Friends: We received word Friday evening that Small Farm Friends in Winthrop, Washington (just across the Mountains about 3 hours east of Seattle) were being evacuated because of the Fires. It makes me angry. From all my history in agriculture in Minnesota and Wisconsin and my years as a Natural Resource Specialist, I have no trouble accusing the State of Washington of Mismanaging its Resources. But the problem goes beyond Administrative Ineptitude to the state of our citizenry. Everyone has moved or is moving to cities worldwide! And -- Urban-ites just dont have a clue about farming and no longer know how to vote to support our Good Food System. As a result, our priorities have gone down the drain and many good rural folk are being made to suffer. Name Corporations for the problem. Name Bill Gates. Whoever, but please hold someone responsible. Ironically, both Minnesota and Wisconsin had their fires; whole towns were wiped out and people died, and to make the story even more malign, the same lumber interests were operating there back then and using much the same methods. Weve moved far beyond the days of clear-cutting and dumping slash. And we know all about controlled burn. Ecological management concepts are not new. I studied people like Aldo Leopold already in the sixties. And I personally led burn-restorations in my own Conservation District in SE Minnesota; and I fought lumber interests that practiced clear cutting (which incidentally also led to erosion and severe flooding). The problem in Oregon and Washington is once again the money in the extractive element of the resource and the power of the corporations who control it. I know the invested interests everywhere from academia to government and about all the payola. On top of all the rural dysfunction, billionaires are building Estate Homes in the Woods and encouraging the brush, or on top the ridges and encouraging the grass, or whatever. They are sure of there Property Rights! But now there is a new threat; a climate heating up fast in our region. And some of the people being hurt by the Miss-management of Land Use and Bad Forest and Range practices are my friends. They are struggling new organic farmers already under pressure from banks and industry -- they cant assimilate this gross bureaucratic ineptitude and irresponsible leadership being presently displayed. We just got through more serious flooding this Spring. And we had a terrible Land Slide at Oso that never should have happened. What gives? Our whole rural society is in trouble -- thats what our Governor told the President when he was here. We need help! Will we get it in time; I dont know. But meanwhile, whats going to happen to our dedicated small farmers. Perhaps some of the many $-bolted foodie none-profits in our region can take up a collection to help them out (unfortunately they are also city people for the most part so dont understand the problems)?
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 16:36:39 +0000
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