was able to transition from crises mode in Southern Oregon, to solution mode in Northeastern Oregon overnight; to see with my eyes and feel with my feet the beauty of healed ground full of sequestered carbon, thanks to good management and our national animal.
As a write this I’m sitting on the hot, hot side of Hwy 52 in Idaho, en route to J Bar L Ranch to meet with my Montana people where I get to actively be a part of the solution to our looming climate and biodiversity crises - thanks to your support! We couldn’t do this work without you!