 | The OAEC Mother Garden is much drier than usual, but colorful and fecund as ever. photo by Michelle Krieg |
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How is OAEC dealing with the drought?
The old saying “Don’t miss the water ‘till the well runs dry” couldn’t be more apt in this year’s unprecedented drought. Wells and reservoirs are drying up around the county, the CA State Water Resources Control Board is implementing restrictions throughout our local Russian River watershed, and neighboring small farms have been forced to cancel their CSAs or severely curtail their growing expectations for the season. Despite OAEC’s many efforts to save water, our situation is no exception. The OAEC pond, which was built in 1978 in response to the last mega drought in 1976-77, supplies all of the agricultural water for the Mother Garden, nursery, and landscaping for the entire OAEC site as a separate source from the potable well. The pond has never been this low in its 43-year history.
Read the blog post to learn how we're responding. |
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Vote in CA by September 14th!There is a special election happening on September 14th to recall California’s governor who was elected in 2018 with nearly 62% of the vote. We have concerns about recall processes in general as an expensive and undemocratic instrument that is increasingly being used and abused at many levels of government to undermine elections. Whatever you think about the process or the candidates themselves, IT IS CRITICAL THAT YOU VOTE on or by September 14th! Otherwise, there will likely be a very small percentage of the population deciding the fate of California’s political leadership.
There are two ways you can vote in the September 14th recall election: - All registered voters should have received a vote by mail ballot. Don’t wait! Return by mail as soon as you can or find your nearest ballot drop box at caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov.
- Vote in person at the polls between 7am – 8pm on September 14. In-person voting locations will offer voter registration, replacement ballots, accessible voting machines, and language assistance to those who need it. Find the hours and days your polling place will be open at sos.ca.gov/elections/polling-place
Didn’t receive a vote-by-mail ballot? Visit VoterStatus.sos.ca.gov for info on your voter registration status. Don't sit this one out! VOTE! |
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Dixie Fire Relief Fund for the
Maidu Summit ConsortiumThe Maidu Summit Consortium (MSC) is a tribal non-profit whose mission is to preserve, protect, and promote the Mountain Maidu Homeland with a united voice. Since 2019, OAEC has been working with MSC to develop a beaver recruitment strategy for Tásmam Koyóm, a culturally important 2,325 acre valley that was returned to the Maidu people as part of the PG&E bankruptcy settlement several years ago.
The still active Dixie Fire has burned several sites important to and managed by MSC, including Tásmam Koyóm and others around Lake Almanor. MSC has been very generous in welcoming many partners, neighbors, agencies, NGO's and volunteers to work alongside and learn from them as they reclaim and restore their ancestral lands. Now is the time to give back and make sure they have all they need to get back on their feet. Donations will go directly to the MSC non-profit and will be used as they see fit to support Maidu evacuees, recovery coordination and infrastructure rebuilding efforts. |
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| The "Water is Life" themed virtual film fest is underway! OAEC's Brock Dolman and Kate Lundquist have cameo appearances in Brittany App's beautiful new film Where There Once Was Water speaking to the role that beaver can play in rehydrating the west. Big thanks to the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment for pulling together such an incredible line up of over 29 films that span a variety of timely environmental justice topics from on-the-ground voices. Click the image to watch the trailer and here to buy tickets. |
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Tea Time?On these hot summer days, you may be thinking about how wonderful it would be to be able to make herbal sun teas and other refreshing beverages straight from your garden. The Herbal Tea Section in the nursery keeps getting more interesting. A current headliner is the impossible-to-find Greek Mountain Tea, featured in the photo above, a small drought tolerant shrub that is gaining in popularity around the world as a delicious and medicinal tonic. We’re excited to announce that we have Chinese Tea Chrysanthemum, the real thing with its bright ivory flowers that are used in traditional Chinese soups and teas. Also, we have the inimitable Lemon Verbena, the one essential shrub you must have in your northern California tea garden - no other herb makes as fine a chilled water or hot tea, and it can also be used culinarily for flavoring ice creams and crème brulees, or minced finely on top of fresh sliced garden tomatoes, for example. For those who like their teas “caffeinated” without the caffeine, Mormon Tea, a strangely minimalist, drought resistant plant. White-Flowered’ Anise Hyssop makes a soothing anise infused tea as well as the best herbal ice cream you’ll ever taste - especially topped with fresh blueberries or blackberries. We’re also promoting sages whose leaves and/or flowers can be used as teas, like the “Fruit-scented’ or ‘Tutti Frutti’ sage, Salvia dorisiana, which also makes a refreshing addition fruit salads. The five varieties of Pineapple Sage we have make singular teas, most noteworthy, ‘Tangerine’ and ‘Honey Melon’- imagine popsicles made of these two! Nursery OPEN
Sat-Sun 10am-5pm
now through the end of October |
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2022 Residential Internships Program Administration and Garden positions
Each year, OAEC welcomes 6 interns to come live, learn, work and play with us! Interns work 25 hours per week in their department in exchange for full room and board, plus access to courses and other perks. Join us!
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Now booking organizational retreats! Wanting to book your group with us, but curious how our Covid protocols are keeping up with the rapidly changing conditions of the pandemic? Visit our retreat page or reach out to retreats@oaec.org. |
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