Cohousing-L Mailing List: Danicng with Wolves --Tierra Nueva

[stella tarnay (starnay]

Patty -- this is the kind of environmental engagement by a cohousing group
that is newsworthy. Can there be a better argument for bringing a cohousing
community into a neighborhood?

The part about coyotes wandering the ped way was great to read. Have any
domesticated critters disappeared? I presume "snacking at the fish pond"
means well .... fewer fish?

Stella


>At Tierra Nueva, we are bordered by agricultural fields on the north
>boundary, a green belt of eucalyptus groves on the east, and encroaching
>development-housing-on the south and west.
>
>We have had a few coyote sightings, the most recent being on the morning
>one of our chickens disappeared!  Coyotes are present here, with the
>proximity of the dunes to our south and west....I'm glad they are finding
>a way to stay here, in the face of so much building.  We've seen them
>walking down our pathways in the early hours of dawn, or at twilight.
>I've seen possums, raccoons (they love snacking at our outdoor fish
>pond), and a huge raptor population of owls and hawks.
>
>>Given the shared environmental and sustainability goals many of us have,
>what is it ACTUALLY like for a community to live in balance with
>"nature." What experience have any of you had with so-called wild
>creatures who may choose to inhabit the environment with you?
>
>Our most recent attempts as a community involve forming a neighborhood
>coalition with three other distinct neighborhoods to fight the spraying
>and illegal drift of pesticides that drench the bordering strawberry
>fields.  We are still in the planning stages of a campaign to stop the
>drift *and* provide an assortment of alternatives to the landowner.  Our
>homes were built on an organic avocado orchard, and we hope to be
>instrumental in creating an economically feasible option to the farmers
>to try non-pesticide options and hopefully transition to no-spray and
>organic fields.
>
>This will help us all, human and critter alike.
>
>It has been amazing to me to see the bordering neighbors, who originally
>balked at our developing housing next to them, now welcome and embrace
>our presence on the coalition.  Some of them have been fighting the
>system (there's BIG money in agriculture) for 14 years with little
>success.  Then we come along with our skills at process, running
>meetings, getting things done, and the shift in manifesting goals has
>been astonishing.    We "came along" because our children are getting
>sick.  We've managed to prove that drift is occurring (illegal), and have
>used the established system of filing official complaints, attending
>public meetings.  We are planning a full neighborhood informational
>meeting and even have a few "direct action" options up our sleeves.
>
>We have been noticed.  Now the officials are calling us to set up
>meetings.  We've found alternatives to the poison sprays and are meeting
>with the farmers on Monday....synchronicities are happening.
>
>Our biggest challenge may be to convince the land owner of the farm
>fields to transition to organic.  But we are hopeful that with our goals
>of bringing everyone to the table to create win/win options we can find
>many ways.  All these long years of practicing consensus among ourselves,
>is creating waves in the larger community.   It blows me away.
>
>Wish us luck,
>PattyMara
>Tierra Nueva, cen CA coast
>
>
>
>
>________________________________________________________________
>GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
>Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
>Join Juno today!  For your FREE software, visit:
>http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.
>_______________________________________________
>Cohousing-L mailing list
>Cohousing-L [at] cohousing.org  Unsubscribe  and other info:
>http://www.communityforum.net/mailman/listinfo/cohousing-l


_______________________________________________
Cohousing-L mailing list
Cohousing-L [at] cohousing.org  Unsubscribe  and other info:
http://www.communityforum.net/mailman/listinfo/cohousing-l