Ogallala Commons Newsletter: October 2010

Interning in Washington DC…Priceless!
by Simone Cahoj, 2007-2008 OC Community Intern

I am currently doing an internship for Congressman Jerry Moran. He is the U.S. representative for Kansas’ First District which covers 69 counties. My daily tasks do not change much. I am responsible for answering phone calls, entering data, writing letters to constituents and leading tours of the Capitol building. While these tasks are the norm, I do get assigned special tasks such as updating the website, helping with scheduling and writing articles for our weekly newsletter.

This internship is quite different than the Ogallala Commons internship program, as the daily tasks are often the same. This internship is, however; especially important for building key relationships and skills for a future job on Capitol Hill. I feel that interning for Congressman Moran is a great experience because I’m getting the opportunity to expand my horizons in Washington, DC as well as learn more about public service from a national level. I have enjoyed working with Ogallala Commons for many years helping build local communities and have been able to use these skills from a national standpoint.

I have seen different opportunities to start a career working on Capitol Hill and internships in Congressional offices are the perfect way to do that. While the tasks seem menial, learning how to research, write in a certain way and use the databases are actually important skills to have when searching for jobs out here. I can see myself working for a Congressman or Senator after graduating in May for a while. There are also interesting groups the Heritage Foundation and Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) that represent my interests and I would enjoy working for. The beauty of working in Washington, DC is that things are always changing and working here and then moving home, wherever that may be, is seen as normal. I still want to return to Atwood and start my own business in the future. I miss open spaces and starry nights too much to stay in the city forever.

Two important things that I have learned are that first, internships are still the best way to figure out what you want to do in life and build some skills. I now possess knowledge about legislation that I wouldn’t have had otherwise and this experience has helped me grow as a person. Second, I’ve learned that it’s important to get away and discover yourself, but there’s no place like your hometown. Your experiences there helped you grow into the person that you are and you will always be welcome there.

Internships Uncover Agricultural History
By Tom Giessel, OC Board Member

Historic Fort Larned, in Pawnee County, Kansas is the site of a recent Ogallala Commons internship. Established in 1859 for the protection of travelers, commerce and mail, its military history spanned a brief nineteen years. The sturdy buildings and rich soils easily transformed into a working ranch following the decommissioning of the facility. In 1964, the National Park Service purchased the ranch and incorporated the Fort into the National Park System.

The military history of the Fort is well documented. However, the era of the working farm and ranch has little recorded history. In addition to the traditional crops and livestock raised in our area, the ranch produced sugar beets, onions, kaffir corn and many other foods. There was an extensive irrigation system of flumes and ditches, as well as a large garden. Only a few employees of the Frizzell Ranch survive. Our internship centered on identifying these people and gathering history by conducting oral interviews. Kevin VonFeldt, Larned, KS and Scarlett Olsen of Burdett, KS worked with National Park Service [NPS] staff in identifying these individuals, interviewing and transcribing the history.

While the focus of these two internships center on Kevin, Scarlett and a small slice of local history, the results are far reaching. A local conversation sprouted about the significance of Fort Larned history. The area media covered the project. People were calling and suggesting names of individuals to interview. Many were anxious to tell their story. Locals renewed with the sense of place. The NPS witnessed a revitalized connection with the community. The project has taken a life of its own.

Structuring internships may not be as much of a science, as it is an art. My adventure of molding a local internship became easier, as I listened to others and engaged our commonwealths. Our ancestors came to the Plains with visions of what might be. Nothing manmade was in place. In time, a place was manmade. A gainful internship extends roots, cultivates communities and sows the seeds to feed the future.

Symbols: Understanding OC's Logo
By Joe Franco, OC Board Member

A symbol is loosely defined as something that represent something else by association, resemblence or convention. Furthermore, a symbol can convey certain invisible or intangible principles, patterns or values through material objects or signs. It is this definition which will best serve to discuss the logo of Ogallala Commons and its meaning.

”Nature is written in symbols and signs.” John Greenleaf Whittier

The Ogallala logo is not an artistic design of egotistical genius; rather, the design was developed with the clear understanding of the principles and values that Ogallala Commons represents. The entire logo is comprised of two circles and two arrows with three different colors.

The circles or rings of the logo shows wholeness and continuity, everywhere the same and containing no diffferences within it. The central circle is reddish-brown in color or earthtone. This central ring is our first boundry of influence. It presents Ogallala Commons commitment to protecting our natual resources. One of the first places to start this work is literally in our own back yards through an understanding of our impact on the environment. The outer ring or circle forms a boundry around the central princples. Keep in mind that the circle is a two-dimensional shape of a sphere. The blue color reminds us of the clear sky and life-sustaining water of the the Ogallala Aquifer. The arrows represent flow or flow of energy. The flow is represented with arrows which change directions at 90 degrees. This denotes focused energy. The arrows seek the center/centre of the ring, then flow back out to the boundries. The green arrow shows the focused energy of nature’s seed as it springs from the earth toward fruition, then to harvest. The blue arrow represents the rain which falls to the earth and filters it’s way back to the outer ring of the Ogallala Aquifer. This directed energy also represents the flow of ideas and energy which starts in the communities, flowing toward the center to be reinvigorated, then flowing back out to effect change. Although not all-inclusive, I hope that this presentation serves as a start to understanding Ogallala Commons mission and values from a symbolic level.

Youth Entrepreneurs Gear Up for OC Competition
by Darryl Birkenfeld, OC Director

Next month, 34 teenagers from around the Texas Panhandle and South Plains will be entering 20 business projects at the 4^th Annual Ogallala Commons Regional Youth Entrepreneur Fair, to be held at the Plainview Civic Center in Plainview, TX on November 9th.

Besides earning valuable experience in business planning, conducting interviews, and selling a business idea to the public, top finishers in the contest received cash prizes totaling $4,850, and plenty of encouragement from people who attended the Fair. There will be two categories for this Fair: already created and existing products or services, as well as conceptual products or service ideas. The three top three products or concepts exhibited in each division at the Fair will receive cash prizes: first place: $1,200, second place: $1,000, and third place: $750. The Fair is sponsored by Ogallala Commons and its community and business sponsors who are donating the cash prizes.

To be eligible for the E-Fair, aspiring entrepreneurs had to submit a business plan for their idea or product by October 22nd. At the November 9th event, contestants will present their idea or product with a booth, a short interview, and their business plan. Winners of the top three prizes will be selected based on total points earned in the following criteria: Business Plan, Interview with Judges, Booth Presentation at the Fair, and Adaptability or Feasibility of Concept or Product to a Rural Area.

OC Website Update is 90% Complete
By Julie Boatright

In January of this year, Ogallala Commons began working with Griffin-Wink Advertising, Inc. in Lubbock, Texas on a major overhaul of our website, www.ogallalacommons.org. The former website was completely erased, leaving us to start from scratch. The fresh start was a chance to review and revise many documents and lead to the addition of several new features.

One such feature is Google Analytics, an enterprise-class web analytics solution that gives insight into our website traffic. Using this feature we can see how many people visit ogallalacommons.org, when they visit, where they visit from and how they got to our website, what they look at, and how long they spend on the website. Here is what Google Analytics is telling us:

Since we launched the new website on April 1, 2010 we have had a total of 1,211 visits with 4,741 page views. Analytics reports that of these visits, 788 were unique, meaning we have had a total of 788 different people look at our website. The average person looks at 4 pages of our website per visit, spending an average of 2 minutes per page. Half of all visitors arrived at our website via search engines, 30% came directly to the website (meaning they typed in our address on their web browser) and the remaining 20% came from websites that referred them to us (links). Most visits (96%) came from the United States – see picture.

Being somewhat of a technology geek, I could go on and on and on with more numbers and interesting facts about visits to our website, but I will spare you. More importantly, I should point out some of the new additions to ogallalacommons.org:

The Playa Festival Page – Complete with downloadable materials for educators, links to news articles, information on the outdoor classroom and more.

Contribution Page – Folks interested in contributing to Ogallala Commons may now make donations on our website using PayPal.

News & Events – The new website features a link to “The Place” where the latest news, calendar and info about Ogallala Commons is posted monthly.

There are still a few updates and a couple of web pages that we plan to change, but overall the website is 90% complete. If you haven’t visited ogallalacommons.org lately, please do and let me know what you think.