Sorry, folks! Due to a lack of registrations and general interest,
we've reluctantly decided to cancel the Bioregional Activists Gathering.
Have a great summer!
Birch Creek
Arts & Ecology Center at historic
Trillium Farm
in the wild Little Applegate River canyon of the eastern Siskiyou Mountains
P.O. Box 1330 Jacksonville, OR 97530
trillium@deepwild.org
Dear fellow activist and planetary citizen,
We're sure you'll agree these are
interesting, even crazy times we're living in these days.
And it seems that for every crisis, challenge, or evolving situation, a big part
of the solutions
focus on local and watershed networking through local food
security, ecological restoration,
transition towns, permaculture, environmental activism, social justice
work, local politics,
education, cultural and artistic expression, all of which
comprise bioregional activism.
While we can network effectively
through various on-line and electronic communications,
nothing compares to spending time with like-minded folks, activists and
visionaries working
to make this planet a better place one neighborhood, one watershed, one
bioregion at a time.
Sharing that time in a powerful wilderness setting promises a rich opportunity
to connect.
Like the favorite slogan: think
globally, act locally, we can connect and share our local acts.
Share what we do, what works, challenges, successes, cultural and artistic
upwellings
in our neighborhoods, watersheds and bioregions. If we can connect our
neighborhood acts
on up to our watershed acts and beyond to our bioregional great and wonderful
acts,
then the positive visionary thoughts we nurture on a global level gain more
energy to manifest.
So, to help better connect us visionaries,
activists and supporters in the Pacific Northwest
bioregions of Cascadia,
Shasta, and the Klamath-Siskiyou, we are hosting a
Bioregional
Activists Gathering August 24-26
at our wilderness homestead,
located an hour outside Ashland, Oregon
at the confluence of the spectacular canyon
of Little Applegate River
and the sweet little canyon of wild Birch Creek in the proposed Siskiyou
National Monument.
We envision something smaller and more intimate than the Western Forest Activist
Conferences
Chant coordinated for Headwaters at Southern Oregon University back in the
90’s...
a less formal gathering set in an inspirational landscape surrounded by proposed
wilderness.
Like the Headwaters conferences, this
gathering will be an opportunity for activists to gather,
network, and socialize; to get informed and updated, to relax and hike the
beautiful backcountry.
Unlike the Headwaters conference, we will convene outdoors, embedded in a wild
landscape
where the benefits of eco-psychology can mellow and motivate us to connect more
deeply
and help keep us keep doing what is so necessary and what we all do so well.
Our stretch of the wild Little
Applegate River canyon; Siskiyou Crest in the background.
BTW, those are not clear-cuts in the virgin conifer forests on Trillium Mountain
in the center;
those gray areas are rare White Oak - Mountain Mahogany woodlands.
Picture this: 100-150 activists
gathered for a long weekend, nestled in a beautiful little canyon
blessed with a semi-desert microclimate (15" annual precipitation) in the
eastern Siskiyous.
Our gathering village includes a 40-foot carpeted dome with lights and sound.
Our field kitchen and crew will serve 6 delicious vegetarian and organic meals,
lovingly crafted with local ingredients, under an open circus tent with sit-down
dining.
There’s a comfy outdoor lounge under a shady maple tree, outdoor hot showers,
a playground for kids with an above-ground pool, and plenty of nice campsites.
Strolling down Birch Creek canyon.
Relaxing on a pond along Birch Creek.
Gathering village in Birch Creek
canyon.
Camping will range from soft dry pond
bottoms and banks close to the gathering village,
with more campsites as far as ¼ mile further up-canyon in meadows and under
trees,
and many walk-in wilderness campsites along the river, ¼ to ½ mile down from the
village.
A small hostel in our historic school building, a 2-story octagon in the
conifers above the village
provides bed and sofa sleeping for about 10, and will be available especially
for those elders and folks with special needs who must sleep in a bed.
Some smaller RV’s under 23' can be accommodated in our parking lot.
Meadow camping in Birch Creek canyon.
Forest camping on the banks of the Little
Applegate River.
Our
footpaths lead to over 20 miles of maintained scenic trails in the surrounding
wilderness.
This densely mountainous landscape supports a complex mosaic of diverse
ecosystems,
from old-growth conifers to pine savanna, juniper/oak/mountain mahogany
woodland, chaparral,
scattered wetlands, and
vast steep dry grasslands; truly a grand example of
biodiversity.
Mosaic of biodiversity from nearby
Tunnel Ridge looking north into the Dakubetede Wilderness.
Giant madrone along historic Sterling Mine
Ditch Trail
in nearby Bear Gulch canyon, Dakubetede Wildernes.
While wild & scenic, only the last 4
miles of road up the spectacular river canyon are unpaved,
a variable-width road well maintained by the county for low-clearance city cars.
Do not try to google yourself here unless you're in a stout 4WD truck with
your shovel & saw!
While far out of cell phone range, we’ll have satellite wifi for your
laptops & “smart” phones
soyou can stay in touch with your family, office, and
everyone you've left behind.
Gathering parking along unpaved county road.
Nanny State? B.L.M. sign on road you don't want to take!
Early ideas for a schedule are:
Friday
afternoon:
arrive, register, park, take a dip, set-up camps, tour the site canyons,
take a guided 4-mile easy wilderness hike on a historic trail with
fabulous views,
delicious vegetarian dinner with a program, evening socializing
around a brew pub coffee house providing suds, local wines, sweets, coffee, and chai
with proceeds
to benefit TELAV (Threatened & Endangered: Little Applegate Valley),
our local grassroots group working on watershed issues since 1979.
Saturday morning:
early morning hikes, hearty vegetarian breakfast and beverages,
socializing, some free time leading into the morning sessions.
Saturday afternoon:
vegetarian lunch, some time to socialize and take a dip,
open space technology to schedule breakout sessions from morning topics
and sessions for spontaneous inspirations and other offerings.
Saturday evening: dinner with a program, socializing at the brew pub coffee house and music.
Sunday:
early morning hikes, breakfast, open space slate of topics focused on next
steps,
lunch, final session to share next steps, closing circle, break camp and
head home.
Potential topics for
sessions include: OHV’s, O&C lands, bioregional mapping, grazing issues,
wilderness protection,
national monuments, streams and rivers, mining and toxic sites,
updates from D.C., imminent actions, 11th Continental Bioregional Congress, and your ideas.
Notes:
All meals and munchies are
organic, vegetarian with vegan and gluten-free options.
Child care will be available during sessions at the village playground.
Pond-side breakout sessions,
bioregional forest activist gathering, 1992.
We're
using the term “bioregional” as a focus on the three western bioregions
of the Pacific
Northwest: Cascadia, Shasta, and the host Klamath-Siskiyou
Bioregion, where the Cascadia and
the Shasta overlap in the dense tangle of
mountain ranges known as the Klamath Knot.
Birch Creek Arts & Ecology Center in the Klamath-Siskiyou has been chosen to
host
the 11th Continental Bioregional Congress in August 2013 (bioregionalcongress.net).
This bilingual Congress functions as a deliberative body of bioregional
activists,
drawing representatives from far South America to the Artic to caucus around the
issues.
Our Bioregional Activists Gathering will join similar gatherings this year
throughout the Americas
that will function as precursors to the 11th Continental Bioregional Congress
next year.
Bioregional poet Jerry Martien reads at
Orion Society Forgotten Language Tour, 1998.
At this time, we want to hear your
suggestions and ideas, especially regarding session content.
We’d also like to find out how many folks from your organization or neighborhood
would be likely to attend, and would be willing to participate on a session
panel.
Early-bird
registration continues at $100/person through May;
regular registration at $125 through June and July; late registrations at $150 in August.
We have several work-trade positions, especially for those burly folks able
to stay on after
the event to help take down the village infrastructure and pack it into a semi
trailer.
We also have some partial and full work trade positions for kitchen and childcare
services.
After feedback and your ideas, we will circulate a formal info & registration
document.
We're eagerly hoping your organization will participate and help continue a long
tradition
of bioregional activism here at Birch Creek. We hosted the original forest
direct action training
sessions here in 1983, followed by later forest activist
gatherings, natural history field camps,
and several university programs in the arts, ecology, natural history and
conservation activism.
In 1983 Chant organized a one-day Bioregional Forest Conference in Jacksonville.
In 1984 the Klamath-Siskiyou Bioregional Conferences began in the Applegate,
then moved to Southern Oregon University in Ashland and Humboldt State
University, Arcata.
Then, eleven Western Forest Activist Conferences from 1992-2002 in Ashland.
We've been encouraged over the years to host an event like these here again.
2012 is the year!
We hope you agree that it’s time to
gather again as a community of bioregional activists,
this time back in the wilds of the eastern Siskiyous!
Check back here often! Our events
tend to fill up quickly,
and we're limiting this one to 150 folks to keep it sweet!
Use the top button below to read
registration and other important information,
then use the middle button to complete your registration form,
and then use the bottom button to submit your payment.
We have installed PayPal for your convenience to pay registration
electronically,
or you could save us the fee and send your check or money order to:
Birch Creek
Arts & Ecology Center
P.O. Box 1330 Jacksonville, OR 97530
Upon receipt of your registration,
we'll send you detailed crucial info and directions.
Please be advised that we are a registered wildlife sanctuary, so dogs are not
welcome.
Questions? email us: trillium@deepwild.org
Meanwhile, thanks for your great
work,
for the wilds,
Chant Thomas and Susanna Bahaar
P.S.: New to the Klamath-Siskiyou? Plan a
vacation around this gathering and explore our wondrous bioregion! Cultural
venues
include the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, other local theaters, & the
renowned Peter Britt outdoor Music Festival in Jacksonville.
National Parks include Redwood and Crater Lake; and Cascade Siskiyou, Oregon
Caves, and Lava Beds National Monuments.
A fabulous array of diverse wilderness areas for backpacking include: Mt.
Shasta, Trinity Alps, Marble Mountains, Lost Coast,
High Siskiyou, Red Buttes, Kalmiopsis, Mountain Lakes, Sky Lakes, Mt
Thielsen, Rogue-Umpqua Divide and more.
World class whitewater rivers include the: Klamath, Rogue, Umpqua, Illinois,
California Salmon, Scott, Trinity, and Chetco.
Want something more laid back? Sign up for the Applegate Wine Tour and visit
some of our local wineries.
Want to get really high? Woodrat Mountain in Ruch is home of the National
Championships for hang and para gliding.