Rosebuds and Resilience

In this episode we venture into a national forest area threatened by logging, along with a crew of volunteers who are part of the movement to protect Pacific Northwest forests. Our featured guest is Jordan Latter from Bark, a Portland nonprofit focused on defending and restoring Mt. Hood National Forest. We learn about sweeping environmental rollbacks threatening forests and what can be done to take action. Our featured artist is Portland musician Casey Neill, a prolific singer/songwriter and guitarist, Oregon Music Hall of Fame inductee, and lead singer of the band Casey Neill and the Norway Rats. 

Resources
Take Action with Bark to oppose Roadless Rule rollback
Follow Bark on Instagram
Read about the Northwest Forest Plan
Casey Neill and the Norway Rats website
Follow Casey Neill on Instagram

Feedback or questions on this episode? Get in touch: [email protected]

Did you know that OR maple syrup can be made from BigLeaf Maple trees? In this episode, creator/host Rebecca Bowe and guest co-host Jessica Knoblauch take you to a sugar boil in the woods hosted by The Oregon Maple Project. We hear from Eliza Nelson, who founded this organization to help people connect with nature through experiential learning around syrup production. Anyone can get involved to learn how to tap BigLeaf Maple trees and process the tree sap into syrup - but you may want to find more creative recipes for the finished product than simply pouring it over pancakes.

We also hear music from Faerie Folk, created by pianist and composer Troll Hart. Faerie Folk's repertoire is based primarily in traditional Irish reels and jigs. The group, which includes includes Jotunn Aldas on the violin/fiddle and Joy Joye on vocals, also explores soundtrack excerpts from popular medieval fantasy media, along with original neo-classical and folk music compositions. They perform every second Sunday of the month at the 13th Moon Gravity Well in SE Portland.

Resources
Oregon Maple Project website
Oregon Maple Project Instagram
Faerie Folk website
Faerie Folk Instagram

While Portland media outlets often report on issues relating to the city's homeless population, it's rare to hear stories of people who have overcome homelessness and helped others do the same. In this episode we meet Kris Brown, a formerly homeless Portland resident who has done just that. Kris changed his situation after landing a part-time job at Ground Score Association, a nonprofit on a mission to shift society's perception of who and what is valuable. Today, Kris manages a bottle and can redemption center called The People's Depot, serves as a delegate for the International Alliance of Waste Pickers, serves on the board of his neighborhood association and recently completed a Master Recycler program. We also hear from Barbie Weber, a cofounder of Ground Score Association.

Our featured artist for this episode is Part-Time Mystics. The Portland duo (guitarist and vocalist Andrzej Kozlowski and drummer, percussionist, and vocalist Craig Carney) move easily between hushed, fingerpicked introspection and full-throttle indie rock. Kozlowski brings musical sensibilities shaped by years of absorbing world music; Carney brings jazz training, West African percussion studies, and a resume that runs from the U.S. Army Band to Portland's Citizen Lane and Portland Samba. 

Resources 

How to support Ground Score Association
Follow Part-Time Mystics on Instagram

Intro music by FreeMusicforVideo via Pixabay; bottle machine sounds from Sound FX Library via MJL AV. 

On Jan. 31, federal agents deployed so much tear gas on a peaceful crowd of anti-ICE protesters that the scent was detectable nearly a mile away. In this episode we hear from Missy Rohs, an herbalist and volunteer street medic with Portland Action Medics. They explain what people can do to protect themselves from tear gas before heading out to a protest, offer advice on what to do if caught in a toxic cloud, and share tips on how to detox in the days following exposure. We also talk about lawsuits moving forward to challenge federal agents' unrestrained use of force, and how some local elected officials have started working on a tear gas ban. 

Resources:

Portland Action Medics' Instagram Profile

Feb. 25 Tear Gas Action Night - Hosted by 350 PDX 

Bandcamp for Aaron Jay, Featured Artist

Statement on Tear Gas from Portland City Council Members

Labor Notes Blog from Shonna Roberts, ILWU

ACLU Press Release on Temporary Restraining Order Against DHS

In this episode we hear insights and stories from Jennifer Rose Marie Serna, the matriarch of Wapato Island Farm. Better known as Jenny to family and friends, she is a mother, farmer, land activist, skill educator, and speaker who has tended  land on Sauvie Island for more than two decades. Jenny speaks about the journey that led her to this place, lessons learned from her elders, and maintaining a sense of reciprocity with the plants she tends to each day. We also hear original music from Sara Tone, a Portland-based musician, educator, and activist who shares her love songs for the Earth as a multi-instrumentalist. 

To share comments, feedback, or ideas for stories or musical collaboration, get in touch via email: [email protected].

Notes and Resources

Wapato Island Farm - Visit the Wapato Island Farm website to learn more about volunteer opportunities, offerings, and more.

Sara Tone - Hear more music from Portland musician Sara Tone and view her tour schedule.

When Maximo Castro first moved to Portland from Tennessee, he didn't even have a bike - but now he's a Bike Summer ride leader who heads out for group bike rides all year long. In this episode we talk about Bike Summer and how this three-month long festival on wheels has helped one ride leader find community, healing, and joy as an act of resistance. 

Notes and Resources:

Shift 2 Bikes Calendar: https://www.shift2bikes.org/bike-summer-calendar/

Portland Samba: https://www.portlandsamba.com/

What if you could grow your own food in someone else's yard? In Portland, you can. In this episode we talk with Dan Sloan, executive director of the Portland Food Forest initiative, about why he started an organization that aims to replace lawns with food-bearing ecosystems. We also meet Brian Allen, whose life changed after he moved into a home with a food forest in the backyard. And we hear an original song by Portland musician Ryan Kwan.

Notes and Resources:

Portland Food Forest Initiative: https://pdxfoodforest.org/

Ryan Kwan Band on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryankwanband/?hl=en

Isabel Gibson, a hard-working artist with a deep appreciation for pollinators, sets up at the Portland Winter Light Festival to display her unique art piece about pollinators and distribute free seed packets to festival goers. Features an original song by singer/songwriter Annie Vergnetti.

Notes and Resources:

Pollination Station Website: https://www.pollinationstation.net/
Portland Winter Light Festival Art Piece Description: https://pdxwlf.com/experience/the-pollination-station/
Pocket guide to identifying bees of Portland: https://xerces.org/publications/identification-monitoring-guides/pocket-guide-to-identifying-bees-of-portland
15 Butterflies and Moths to Expect in Portland: https://xerces.org/publications/identification-monitoring-guides/15-butterflies-and-moths-to-expect-in-portland