Lecture Series: Coexistence and Regeneration

110 North Cedar Street,Sisters OR 97759

29 September, 2022

Description

Roundhouse Foundation invites you to attend the third of three lectures by renown scholars and leaders on the topics of Coexistence and Regeneration. Lecture Series 3 Coexistence and Regeneration: "Rethinking Fire" Date: September 29, 2022 Time: 6pm-8pm Location: Sisters Public Library Free Event Speakers: Ken van Rees (Professor of Forest Soil, ret., University of Saskatchewan, and artist) Title: "Rubbing Shoulders with Burnt Trees" Forests after a wildfire present themselves as very inhabitable places – often we avoid them for various reasons: a reminder of death, they are ugly and dirty, and devoid of life. Though we know that eventually these blackened landscapes will regenerate and turn green once again, there is a period of time after a fire that little coexists. But, I found a way to collaborate with these burnt ecosystems and thrive, creatively. By figuratively rubbing shoulders with the forest's burnt remnants, I created art. This experience was transforming, and could even be considered regenerative, in terms of how it impacted the trajectory of my own artistic creativity. Marko Bey (Executive Director of Lomakatsi Restoration Project) and Belinda Brown (Tribal Partnership Director of Lomakatsi Restoration Project) Title: "Collaborative Forest Restoration: A Win-Win for People and Nature" Lomakatsi has implemented restoration projects across thousands of acres of forest and miles of stream with federal and state agencies, Tribal Nations, nonprofits, private landowners, and city and county governments. This presentation will share Lomakatsi's holistic approach to ecological forest restoration, social equity, workforce development, and building community partnerships. Nils D. Christoffersen (Executive Director of Wallowa Resources) Title: "Advancing Conservation and Rural Prosperity Through Stewardship Economies" A Stewardship Economy is shaped by the need and responsibility to manage for the sustainability of landscapes and communities of place (tribes and local communities). A Stewardship Economy emphasizes the geographic and cultural foundations, elevating the unique values and services that rural places can provide through investments in their long-term stewardship. It’s an alternative to a generic focus on business attraction or amenity-based recreation economies which often disconnect land and income from stewardship. Stewardship Economies emphasize three values; conservation, sustainable provisioning, and human well-being, as the most significant values that rural places can uphold and model for society today. Learn more about the speakers: Ken van Rees is a retired professor of forest soils from the University of Saskatchewan. Living on the southern fringe of the boreal forest, Ken's career in research focused on enhancing seedling survival and growth. Ken is also a plein air painter, allowing him to connect with the natural environment from a different perspective than through a scientific view. In 2010 a forest fire burned his research plot, and while inspecting the damage, he noticed various charcoal markings on his clothes from the burnt trees. This inspired Ken to create a series of abstract works, exploring charcoal on paper and canvas. He also produced works by leaving his work in the forest for extended periods of time. Marko Bey has over 30 years experience working in forestry and ecosystem restoration. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Lomakatsi Restoration Project (lomakatsi.org) which currently has ten regional ecosystem restoration programs and associated workforce development initiatives. Under Marko's leadership the nonprofit has successfully served rural, forest-based communities throughout Southern Oregon and Northern California since 1995. He also serves as the President and CEO of Lomakatsi Ecological Services, a wildland firefighting and prescribed burn contracting operation; and Board President of the Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Collaborative. Marko has dedicated his career to advancing the full spectrum of ecosystem restoration, job creation, and forest-based community revitalization. Belinda Brown is a Kosalektawi Band Member of the Ajumawi-Atsuge Nation. (Pit River Tribe). She is also Gidutikad, Northern Paiute and Isleta Pueblo. She has served Indian Country in many capacities over her thirty-year career, beginning in health care administration, human services and entrepreneurship in Oregon, Alaska and California. She spent six years as the Executive Director of Strong Family Health Center, an Indian Health Service Clinic in northern California. She owned and operated a reforestation business for eight years working throughout Oregon, Nevada, and northern California. She has also served as an elected official of her tribe, cultural representative, and as tribal administrator. During her work with Lomakatsi Restoration Project as the Tribal Partnerships Director over the past seven years, she co-developed the formation of the Inter-Tribal Ecosystem Restoration Partnership (ITERP), building increased capacity for Lomakatsi. She also serves as Public Information Officer (PIO), in emergency preparedness and for tribal affairs. Belinda currently chairs both the ITERP and DEI Committee for the Rogue Forest Partners. She has also implemented and chaired the Tribal Advisory and DEI Committees of Lomakatsi and has served as Secretary of the Lomakatsi Board of Directors since 2017. Nils D. Christoffersen is the Executive Director of Wallowa Resources (wallowaresources.org), a community-based non-profit working to sustain working lands and livelihoods in Northeast Oregon. He joined the organization in 1999 as its first Field Program Manager. Today, Nils manages Wallowa Resources' forest restoration, watershed stewardship and educational programs, as well as their for-profit subsidiary investments in wood products, biomass, and renewable energy. Nils has worked extensively on forest collaboration initiatives with the Wallowa-Whitman and Umatilla National Forests, along with the Northern Blues Forest Collaborative. He has also been a significant contributor to the USDA's Shared Stewardship Agreement with Oregon, the Governor's Council on Wildfire Response, and the National Commission on Science for Sustainable Forestry.