June News (1)

OC Community Intern Orientation 2012

By Julie Hodges, OC Education Coordinator

32 of the Ogallala Commons Interns!

On May 30th and 31st, more than 30 Ogallala Commons Community Interns from Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, along with two dozen intern supervisors, gathered in Amarillo, Texas for an orientation sponsored by the CHS Foundation.

Over the two days, interns learned about Ogallala Commons, the National Farmers
Union, community asset building, grant writing, and how to begin and complete successful internship projects. Ogallala Commons Education Coordinator Julie Hodges gave several presentations on tools and procedures to assist interns. When asked about the event, she remarked, “I always leave any activity with Community Interns feeling inspired by all of the amazing things they are doing in their communities. This group will complete projects that not only add value to themselves on a personal and professional level, but their internships will also contribute great benefits to their communities.”

Ogallala Community Internships are quite different from what most of us think of when
we imagine an internship. Each of the interns will be working in a rural community or urban setting with an organization, non-profit, or small business. The work plan that interns follow is carefully
designed to take full advantage of their skills, talents, and interests--and at the same time to
complete a project or tasks for the organization or community they are working for. In 2012, Community interns range in ages from 15 to nearly 40 years old. Throughout the summer, they will complete around 220 hours of internship work and contribute 10 hours of community service, while being paid an hourly stipend. Interns will chronicle their experiences and post photos on Ogallala Commons' Community Internship Blogs (www.ogallalaintern.blogspot.com - follow the links on the right hand side of the page to see all 6 blogs).

OC Interns left their mark (the OC Logo)
 at the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo

Another important aspect of Community Internships is a deeper exploration of the places where interns live. As rural communities throughout the Great Plains region suffer the negative impacts of youth outmigration, Ogallala Commons strives to demonstrate to interns the opportunities and richness in their hometowns– inviting them to consider coming back to live, raise their families and work. To spark their imagination for exploring nearby places, interns and supervisors visited the iconic Cadillac Ranch, on the outskirts of Amarillo--and they finished their first day together with dinner and free time.

On the second day of orientation, everyone rose early to contribute one hour of their required community service--at the High Plains Food Bank Garden in Amarillo.

OC interns helped with harvest, planting, and weeding at the
High Plains Food Bank Garden during Intern Orientation.

The Garden, a multi-year partner in OC's Community Intern Program, grows organic produce which is used to provide over 1,000 meals per day to low-income children in Amarillo as part of the Kids Café Program. Community Interns pulled weeds, harvested peas and planted tomatoes during the early morning. Afterwards, they were given a tour of the High Plains Food Bank. During the remainder of the day, interns received further enrichment through short workshops on personality types, the power of networking, healthy lifestyles, technology tips, and a keynote presentation by William Nelson, President of the CHS Foundation and V.P. of CHS Corporate Citizenship.

Intern Supervisor Profile: Mark Castillo

Darryl Birkenfeld, Director, Ogallala Commons

Like all supervisors in OC Community Intern Program, Mark Castillo wears many hats.  During the week, he is a high school Spanish teacher, tennis coach, and adviser to the National Honor Society and the Student Council in Hart, TX.  Mark has worked at Hart High School for 19 years. On weekends and during the summer, he also clerks at the Naz Stop, a convenience store eleven miles up the road in Nazareth.  A unique feature of Mark’s life is that everyone knows him and he knows the names of nearly everyone in two different towns! 

Mark has been a part of Ogallala Commons youth engagement work from the beginning—when the first Youth Engagement Day was held at Hart H.S. in 2007.  At every event, Mark not only finds the time to attend—he also makes sure to bring students along from his community.  For three consecutive years, Mark has helped to recruit and fund interns.  As a result, 6 Community Internships have been created in Hart, TX, and OC could not have accomplished this feat without the participation, dedication, and supervision provided by Mark Castillo. ¡Muchísimas gracias, Señor Marcos!

Intern Profile: Syndee Adams

Hello! I’m Syndee Adams. This is my [first] blog ever. I was born and raised in Superior, Nebraska. I studied two years at Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Agribusiness before transferring to Kansas State University, where I’m majoring in Agriculture Economics and getting a minor in Animal Science. In my spare time, I love showing and riding horses, and being away from the city life and being back home on the farm.
I’m going to do my internship on Kansas State University campus in Hale Library. I will be collecting databases of the contents of over one hundred boxes that [are] housed at the Capper Co-op Center in the library. These boxes are the remains of records of Farmland Industries. Farmland Industries grain side evolved from the Kansas Farmers Union Jobbing Association. [I will also be] collecting data that shows how the structure of the Co-op changed and evolved from 1907 on.

I have never ever heard of Ogallala Commons before. I have learned that it is a big non-profit organization that provides education and leadership to give a boost to the communities in the region of the High Plains-Ogallala Aquifer.
This information will help me with my Community Internship by providing education to Kansas Farmers Union and the public about how the Co-op developed and how the Farmland Industries evolved from the Kansas Farmers Union Jobbing Association.

I’m excited for this internship to begin and all the information that will be learned and shared about the agriculture industry!
Intern Profile: Kassandra Baker

I [Kassandra] am going to be a senior at Wichita County High school this coming year. I am not sure what I want to do after high school. I have an older sister and two older brothers who have all graduated from college and [are] now living back close to home. I live in a very small town called Marienthal [Kansas]. I have always lived in Marienthal, so I am very used to small towns and plan on moving back after college. Leoti is where I am doing my internship. I will be working with Simone the eco devo [Economic Development] director for Wichita County. She has a lot planned for me: like to work on the Alumni Database [from] 1995 to now. I am working on the Alumni Database so they have it ready because our all school reunion is this year. I will also be doing a fundraiser to help out of Cinema at City Hall. Cinema at City Hall is where we show outdoor movies and everybody brings what they want to sit on and we all watch a great movie outdoors. I also get to organize an Entrepreneurship Day camp. When I first started, I had no idea what Ogallala Commons was, but while going to Texas, I learned what they do and how they help all the little communities. I learned some great stuff we can try to do in our county and learned how to write grants if I would ever have to.

Intern Profile: Samuel ‘Sammy’ Beanes

I [Sammy] am an average guy in a small little town here in Texas. I live in the town [of] Hart, TX, population of about 1,100. Although there are little things to do here, with awesome friends and the right mind there is plenty to do. I am sixteen years old and going to be a junior in high school along with my class of seventeen. I am a member of student council and National Honor Society at my school. I don’t really like writing or reading, but I will do whatever it takes to be successful. I love playing sports and hanging out with all my awesome friends here in Hart. I love to play football, basketball, and tennis, but tennis is probably my top sport, only because I’m pretty good at it. I am doing this internship this summer here in the community of Hart. I plan on making an impact on the people here. I would love to demonstrate to others how important it is to do things for our community and the people in it. I plan on doing my ten hours of community work trying to make the community look like a place to be. I may do some yard and garden work and cleaning anything that I can. I’m also going down to a fertilizer company just outside of town called Wilbur Ellis. I still haven’t heard what I will be doing there but I’m very positive that whatever it is I do there and anywhere else in the community of Hart, TX will be a great and awesome experience for me. J

Intern Profile: Bradley Benavidez
Hi! My name is Bradley Benavidez. I am 17 years old and I will be a senior at Kress High School. I was born and raised in Tulia, Texas. I am very active in my church, 4-H, and school. My internship activities will take place at Tulia Public Schools, Kress Senior Citizens, Swisher Co. Public Library and Tulia Christian Fellowship. I enjoy being outdoors and being involved with wildlife and nature.
I have visited the Ogallala Commons Playa Classroom. Driving through our area, one would not expect that what seems to be a dry lakebed is actually a prairie wetland. At the Playa Classroom, I learned about what the Ogallala Commons’ purpose is and how it works. This goes along well with one of my major 4-H projects, entomology. I was very surprised to find out that the Ogallala Commons covers a very large area from Seguin, Texas all the way to Nebraska. I was also very surprised to learn that some of the previous interns are people that I am well acquainted with. Some ways that I will be able to incorporate the Ogallala Commons into my work is that I will be working in and around the land I love and that is why this was created to preserve the land where we live. I am very excited about getting the opportunity to be a summer intern for the Ogallala Commons and I know that this will make an impact on my life that I know will be amazing.

May News

Local School Visits Playa Classroom, Takes on Water Shortages

Sixty high school freshman students and their teachers from New Deal, TX took a Field Trip to OC’s Playa Classroom in Nazareth, Texas on May 15^th, to learn more about playa ecosystems and water conservation.  Many students are interested in playa conservation and restoration, and well as learning how to conserve limited groundwater in an arid land. The opportunity to walk through the playa basin and view different plants and insects was a priceless opportunity.

On May 18^th, to complete their Save Our Farms Project, New Deal High School teacher Kara Craig and freshman students presented potential solutions that may conserve water, while maintaining agricultural productivity in West Texas. These ideas, along with three-dimensional models representing their concepts and thematic maps outlining their research, were demonstrated to the High Plains Underground Water District, Ogallala Commons, Texas Tech faculty, South Plains College faculty, Prairie Workshop LLC., and local farmers.  The specific area that these students studied is a 7.5 million acre area over the Ogallala Aquifer found in West Texas. This area mimics the area within the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District #1.

Throughout the development of the project, students maintained an interactive blog to document their discoveries and they met with local experts to ask questions about this pressing issue.  "It's amazing the ingenuity that comes from these students once we, the teachers, loosen the reigns and let them discover on their own" Ms Craig remarked. 

The project won the GREEN Award, a program sponsored by Texas Tech University's International Center for Arid and Semiarid Land Studies (ICASALS), with the purpose of encouraging K-12 teachers to create projects that will heighten student awareness of environmental issues. 

Community Intern Conducts Wellness Fair for Alternative High School in Lubbock

On May 4, 2012 OC Community Intern Sriutha Reddy - a senior (now graduated) student at Texas Tech University conducted a wellness fair for students at Frenship ISD's Reese Alternative High School.  The program included presentation by:

Fitwell

Body Mind Intiative

Local Llano Cooking Demo

Impact Tech

Sprouts Healthy Snacks

TTU Student Dietician Association Sugar Presentation

TTU Athlete Discussion 

 Overall, the event was very successful and over 60 High School students, their teachers and the administration learned a few things about living healthier.  

Sriutha Reddy will be attending medical school this fall at Texas Tech University and would like to continue planning and conducting wellness fairs for area students.  We look forward to working with her again!

 

April News

Candidates & Partners Preparing for Community Internships

by Darryl Birkenfeld

After months of scouting, recruiting, and working with partners, Ogallala Commons (OC) is ready to welcome its biggest and most diverse group of Community Interns.  For the next four weeks, more than 40 intern candidates will be attending interviews with their community partners, to learn more about the candidate’s strengths and abilities, and to discuss major projects.  The result of the interviews will be in an Internship Summary that defines the main objectives and outcomes for the internship.  Later on in May, community partners will be drafting work plans for the soon-to-begin interns, in order to establish a clear direction to guide the interns from the start.

Another important event will be the OC Intern & Supervisor Orientation, to be held on May 30 and 31 at the Bishop DeFalco Retreat Center in Amarillo, TX.  The Orientation will bring together most of the Community Interns and their supervisors from Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.  The event features two days of learning and enrichment—plus time to recreate and network with other interns, as well as OC Board and Advisory Council members who will attend the Orientation.

If any communities, entities, or candidates are still contemplating a Community Internship in 2012, there is still a chance, but swift action is needed to secure a spot in our almost-filled roster.  Contact Julie Hodges (806-445-6075) is you have any questions.

 

Developing Partnerships Open Doors

By Julie Hodges

The past few weeks have been exciting for Ogallala Commons because of several new people and organizations we have made connections with through our Youth Engagement Programs.
First, Julie gave a presentation to a group of folks who work for Communities In Schools.  According to the Communities In Schools website, this organization is “a nationwide network of passionate professionals working in public schools to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.”   Their focus is drop out prevention, but they do so much more.  CIS agents get to know students and help to connect them with community resources that will benefit them by erasing barriers to their success – such as transportation, work, family problems, health care, and more.    Agents work with students in K-12.  Though our relationship with Communities In Schools, Ogallala Commons has been able to engage students in rural schools and we are currently working on several projects:
    1. A Wellness Fair at an alternative high school coordinated by Sriyutha Reddy, a TTU student who will enter into medical school in the fall of 2012.  75 students will learn about several aspects of wellness including: Physical Fitness, Nutrition and Mental Health.
    2. Internships for students – We have received a handful of applications from students and adults who were informed about Community Internships by their CIS agent.
    3. Playa Festivals – Ogallala Commons is working to take our Playa Festivals to new communities, thanks to help for CIS agents.

Second, exciting developments have been occurring in our Youth Engagement Day and Youth Entrepreneur Fair programs.  These programs will be expanding thanks to partnerships with Wayland Baptist University’s Business School in Plainview, West Texas A&M’s Enterprise Center in Amarillo, and the communities and EDCs of Dumas, Borger and Pampa.

This summer we will hold the first ever teacher training for educators interested in participating in our Youth Engagement Days and E-Fairs.  The event will take place on July 12th at the Enterprise Center in Amarillo.  We will also be taking these programs to the northern part of the Texas Panhandle for the first time! 

Rawlins County Entrepreneur Fair

By Chris Sramek

Jessie Smith at her booth for Papa Charlie's Cornmeal

Judges view a booth during the Rawlins County E-Fair

Rawlins County 7th Annual Youth Entrepreneur Fair was held April 5th at Rawlins County High School in Atwood, Kansas.  There were 17 projects with 30 youth ranging from 7th to 12th grade.  1st Place was Jessie Smith from Cheylinn Schools with Papa Charlie's Cornmeal.

This year's judges include two former winners: Simone Cahoj and Miranda Simminger, SBDC business coach, former Rawlins County and Goodland Vo-Tech E-ship program graduate.  In addition, local banker Linde Hagler, David Baker from Iowa State University's Beginning Farmer Center, and Brooks Brenn, local Pioneer Seed rep and sponsor, rounded out the team of judges.
Judges view a booth during the Rawlins County E-Fair

Community support for the E-Fair has greatly increased.  For example, local business Surefire Ag awarded Jason Sis the Ready-Set-Go Award to buy a bagging machine for his compost business, have samples tested, and complete a feasibility analysis.  Jason plans to attend a Vo-Tech College, and return to the family farm and add his business to their operations.

March News

Director Makes a Big Trip

Seeing a map of the Ogallala Commons region makes quite an impression…but a driving tour is even more striking.  Last month, I made a 2,000 mile journey.  Leaving Nazareth, TX on the last Saturday of February, I picked up a rental car in Amarillo.  With wind and dust blowing fiercely out of the southwest, I was glad to be driving in the opposite direction.  First, I spent a couple days working with OC Board Member Tom Giessel in Larned, Kansas.  Tom just wrapped up a centennial book project for his local Catholic parish, an illustration of the power of documenting local history and recording stories.  Tom and I also visited Fort Hays State University in Hays, KS, and introduced the Student Services and Career Counseling departments to our Community Internship Program. 

Sign at the Center of the United States

Hosts of OC Community Interns in Arnold, NE

Next, I drove north and further east to Lebanon, KS, where I encountered a sign extolling the  “Geographic Center of the U.S.”  Crossing into Nebraska, I made a short excursion to the town of Lawrence, where my grandparents and several other families had migrated from to come to Nazareth, TX in the early 1900s.  Being from the flat Llano Estacado, I was struck again by the hilly terrain of the northern section of the Ogallala Region.  The next day, I drove out of Grand Island on scenic Highway 2, in search of the mythic village of Arnold, NE.  What a treat to finally see this community that produced OC’s first Community Intern from Nebraska!  I was impressed by the variety of community events that happen in Arnold…flowing like the beautiful South Loup River outside of town!  I also traveled to Mullen (deep in the Nebraska Sandhills) to check on another upcoming Community Internship. 

Mojo Express in Atwood, KS

On the “Leap Day” of February, my journey’s arc turned south, and before noon, I arrived in Atwood, KS.  At lunch, I toured an innovative farm and hunting lodge out on Beaver Creek, operated by Jeff and Alice Hill.  Instead of another long drive, I spent the afternoon walking the streets of Atwood, stopping for coffee at the Mojo Expresso, and meeting up with leaders who have worked with OC since 2004.  After supper, OC Advisory Council member Chris Sramek gave me a tour of the newly-renovated county hospital.  Seeing these accomplishments that took years of dedicated vision and work was a boost to my spirit. 

Next morning, I stopped in Leoti, KS for a visit with our newest OC Board Member, Simone Cahoj.  She gave me a quick tour of local assets, and it was great to see the impact that a passionate, dedicated young leader can make in a community.   For the last evening of my journey, I veered far to the west, across the state line to touch down in Campo, CO.  I had a great visit and planning session with OC’s Board Treasurer, Nikki Johnson (and superintendent of Campo Schools).

My journey lasted eight days.  It gave me a chance to connect with our community partners and OC leaders face-to-face and to interact with them in their hometowns.  As I drove for hours, I was memorized by landscapes: so varied and beautiful, even in winter.  For a week, I was a connector of points that we see on that flat map.  It was a cherished time to dream the dream of Ogallala Commons—and for the vision to reshape and recharge me.

Conservation Education Day in Pampa

CED attendees enjoy a presentation

On Feb. 23^rd, Ogallala Commons held a Conservation Education Day and Landowner Luncheon in Pampa, TX, in partnership with Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District and Hemphill County Underground Water Conservation District.  Gray County Soil and Water Conservation District also provided logistical and technical assistance.

As a result of the event, Ogallala Commons will be partnering to bring Playa Festivals to Lamar Elementary School in Pampa, and a potential Festival for all three schools in Lipscomb County in this fall, in addition to continuing the Water Festivals in Panhandle and Canadian.  A total of 18 landowners attended the Luncheon, and went home with timely information about aquifer saturated thickness, depletion rates, and more understanding of playas and federal conservation programs.

Playa Festival in Sudan & Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge

On Thursday, March 8^th, approximately 40 students from Sudan Elementary School in Sudan, Texas participated in a Playa Festival! The group was given the ultimate Playa Festival with an all-star lineup of presentations topped off with a visit to near-by Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge. 

Robert Martin Shows Sudan Students A Toad!

The day began at 8:30am with an overview of Playas, the Ogallala Aquifer and Nature Journaling with Julie Hodges.  Afterwards the students enjoyed presentations from several presenters, including: Reptiles and Amphibians with Robert Martin of The Nature Conservancy, Playa Raptors with Gail Barnes of The South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Playa Waterfowl and Grassland Buffers with writer and outdoorsman Jim Steiert, Macro-Invertebrates and other wildlife with Melanie Hartman of the US Fish & Wildlife Service and Playa Soils with Julie Hodges. 

Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge sponsored the event for the school and provided students with a hands-on afternoon in the field, guided by Refuge Manager Jude Smith.  Students saw a dry playa, a saline lake, and a natural spring.  The Refuge also supplied students with field journals, hand lens, binoculars, and water bottles.

Edward Trevino, Sudan 5^th grade science teacher, was a wonderful host and had prepared his students for the event thoroughly.  Mr. Trevino is already making plans for a Playa Festival for next years students, with hopes of inviting students from Amherst to join in.

Feburary News

23rd Annual Southern Plains Conference A Success:

This year's Southern Plains Conference took place on Feb.8th and 9th in Muleshoe, Texas.  Over 100 people of all ages attended the two day event.  Here are a few words from those who came:

A student from Whiteface Elementary inspects a spring

 at MNWR

Every element of the Conference was outstanding; the Wildlife Refuge tour, the sausage/buffalo stew/venison chili dinner (oh boy, that warm, buttered homemade bread was out of this world) and program at Pep,  the meaningful presentations on Thursday, all the people and the group of college kids, the inspiring tour of the Heritage Center,….the conference was one of the most enriching I’ve ever attended.

Tuda Libby Crews, Bueyeros, NM

 

Thanks so much for organizing such an informative and enjoyable conference in Muleshoe. For those of us usually confined to hotel meeting rooms for conferences, this was literally a breath of fresh air!

Barbara Brannon, Texas Tech University Press, Lubbock, TX

Nita Padaphony and Harry Mithlo speak at the Conference.

"This conference was amazing! I told Darryl I would never miss another one and I meant it. Thanks for everything y'all did to put on such a wonderful 2 day event. Your months and months of preparations are appreciated!"

Laura Wilbanks, Elementary Science Teacher, Whiteface, TX

Bill and I are still talking about the conference. Pulled out our notes and went over with friends in late night discussions already. A great example of doing things right.

Jan & Bill Nieman, Native American Seeds, Junction, TX

In addition to these comments, OC Community Intern Laura Zak wrote this short piece to sum up her experience...

What if our fingers were tape recorders? What if knuckles had buttons and our chapped skin was a red light clicked on to say you’re recording? We could remember every word. Our hands would tell each other stories and we wouldn’t have to retell or recreate what people said.

My hands would say this: two weeks ago, at the Southern Plains Conference, women and men told their stories about water. Water in the Ogallala Aquifer under our feet. Water that moves beneath us and sometimes we don’t even know. And then. All the water we pull from the aquifer at rates it can’t recharge so that one day, sometime soon, the water’ll be gone and the Ogallala will be a story we can only remember. A farmer raised his hand because he didn’t want it to be a story we can only remember. He grows potatoes in Muleshoe. He said he felt like Darth Vadar because he's trying really hard to cut back on water use— he’s done research, bought new equipment and has managed to grow the same amount of potatoes with half the amount of water as he did decades before. But he knows. He knows he's draining the Ogallala, and sometimes you hear these reports and think "well just stop pumping it for agriculture" but that answer is so simple and the issue is so complex.

And then. After the conference, people shook his hand. I like to think that in the moment their hands touched, they were saying you aren’t Darth Vadar. They were saying this isn’t just your fault. No one person is to blame, and we are all part of the problem.

I like to think they shook hands and in their shaking, told each other: we can use our hands to listen. I will listen to your story and you can listen to mine. And in the space where they meet, maybe we’ll find something like understanding. We’ve never gotten anywhere far without understanding. So maybe through this understanding, through the stories we hold in our hands, we can find a way to help.

Spring Internship Profile: Rebecca Hopp

OC Community Intern, Rebecca Hopp

Youth of all ages are invited to use their camera as a tool to explore agriculture in their community. Exploring the Future of Agriculture Through Photography is a program developed by Texas Tech University student Rebecca J. Hopp, and will be the main project of Rebecca’s Ogallala Commons Community Internship Program, with funding from CHS Foundation. 

The goal of this project is to begin a dialogue through photography that addresses why local agriculture is important for the future of our nation and how agriculture based communities are changing.

While it is impossible to know what the future holds for the entire nation, this project will look at the direction of agriculture in four specific communities:

Brownfield, Texas

Nazareth, Texas,

Campo, Colorado

Larned, Kansas

Atwood, Kansas

The youth involved in this project will not only gain photography skills, but also will learn about their community and specific career options in agriculture. Local speakers will help pique interest in specific careers; provide possible mentorship, and present additional community resources.

This collaborative project will result in a collection of unique images that will add to each of the community’s conversations about the future of agriculture. Selected student work will be displayed at local and national exhibitions as well as in a self-published book about the project.

Rebecca currently works as a freelance photographer and is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in photography at Texas Tech University. She ultimately plans to pursue a career in education. Rebecca’s goals as an educator revolve around service learning through art. Rebecca is currently a Graduate Part-Time Instructor at the Texas Tech University School of Art, a fellow in the Teaching Effectiveness And Career enHancement (TEACH) Program at Texas Tech University, member of the Society for Photographic Education and a nationally exhibiting artist. She is currently a community intern for the Ogallala Commons. Her work and project blogs can be viewed at www.rebeccajhopp.com. 

OC Community Intern and Partner Recruitment Underway

The spring is busy for OC Staff as they work through the process of recruiting both interns and communities for the internship program.  If you are interested in learning more about the Community Internship Program, visit our Intern Webpage at: http://www.ogallalacommons.org/communityinterns.html or our Community Internship Blog at http://www.ogallalaintern.blogspot.com/.  


If you are a student (High School, Undergraduate, or Graduate) looking for an internship opportunity or if your community or organization would like to host an internship, email Julie Hodges at juliehodges@prairieworkshop.com.   

 

January News

Come To the 23rd Annual Southern Plains Conference!!!

On February 8 & 9, the general public can increase their knowledge of the natural world at the 23rd Annual Southern Plains Conference, with its theme, “Beyond the Windshield: Dwelling in the Natural World “.  The conference, presented by Ogallala Commons, will be held at the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge and Bailey County Coliseum in Muleshoe, Texas.


The Feb. 8th Field Day begins at 11:30am with a lunch in the Bailey County Coliseum, before moving out to Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge for afternoon workshops on springs, prairie chickens, playas, amphibians, birds, controlled burning, and prairie restoration.  An Evening Soiree’ will be held at St. Philip Neri Church Hall in Pep, TX, from 6:00-8:45pm featuring food, music, and a performance art piece.


The Feb. 9th conference begins in the Bailey County Coliseum at 8:15am.  Speakers include Dr. Kevin Mulligan, Dr. David Haukos, Tish McDaniel, Nita Pahdopony of the Comanche University, and stockman-grass farmer Kim Barker of Waynoka, OK.
Those who wish to attend the Field Day, Evening Soiree or Conference can register online or by mail.  For more information, contact Darryl Birkenfeld at 806-945-2255, or to see a complete brochure and register online, visit: http://www.ogallalacommons.org

Turbines + Transmission: a performance art show is a work of creative writing, visual art, and music by Laura Zak

OC Intern Laura Zak

The stories told are pulled from work I’ve done with the wind energy oral history collection housed at Texas Tech University’s Southwest/Special Collection Library. My boss at the time, Andy Wilkinson, started the project to capture the changing landscape of wind industry through the voices of those involved and impacted by areas of development. We have interviewed farmers, landowners, wind developers, municipal leaders, and environmentalists.

Right now, the transcriptions are on digital files in the Southwest/Special Collection Library. Outside of those involved, the stories of turbines, transmission line, and the farmers and ranchers with towers on their land are often untold. Visual artist Kim Cypret and I want to stir these stories and shed light on the changing landscape of Texas because the rural space, the cotton fields, yellow grasses, and mesas are being strung with lattice, metal, and wire. Landscapes turn industrial as cities reach toward towns and the rural areas are left on the edge, waiting for the touch. The performance art show documents this moment of brief suspension.

We don’t want to change minds, force an agenda, call one side bad while the other is good. Rather, the show asks questions. Each piece was made so that the audience could ask for themselves what is beautiful, what is industrial, what we can get used to and what we can’t.

Click here to visit Laura's Blog at http://turbinesandtransmission.tumblr.com/

Upcoming performances:

Junction—January 26^th—Dining Hall at the TTU Junction Campus. 6:30pm reception, show starts at 7:00.

Pep—February 9^th—St. Philip Neri Church Hall. 6:00 pm show as part of the Southern Plains Conference: Beyond The Windshield: Dwelling in the Natural World Southern Plains Conference.

TBA shows in Nazareth and Lubbock

OC Social Media

To date Ogallala Commons operates and maintains a total of 10 blogs! Each discusses various activities that OC is involved with.  The blogs are:

1. Ogallala Community Intern Blogs: In the spring of 2009, we began the Community Intern blogs as a way to keep up with the community interns. (There are 7 total blogs in order to accommodate many interns at once.)  All interns blog regularly, posting photos and documenting their journal through their internships.  The blog really gets hopping during the summer months, when as many as 30 interns are posting weekly! Use these links to learn about their experiences and leave words of encouragement for our interns!

www.ogallalaintern.blogspot.com

www.ogallalaintern1.blogspot.com

www.ogallalaintern2.blogspot.com

www.ogallalaintern3.blogspot.com

www.ogallalaintern4.blogspot.com

www.ogallalaintern5.blogspot.com

www.ogallalaintern6.blogspot.com

2. You are currently reading The Place, which is Ogallala Commons Newsletter Blog.  This blog is where we update friends of OC once a month about what we have been up to and share information about upcoming events.  Thanks for visiting!

http://ogallalacommonsnewsletter.blogspot.com/

3. Playa Festival Blog: This blog chronicles Playa Festivals, an outdoor education program conducted by Ogallala Commons in the Fall and occasionally in the spring.  Playa Festivals are one-day events where students, their teachers and communities learn about regional water issues, the Ogallala Aquifer, local flora and fauna, soils, playa wetlands and more! We take the kids outside and have a lot of fun learning about our amazing ecosystem!

http://playafestival.blogspot.com/

4.  Local Llano: This blog was begun in October of last year and explores all things related to local foods.  It has seen a lot of traffic in less than four months.  Each week,  Local Llano offers information about eating, purchasing, preparing, and celebrating local foods.  We hope you will take a moment to have a look.

http://localllano.wordpress.com/

 Ogallala Commons and Local Llano also have facebook pages! So go on and "like" us.

December News

Community Partnering in Kansas 

On November 3^rd, Ogallala Commons conducted a Community Partnering Meeting at the Community Building in Leoti, Kansas.  Community leaders, agency personnel, growers from the area interested direct marketing, and a group of high school students from Campo, Colorado comprised the group of 35 who participated in the gathering.  The morning session focused on OC’s Community Internship Program and youth engagement strategies in general.  After lunch, the topic shifted to the future of agriculture, especially the opportunities for new producers for the High Plains Food Cooperative in western Kansas and eastern Colorado. 

 Chris Sramek, OC Board President and Mark Nightengale of Heartland Mills, Inc. present at Leoti Meeting.

Playa Field Day        
Ogallala Commons held a Playa Field Day at the OC Playa Classroom in Nazareth, TX on November 19th.  It was a brisk morning, but landowners, Master Naturalists, university students, and kids clearly enjoyed seeing live amphibians and reptiles that depend on playa habitat, as well learning about migrating waterfowl and shorebirds.  Another big hit was a presentation by science teacher Laura Wilbanks and four of her 5th Grade students from Whiteface, TX.  The students demonstrated how to make a soft cheese using Silver-leaf nightshade berries as a rennant, and how to make jelly from the tunas of a cactus plant.  In all, 35 people attended the Field Day, which concluded with a field trip to see geese and ducks at ponds in Hart, TX.

Robert Martin of TNC, gave a presentation about amphibians and reptiles.

Youth Entrepreneur Fair in Plainview is a Success 

The fifth annual Ogallala Commons Regional Youth Entrepreneur Fair was held at Plainview Civic Center on Tuesday, November 15th with students from Plainview, Tulia, Dimmitt, Booker and Nazareth competing for cash prizes totaling nearly $5,000.

The event was a collaboration between Ogallala Commons and several partners, including: Plainview Entrepreneur Guide Alliance (PEGA), South Plains College, Wayland Baptist University's Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) team, Plainview ISD, Plainview Chamber of Commerce and Texas AgriLife Extension-Hale County helped with make the fair possible for local and area students.

Winners of the E-Fair were:

1st Place     Kristin True

 ($1000)      Chance Rollins

2nd Place    Kierra Proctor & Shayla Perry

  ($750)       Brandon Hart & Devin Gunstream

3rd Place     Brian Acker

($500)          Jordan Smoot

Consolation Prizes ($100 each) went to Alex Duarte & Miranda Montgomery and Sierra Dubrule

Read more about the event at:

http://myplainview.com/news/article_c389fdf8-1014-11e1-96d2-001cc4c03286.html 

http://www.ourpeoplenews.com/111611OP.pdf

A student tells a E-Fair judge about her business plan and display.

2011 Campo Youth Engagement Day: What’s Your Dream?
by Megan England
Campo High School was filled with the sounds of students being engaged in their future at the 2nd Annual Campo Youth Engagement Day on November 16th, 2011.
Hosted by the Campo Youth Advisory Council and sponsored by the non-profit community development organization Ogallala Commons, the event was attended by about seventy-five students from Campo, Pritchett, and Vilas schools.
This year’s fifteen presentations came from a variety of backgrounds and locations including multiple colleges (OPSU, OJC, LCC, and WTAMU), the Campo Emergency Services, the Southeast Colorado Hospital District,  the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Campo Youth Advisory Council, the Southeast Colorado Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), Ogallala Commons, local teacher and FFA Advisor Bill Carwin, 4-H extension agent Deborah Lester, and local teacher/personal trainer Cherilyn England.
The purpose of a Youth Engagement Day is to encourage students in rural communities to think about returning home in the future; whether it’s after high school, after college, or further down the road. That goal was accomplished throughout the day as students were shown in multiple ways how making their dreams come true is possible—right in their own backyard. There were presentations on careers in healthcare, business, technology and agriculture, as well as presentations about college rodeo, digital “footprints” in today’s world, volunteerism, leadership, exercise, emergency services, vocational jobs and more.
All in all, the day was rated an overwhelming success, and the Youth Advisory Council would like to thank the wonderful team of presenters and behind-the-scenes workers who helped to put the event together.

The 2011-12 Campo Youth Advisory Council

Students "engage" in team-building activities during a breakout session.