Energy Efficiency With ORE and LFF

Because of climate change and the growing concern of our lessening resources of oil and gas, it is more important now than ever that we become more sustainable. There are a lot of ways to be more sustainable. You can start simple, by eating more local foods that require much less gas emissions to get to our table. You can make small changes around your home like changing your light bulbs and using power strips for your plug in devices to help with phantom energy issues. You can go a little bit bigger and get green energy appliances to save you money on washing your dishes or doing a load of laundry. Or you can go big and change your insulation in your house to save you big bucks on your energy bills. Replacing windows and installing solar panels will also save you money in the long run and help you be more sustainable. ORE and LFF are two resources that the Gunnison valley has to be more sustainable. These two projects can green your home and allow your food to be more local. Small changes can really make a difference! Go Green Today!

What ORE does!

The office of resource efficiency is a great organization that helps homes and businesses become more green! They offer rebates from Energy Smart that can lower your utility bill. They start off by assessing your home energy and seeing where cracks can be filled by green initiatives. Then they contract out green energy businesses that will come in and replace things like insulation and windows, among other things. They have been doing this for a while now and the Energy Smart grant is expiring this august. Because of this they have been able to offer up to 1000 dollar rebate to save you money on your home and install energy efficient appliances and home improvements.

Since the grant is ending, all of their left over funding has been applied to saving the community money offering this great rebate. Their popularity is growing in the surrounding counties and their customer base has grown a lot because of all of the work they have done. The employees and contractors of ORE have been working hard to make our valley and surrounding communities greener and more sustainable!

This is a great field of work because as climate change grows, it is more important than ever that we become more sustainable in any way we can! Energy Smart has helped out our community so much through ORE! Greening your home can be easy and save you money in the long run! It is worth it to have a home assessment from ORE!!

Busy Scientists

photo credit: U.S. Forest Service

After numerous sessions of phone/email tag I finally set up an interview with Forest Services Dr. Grizelle Gonzalez who is the Acting Project Leader for the International Institute of Tropical Forestry. I'm enthralled to interview Dr. Gonzalez, and even more intrigued to hear what she has to say about her involvement with Colorado Art Ranch and the El Toro Wilderness Residency that was put on by CAR in March.  Her interests include soils, decay, nutrient cycling, and soil organisms. Dr. Gonzalez recently conducted canopy trimming experiment in El Yunhque National Forest. The experiment was designed to separated the two main effects of hurricanes-canopy removal and deposition of litter to the forest floor and to investigate the serrate abiotic and biotic consequences of hurricane type damage and monitor recovery processes.  After the study they found that by opening the canopy  soil moisture, and light levels increases by litter moisture decreased.  They found that the plots with the most  canopy disturbance and debris acquired, had the lowest invertebrate diversity and biomass. Gonzalez and long term ecologists found that hurricane disturbances have a long lasting effect on litter communities and may, delay detrital processing, depending on the intensity of canopy damage and rate of regrowth.

Upcoming Sustainaball Event Planning

ORE is putting on the first annual Sustainaball!! This is a fundraiser for the non-profit and will be a silent and live auction with a murder mystery dinner theme! This night will be full of fun as they auction off silent auction items from local businesses who have generously donated their time and money to make ORE the organization it is today. The live auction will have items like luxurious vacations to Costa Rica with air fare included, a week’s stay in a tree house community in Costa Rica and in a local one up Elk Basin. There is also a guided historical day tour of Gunnison county from our favorite history professor Duane L. Vandenbusche. Other items that will be auctioned off are golf trips on Dos Rios and stays in the only B&B in Gunnison, a guided mountain bike ride with a renound rider from the valley, Yoga on top of Painter Boy lift and much more! This night will be full of awesome costumes and a live performance of a skit of the murder mystery. This will be held on August 9^th at CBMR starting at 6PM. All proceeds from ticket sales and auctions go to the non-profit ORE for funding on current and future projects and programs!

Helping and watching the process it takes to put on a major fundraiser like this has taught me a lot! There is a lot of input with the board of directors and the major members of the community who invest their time to ORE to make it an awesome sustainable organization. I have learned all of the ins and outs of putting on such a big event. All of the helping hands make a difference and with all of the hard work of the board of directors, us interns and the great people who run Ore, this event will be such a success!!

Becoming a Locavore!

I became a locavore because I realized it was affordable and a change for the better of the community and nature. In college we would always learn about the importance of local agriculture but I thought the outlets available were too expensive for a college student to afford. When I started this internship, I realized I could be a locavore and still have money. In fact I have saved money. Eating local can be as inexpensive as you need it to be with LFF. You don’t have to spend the $40+ dollars per week on a box of random farm produce like a community supported agriculture (CSA) box does. You can customize your order and only buy things you know you will eat and be able to cook. I became a locavore because of LFF! This internship has really sparked my passion and has allowed me to live a much more sustainable life! I started composting in my backyard, I eat local meals daily and I have reaped the benefits from doing so. As a college student, you don’t think it is something that you can necessarily do, be a locavore, compost, be more sustainable, but as a former college student, I am here to tell you that you can afford it and it is a much better way of living. Eating local is fun and becoming more sustainable in my lifestyle has been an eye opening experience. Ordering through LFF has brightened my week because  I get fresh, organic, local produce that make my meals fun!

What is a locavore?

A locavore is a way of living a sustainable life. Being a locavore is eating only or mostly local foods that come from about a 200 mile radius of where you live. This cuts down a lot of the pollution that regular food produces. Locavores eat with the seasons and don’t have bananas in December!! This way of living is a healthy life choice. Eating foods that are natural and native to your area allows them to have more natural nutrients than genetically modified foods (GMO) foods, this leaves your produce more healthy. Being a locavore can be a challenge especially when you live in a place like Gunnison. The growing season is only 60 days here and that leaves much of the year to rely on canned preserves and potatoes. If one really wants to become a locavore though, there are many ways you can find to be creative!

Eating organic is an important aspect to this idea. It allows you to have more nutritious foods it is a better way to live for the goal of sustainability. This is because there are no chemicals, GMOs, hormones, or pesticides in your food that pollute the environment. Eating organic local foods is extremely important and I believe that this way of life will become more main stream in the future. With the way most Americans eat now, processed foods and veggies and fruits loaded with artificial everything, I think its clear that a change needs to be made. Eating local is so important. I have changed my ways and now order off of LFF each week and buy at the farmers market. It gives me a sense of place to know where my food came from and who grew it! This is a lifestyle change that is worth it, especially if you love the environment and want to preserve it for future generations. Eat local!

TCB the details of taking care of business

Meetings--easily the most boring blog to wirte about but I noticed in all these board meetings that I have been going to that they keep time and notes, so it is a significant detail to understand. According to the Alaska Wilderness League’s handbook called Mobilizing the Grassroots, meeting space, scribing, and timekeeping are important to handling business.  In the handbook they warn that an ineffective environment can cause ineffective business.

The room shape and size is important because if the meeting space too small “it forces people to sit too closely, therefore inhibiting discussing (and perhaps causing tension and conflict)”. Large groups of 10-20 people should meet in a room of at least 20X30 feet and it should be set up in “U” shape for maximum contact with one another. This room should also have movable chairs and room to meet in small groups. Meeting spaces require whiteboard space so decorating walls are good but should still leave room for presentations.

Scribing/note taking is important because so much is said during a meeting that keeping track is important so that you do not forget thoughts and suggestions. The scribe is there to record key ideas “using participants own words.”

Lastly, there is always time keeping. This was the most informative of information from this handbook because I was wondering what the purpose of timekeeping was. “A good meeting begins and ends on time and accomplishes what was planned.” The agenda is usually past out previous to meetings to inform the participants what will be discussed and how long it will be discussed. As we all know people can get off track easily. At the end of every board meeting I have been to, the usually brainstorm on what will be discussed next, what goals should be accomplished by the next meeting, and who will be attending the meeting.

Noxious

Noxious: adjective, to be harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant. Noxious weeds are something that we always look for when monitoring land. The reason for this is because noxious weeds can cause permanent or very harmful damage to a plant community. Typically many noxious weeds are also invasive which makes them so harmful to communities. Today I pulled Oxeye Daisy for an hour. It’s spread was massive and I noticed that it was very competitive, and in some areas the most dominant plant. Many noxious weeds are “biennial”, this doesn't mean that all weeds are biennial, parsley for example is biennial. Biennial means that it takes two years for the plant to complete its life cycle. The first year the plant is just root, stem, and leaves. The second year the plant flowers and seeds before it finally dies. It’s very important to pull these plants even though they have a short life cycle they can do serious spreading during the second year of its life. Oxeye Daisy’s are not biennials but Yellow Toadflax and Houndstongue are and they are prevalent in the Gunnison Basin. Oxeye Daisys are hard to eliminate because they can regenerate from rhizome fragments (pieces of root) and also spread by seed. So learn and pull your noxious weeds or they become obnoxious.

Agricultural Conservation Easements

Agricultural conservation easements are extremely important for the future of farmers and ranchers in lue of  them becoming an obsolete professions.  One major reason for these professions becoming obsolete is the price of land. In some scenarios a land trust will purchase a piece of land then start an easement on it and sell it to a farmer and rancher for a cheaper price. One other ways to keep ag land in production by land trusts are by making special programs for young and beginning producers that help them acquire Ag loans and provide training programs in land management. This can provide a challenge for the farmer because like all easements their are specifications for land use and development. However, according to Saving Land a magazine by the Land Trust Alliance these challenges are being addressed among Land Trusts individually.

Exploring New Artist for Artposia

Adrien Segal: An Artist With Ecological Expression

By:Ryan Mudgett

Photo credit to ~ adrien segal art.design.data.sculpture © 2013 

Mirroring the scientific process artist Adrien Segal expresses brilliant works of art that display tales of places where humans and nature overlap. Her imagination and sculpting skills serve as a platform to narrate the invisible by telling a story of place that is intuitive, and serves as a natural history lesson for the viewer. Segal’s work is truly inspired by data visualization, natural phenomena, and long term scientific research.  Her creative form of sculpture accurately represents trends in water use, alluvial flow, tidal datum, and other water related topics . Striving to use her art as a universal form of communication she is successful in transforming information that reveals trends or patterns in history by depicting them as three dimensional forms(Segal, 2013).

After examining her work I begin to notice a slight shift in my perspective of the natural world and how it painstakingly introduced to the masses. By taking decades of  scientific data and expressing the numbers and trends in her sculptures, Segal transforms the complexities of science into a form that many can understand.  Her work not only steers clear from bland graphs and charts but also reminds me of an Aldo Leopold statement that can be found in his Land Ethic:

  “The ordinary citizen today assumes that science knows what makes the community clock tick; the scientist is equally sure that he does not. He knows that the biotic mechanism is so complex that its workings may never fully be understood.” Aldo Leopold

Segal’s art work expresses a firm push of creativity that begins to represent the complexity of certain biotic mechanisms and how they respond to anthropocentric world.  It is up to the curious individual to view her work with  desire to learn more about her thought process and message. In respect to Leopold we can only act ethically to something we can see, feel, understand, love, or otherwise have faith in, and Segal does just that with her art work(Leopold, 1970).

Here is a snippet of Adrien Segal's Art.  I was taken back by her piece "Snow Water Equivalent Cabinet".

Check it out, she rocks!   > > > http://www.adriensegal.com/#!snow-water-equivalent-cabine/ct3d

Literature Cited

Leopold, A., & Schwartz, C. W. (1970). A Sand County almanac: with essays on conservation from Round River. New York: Ballantine Books.

Segal, Adrien (2013) “Adrien Segal: Artist Statement” http://www.adriensegal.com/#!statement/cihc accessed July,2013 adrien segal art.design.data.sculpture © 2013

Artist Elizabeth Robles Perspective on El Toro Residency

An Interview with Elizabeth Robles 
Experiences from the El Toro Wilderness Residency. March 1-30, 2013 
By Ryan Mudgett

      

 Why were you interested in participating at the El Toro Wilderness residency?

E.R.-I was initially interested because I have been investigating sources of organic and mineral pigments in Puerto Rico, its extraction and use in my sculptures. Also because the process and its documentation are central in my work, and this would be an opportunity to make known that aspect of my work.

But undoubtedly, entering the density of the El Toro Wilderness ecosystems is something that one never knows what the outcome will be.

¿Por qué te interesó participar en la residencia de El Toro Wilderness?

De primera intención me interesó porque ya venía investigando fuentes de pigmento orgánico y mineral en Puerto Rico, su extracción y su uso en mis esculturas.  También porque el proceso y su documentación es parte central en mi trabajo, y ésta sería una oportunidad para dar a conocer este aspecto de mi obra.

Pero, sin duda, entrar a la densidad de los ecosistemas de El Toro Wilderness es algo de lo que una nunca sabe cómo saldrá.

 Why is the intersection of Art and Science so important to you and your work?

E.R.-The physical and chemical reactions of beeswax and pigment - its materiality-give my sculptures not only mass, color and texture, but also generate in them a latent state of change.  The ability to re-melt the wax and restart the process is part of the force or potential energy in them, and part of their fragility.  Its sensitivity to high temperatures, that transformational component of its substance, the constant change in the process, from solid/tempered to liquid/boiling and vice versa is key in my sculptures.  Hence processes, observation, documentation - the same as for the scientist-are a structural part of my sculptural work.

¿Por qué la intersección entre arte y ciencia es tan importante para ti y tu trabajo?

Las cualidades físicas y las reacciones químicas de la cera de abeja y los pigmentos — su materialidad— dan a mis esculturas no sólo masa, color en trasparencia y textura, sino que generan en ellas un estado siempre latente de cambio.  La posibilidad de volver a derretir la cera y reiniciar el proceso es parte de la fuerza o energía potencial en ellas, y parte de su fragilidad. Su sensibilidad a las altas temperaturas, ese componente de transformación de su materia, el paso constante, durante el proceso, de lo sólido/atemperado a lo líquido/caliente y viceversa es clave en mis esculturas. De ahí que el proceso, la observación y la documentación —de igual forma que para el científico— son parte estructural de mi trabajo escultórico.

 What are some of your reactions to the El Toro Wilderness? Any particular memories or first thoughts?

E.R.-The first thing we saw as a group was an aerial view map of El Toro Wilderness with Samuel Moya, that immenseness and richness will forever tempt me in my memory. At the same time, I’m still impressed by the rigorous constancy demanded by scientific research; entering the forest to measure the water or pick up fallen leaves, and other tasks in scientific research are governed by anything but an easy structure, it requires relentless concentration and focus, a real commitment.  That determination in work is also the artist's task.  Somehow, as I experienced it, the woods moved with me, we gradually opened and were immersed into each other, without knowing how.

¿Qué reacciones tienes a El Toro Wilderness? ¿Tienes alguna memoria en particular?

Lo primero que vivimos como grupo junto a Samuel Moya fue un mapa con vistas aéreas de El Toro Wilderness, esa magnitud y riqueza seguirá por siempre tentándome en mi memoria.  A su vez, todavía hoy me impresiona la consistencia rigurosa que demanda la investigación científica; entrar al bosque para medir el agua o recoger hojarasca, así como otras tareas son regidas por una estructura nada fácil, que requiere implacable concentración y enfoque, toda una entrega. Esa determinación de trabajo es también la tarea del artista. De alguna forma, para mí el bosque se movía conmigo, nos abríamos al paso y quedamos sumergidos el uno en el otro, sin saber cómo.

 

What was the highlight of the month?

E.R.-The month was full of highlights, in my case; each to and fro to the encounters with nature (ecosystems) allowed me to ponder on the complex political relationship of Puerto Ricans with our land. That was a constant spark.

¿Cuál fue el momento más distintivo durante el mes?

El mes estuvo lleno de momentos culminantes; en mi caso particular, cada ida y regreso a los encuentros con la naturaleza (ecosistemas) me permitió una reflexión sobre la compleja relación política de los puertorriqueños con la tierra propia.  Ésa fue un chispa constante.

Did you have any moments of enlightenment or realization during your time in El Toro?

E.R.-Our first outing was to the Forest of the Clouds; today I remember it as an introduction, as a warming up cue of things to come. Once we got to the top of the mountain, all of us standing on the on the stone were enveloped in a great silence.  From there I went to the mangrove...

                                                                                                     

¿Tuviste algún momento de iluminación o realización durante tu visita al Toro?

Nuestra primera salida fue al Bosque de las Nubes; hoy la recuerdo como una iniciación, como un calentamiento en clave de lo que vendría. Una vez llegamos a lo más alto de la montaña, todos sobre la piedra nos envolvimos en un gran silencio.  De ahí fui al mangle…

As a scientist do you feel like you influenced the artist? Or as an artist did you feel like you influenced the scientist you worked with? In what ways?

E.R.-I feel that my experience is more one of looking at each other in mutual encounter and acknowledgement.

¿Sientes que tú, como artista, has influenciado a algún científico?

Siento que mi experiencia más bien es una de mirarnos en reconocimiento  y encuentro mutuo. 

What was the most absurd situation you experienced at the El Toro Wilderness?

E.R.-When I sank into the ecosystem of the Pterocarpus officinalis (Palo de Pollo) in Humacao, and did not understand why it did not happen to María and Humberto.

¿Cuál fue la situación más absurda durante tu experiencia en El Toro?

Cuando me hundía en el ecosistema de Pterocarpus officinalis (Palo de Pollo) en Humacao y no entendía por qué no le ocurría a María y a Humberto.

What do you believe to be the most beneficial outcome of the experience?

E.R.-On the one hand, this experience has made it possible to establish supportive links between artists, scientists and technicians, so that my sculpture has been a collaboration, a joint work. So I have to give thanks to María Rivera, Humberto Robles, Grizelle González, William Gould, Olga Ramos, Dr. Ariel Lugo and Helen Nunci, photographers John Betancourt and Wilbert Rivera, among many others.  On the other hand, interaction with scientists has prompted new insights into the possibilities of transformation of matter, I am identifying other angles to investigate in depth, new hypotheses to explore; thus it is not limited to the creation of a sculpture, but it passes into my praxis, my life as an artist.

At the same time, it opened the possibility of the experience of sharing with the other artists; especially the dynamic and interesting dialogue and encounter at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Puerto Rico was another important phase of this project.  That opportunity was very revealing regarding distinctions, tensions or encounters between scientific and artistic thought.

¿Qué consideras es el resultado más beneficioso de tu experiencia?

Por un lado, la experiencia ha permitido establecer enlaces de apoyo entre artistas, científicos y técnicos, de modo que mi escultura ha sido una colaboración, un trabajo en conjunto.  Por lo que tengo que dar gracias a María Rivera, Humberto Robles, Grizelle González, William Gould, Olga Ramos, al Dr. Ariel Lugo y a Helen, a los fotógrafos John Betancourt y a Wilberto Rivera, entre muchos otros.  Por otro lado, la interacción con los científicos ha impulsado nuevas perspectivas en las posibilidades de transformación de la materia, voy identificando otros aspectos a investigar a profundidad, nuevas hipótesis a explorar; de modo que no se limita a la realización de una escultura, sino que pasa a mi práctica de vida como artista. 

A su vez, la posibilidad que abrió la experiencia de compartir con los otros artistas; especialmente lo dinámico e interesante del diálogo y encuentro en el Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico fue otra dimensión importante en este proyecto. Esa oportunidad fue muy reveladora respecto a distinciones, tensiones o encuentros entre el pensamiento científico y el artístico. 

Any other thoughts or suggestions for Colorado Art Ranch?

E.R.-I want to acknowledge the importance and significance of this initiative of the Colorado Art Ranch, particularly Grant Pound’s commitment with the study of the inseparable union of art and science, particularly his receptivity to the proposal of Dr. Grizelle González, in her irreplaceable request to include Puerto Rican artists in the project.  I acknowledge the extensive and crucial collaboration of Forestry Institute of el Yunque, P.R.  To have had access to ecosystems with ongoing scientific research along with several of its scientists, like Dr. Lugo and Dr. González, was fundamental to the success of this experience. This project had many dimensions, among them is making contemporary Puertorrican artists visible at the international level.

¿Tienes algún otro comentario o sugerencia para el Colorado Art Ranch?

Quiero reconocer la importancia y trascendencia de esta iniciativa del Colorado Art Ranch, particularmente al  Grant Pound por su compromiso con el estudio de la unión inseparable del arte y la ciencia; muy especialmente su apertura ante la propuesta de la Dra. Grizelle González, en su solicitud imprescindible de incluir a artistas puertorriqueños en el proyecto.  Reconozco la amplia y crucial colaboración  del Instituto de Dasonomía del Yunque, P.R.  Poder tener acceso a los ecosistemas en investigación por sus científicos, junto varios de sus investigadores, como el Dr. Lugo y la Dra. González, fue clave para el éxito de esta experiencia.   Este proyecto tiene muchas dimensiones, entre ellas permite visibilidad a la gestión de artistas puertorriqueños contemporáneos en el plano internacional. 

LFF as a Non Profit!

I am so excited about this internship this summer with LFF. I was always interested in local food in school, but now that I work for a non profit providing local food to the valley, my passion has ignited! It has been such a great experience to see how a local food system can work and be successful. I think for the future it is a great new norm and that it is really going to become an important aspect of peoples lives all around the country and the globe. I think that LFF is a wonderful organization because it allows the farmers to set their own price for the market and it pays directly to them. There is no middle man in this system so the farmers are benefiting 100% along with the members, who are receiving the healthy local organic food each week from the hard working farmers. I feel like I am learning so much about local food and the importance of farms in this internship and I am really lucky to be front and center for all of it. LFF is a great non profit and is in a stage of growth. Each week there are more and more orders. It is great to see such a nice minded organization thrive. It proves that local food is important now and in the future.

Art and Science Speak the Same Language (Full Interview)

Artists & Scientists Speak the Same Language 

By: Ryan Mudgett

Ariel E. Lugo, director of the Forest Service’s International Institute of  Tropical Forestry in Puerto Rico.Photo courtesy of U.S. Forest Service

 In El Toro, Ariel Lugo director of the Forest Service's International institute of Tropical Diversity, and board member of the Society for Ecological Restoration, noted from his experience that the highlight of the month was the changing perception between artists and scientist.

Q: Why is the intersection of Art and Science so important to you and your work?

A.L. One intersection that was interesting to discuss with the artist was complexity. I have a lot of respect for artists because they are similar to scientist in the sense we are both creative people and are both trying tackle complex situations while constantly trying to interpret them through some type of model. The models of course are different but the objectives are the same. I think there is a natural affinity there. So I was curious to find out how they would react to the complexity of a tropical rain forest and what kinds of insights they would have. 

Q: What was the highlight of the month?

A.L.  I took artists on field trips outside the wilderness to see other types of wilderness. My role was to interact with them over the weekend. I participated in the synthesis and introductory parts of the program. 
The highlight for me in the interaction was the perceptions that the artist had about the complexity of nature. I found out quickly in my interactions with them, that we spoke the same language. We both deal with complexity and we are both sensitive to complexity. Another interesting thing is we are equally interested in how humans interact with natural systems. That part really amazed me because we got into some heavy duty discussion about how nature and humans interact and develop novelty, or new systems of nature. The depth of the discussions and the topics of the discussions were the highlight because for me, science is only for scientists, but to discover that the artists are  looking at the same phenomenon but from a different perspective was, ohhh, wow, how interesting.

"we are dealing with a living system and living systems change and always respond to our presence. "

Q: As a scientist do you feel like you influenced the artists?

A.L. First of all the artists inspired everyone at the institute.  At the end when we had the summary which was done at the museum, I was in the audience listening to them, because at the beginning the scientists did most of the talking and then towards the end the artists did most of the talking. This was logical, because we introduced the wilderness towards the beginning and then during the closing stages they were telling us what they saw and interpreted.

When we had our final activity, we had all of our technicians as well as the scientists that had been out with them in the field throughout the month.  This activity gave us all two minutes to say something and I was really taken back by our technicians. They were very expressive of what the experience had done to them to the point that one of our technicians that had a lot of experience in the field and I’m talking in the order of 30 years.  She said that going out with the artists had been the highlight of her career.

That completely took me back and I said to her how can you say this? Were you overstating or what? Or was that really the way you felt? She said  that going out with the artists had been her highlight with the Forest Service. That impressed me because the person that I’m talking about is a very serious technician.

In the final activity I also realized the artist perception had changed because I don’t think we ever told this to them specifically, but they perceived that the Forest Service looks at things long term. They highlighted the importance of looking at things long term and they made a case for observing nature that way. That came out of them! We did not see that coming, it was their changed perception. So I am thinking to myself my god! They really found the heart of the research program and the Forest Service.The one thing that we all agreed within the agency is that our research is long term, this is what gives us value and the ability to understand forests. To have this group of strangers come to us and spend a month with us was truly an amazing thing. But to notice that they came out with a strong ethic of how important the long term is was absolutely remarkable.This really flabbergasted me and then to top it all, after the artists realized what the residency had done to them, they proceeded to ask the scientists how they felt about repetition.

Artists question scientists: "you guys, every week for the last month and year go out and visit the same place to do the same thing. how do you feel about the repetitive nature of your actions do you still have the wonder?"

A.L. - Of course our technicians, which are the ones that actually have to go the woods to the same place every single week, were then able to express that each time they find ways to entertain themselves in the woods.  Each time the forest becomes a new experience just by looking at them differently or by concentrating on a particular part of it so that it maintains the freshness of the first experience.It is never old for us to go to a litter basket, or data collection station, or a river reach. It is always wonderful for us even though we do it every week for the duration of our careers.

I would say that it was a very moving experience for me because I had never thought that our job would ever be visualized by anyone that would think that our work is boring because we are always doing the same thing. In reality we are not because we are dealing with a living system and living systems change and always respond to our presence.  So no matter how many times we visit we still have that sense of wonder that our eyes were capturing for the first time.

The artists for example all these artists, there style is to use whatever nature gives them to do their thing, and document there art and leave it behind. For example they were experimenting with pigments that they found in the woods or certain substances and their interpretations became something I have never seen before.  They looked at the forest from different angles and they did wonderful things to highlight parts of our job that we do as routine yet never pay attention to.

 So all of that was part of the magic of the month. For the artists it was their first time in our wilderness, for us we rediscovered what we did through their eyes. It was fantastic; everybody here in Puerto Rico was uplifted by the experience.

Q: What was the most absurd situation you experienced at the El Toro Wilderness?

A.L. Well I told the artists that they made me feel stupid because you go out with the artists and they start asking you questions that you can’t answer. They ask you questions like, what is this, what is that? 
There was one woman that I took into the forest, and she asked me so many questions that I couldn't answer, because when you look at a complex system for the first time your eyes, they are looking at everything!  So she would point out to a color, or to a substrate, or an object and ask a question for each thing.  As a trained scientist when you don’t know the answer you have to say I don’t know because we don’t try to speculate. Personally, I am not a super naturalist, I am a systems ecologists. I am looking at the forest and I see functions in a visual process, and as the artists they are confronting you with the pieces of the forests.  So to me I felt dim-witted because I could not answer a lot of the questions that they were posing to me. It was an unusual situation because you always think that you are in control and when they start barraging you with questions that you can’t answer, it can really throw you off. 

Q: What was the most beneficial outcome of your experience?

A.L.  It’s the bliss thing that takes place. Everybody at the institute felt better about what they do because of the interactions. But what I really treasure is that I made new friends. For example I now have some way to work with these artists here in Puerto Rico and we have the contacts of the people that are outside of Puerto Rico. So basically you have created new colleagues, and new people that are interested in what you do.  This new communication flow is important for the future of all of our emerging goals.

CookBook

For the LFF Cookbook that I am writing for ORE, there are a lot of ins and outs that need to be addressed in order for this project to come out successful. For one, contacting the farmers can be a challenge because they have such hectic schedules. It is sometimes hard for them to have a few minutes to sit down and answer my questions and get them to send me some pictures via email. Another challenge is finding the right format for the cookbook to be in once I have all of the information about the farms. It is a new process for me and the executive director told me that I  can be as creative as I want with it.  So there is a challenge in how rustic, modern, or contemporary I want to be when it comes to actually putting the cookbook together. This is by all means a wonderfully fun project to be able to work on. It is so fun to contact the farmers and to hear their stories, and to get new creative ideas about their recipes. I have defiantly enjoyed this process and am excited for some of the items in their recipes to be available this summer so I can try them out myself! Writing this cookbook is a lot of fun and will be really rewarding when it is complete.

Paonia Trip!!

Local Farms First had a farmers training in Paonia!! This took place on May 23^rd, me and the executive director, Maya and the market manager, Kristen drove down to Paonia and met with some of the farmers who participate in LFF. We visited Holy Terror farm and got a tour of their gorgeous farm and wonderful crops and cute farm animals. We also visited Dog Patch Farm, which is a new farm that has a large variety of organic produce. We went to Ela Family Farm and saw their huge orchards and described how to use the website to the owners. This trip taught me a lot!! Not only was it really fun and beautiful to see Paonia in the spring time just when things are starting to bloom, but I learned how to use the website a lot more, and got some great contacts with the farmers. After we toured some farms and talked to some farmers, we had the training session at the library. We got local appetizers from The Living Farm Café that was absolutely delicious! And then we taught new farmers how to access the website, create a profile, and how to add products to the market and adjust things as they become available. This was a learning experience for me too; I learned so much of what it takes to make LFF work. This experience was great for me and such a fun time!

Contacting The Farmers

For the LFF cook book that I am writing for the non profit, I am contacting many of the farmers that are part of local farms first. For the cookbook we are looking for about 20 farms to participate, each will have a short bio, a recipe featuring a product that they grow and pictures of the family farm. This will be a great way for members of local farms first to get to know their farmers more, and to try out fun new recipes. So far there are a lot of interesting recipes from the farmers like zucchini cookies, and really fun bios about how each farmer got into the profession. I have learned a lot about the particular farms and how each one has specialty crops. I have also learned a lot about how farms work and operate because each farmer tells me stories about hardships and benefits of certain crops and about how each farm is run. There are a lot of different ins and outs about how farms are run, family farms vs. bigger farms with hired help and volunteers and interns. There are a lot of cool interesting facts that you wouldn’t always think about when it comes to farming in a dry climate. Contacting the farmers has allowed me to get valuable contacts that will help me in the future and also taught me a lot about the logistics of being a farmer.

The Beginning

For my summer internship, I am the Local Farms First Intern for the Office of Resource Efficiency. Local Farms First (LFF) is a program of the Office of Resource Efficiency (ORE) that is basically an online farmers market. The market is open for customers to order on Thursday night at 5 PM until Monday morning at 7AM. During this time, LFF members can log in and order the produce and products from over 50+ farmers that are mainly in Paonia and Hotchkiss. There are a few in Gunnison and in the surrounding area. All of the farmers are chemical free and organic. This ensures that this local food on the market is the best quality.

For my internship I help out with the weekly pickups in Gunnison and Crested Butte. This happens on Wednesday after the food order is picked up from each farmer and delivered to the pickup locations. The farmers receive a purchase order of what was ordered by customers each week on Monday and on Wednesday it gets driven over Kebler pass and sorted out. I am the sorter of the local food before the customers pick it up. I am also responsible for 2 weekly newsletter reminders to the customers that the market is open and local food is available to order. This has allowed me to learn how to use the website and make new contacts of the consumers as well as the producers.

I am also going to be writing a cook book for LFF. This will include recipes from the farmers and highlight their local produce that they grow. This will allow me to make valuable contacts of the farmers and producers that will be essential for this internship.

This internship is all focused around local food and the importance of sustainability. I am working under some wonderful people who are eager to teach me how the market works and the skills I will learn are very valuable for my future. Local food is so important in our troubled times, and I’m excited I get to learn firsthand how local foods can become a more popular part of society.

Artists and Scientists Experience a Similar Phenomenon

Ariel E. Lugo, director of the Forest Service’s International Institute of  Tropical Forestry in Puerto Rico.Photo courtesy of U.S. Forest Service

I recently have been interviewing various artists and scientists from Colorado Art Ranches, El Toro Wilderness residency in Puerto Rico. In particular I noticed that everyone has been extremely excited to let me know how their experience went.  After speaking to a few, I feel inspired to further my interdisciplinary art/science career.

 In El Toro, Ariel Lugo director of the International institute of Tropical Diversity, and board member of the Society for Ecological Restoration, noted from his experience that the highlight of the month was the changing perception between artists and scientist.

   

One of the questions I asked Ariel was what he believed to be the highlight of the month. 

A: “My role was to interact with the artists over the weekends. I participated in the synthesis and introductory parts of the program. The Highlight form me of the interaction, was the perceptions that the artist had about the complexity of nature. I found out quickly in my interactions with them that we spoke the same language. That we both deal with complexity and we are both sensitive to complexity. Another interesting thing is that we are both interested in how humans interact with natural systems. That part really amazed me because we got into some heavy duty discussion about how nature and humans interact and develop novelty, ya know, new systems of nature. The depth of the discussions and the topics of the discussions, they were great for me.  For me, science is only for scientists, but to discover that the artists are looking at the same phenomenon you are, but you just happen to be looking from a different perspective; that was ohhh wow how interesting! I have a lot of respect for artists because they are similar to scientist in the sense that they are both creative people and they are both trying tackle complex situations and trying to interpret them through some type of model. The models of course are different of course but the objectives are the same.”

Then I asked him what the most absurd situation he experienced at El Toro?

A: “Well I told the artists that they made me feel stupid because you go with the artists and they start asking you questions that you can’t answer.. They ask you questions like, what is this, what is that? There was one women that I took into the forest, and she asked me so many questions that I couldn’t answer because when you look at a complex system for the first time of course your eyes, they are looking at everything so she would point out to a color or to a substrate or to an object and ask a question and as a trained scientist when you don’t know the answer you have to say I don’t know because we don’t try to speculate. Personally, I am not the super naturalist, I am a systems ecologists. I am looking at the forest and I see functions in a visual process, and as the artists they are confronting you with the pieces of the forests.  So to me I felt dim-witted because I could not answer most of the questions that they were posing to me. It was an unusual situation because you always think that you are in control and when they start barraging you with questions that you can’t answer, it can really throw you off.”

One of the goals for Colorado Art Ranch is to create these unsuspected scenarios for artists and scientists. I think the El Toro Residency really kept these guys on their toes.  Part of the magic of the month was artists experiencing a sense of wonder while viewing the forest through a scientific eye, and for the scientists it was enlightening to rediscover what they do through an artistic eye.

For more on Airel  E. Lugo visit http://www.fs.fed.us/news/2013/releases/04/lugoforesthero.shtml