OWL Farm
celebrates 10 year
anniversary
was great celebration. At that tim e there were
about 13 wom en com m itted to living there
for a certain period of tim e as well as various
groups of visitors. The spirit of cooperation
and energy was high and m any projects were
by Jem m a Crae
It was nine years ago that I first visited O W L
F arm . M y land partner and I had m oved to a
130-acre forested piece of land west of Rose-
burg two years before in 1975. W e felt sure we
were the only rural lesbians in the area then.
But we were wrong. Slowly we started m eet­
ing other country w om en of southern O re ­
gon. O n e group of wom en was only five miles
away from us! It was through these connec­
tions that I heard of O W L Farm , located near
Days Creek, and the incredible w om en's en-
Roseburg
Report
ergy happening there. So it was on a beautiful
s u m m e r’s day that I went to m y first O regon
W o m e n ’s Land Trust m eeting. I rem em ber a
certain feeling when I walked up the path to
T h e O regon W o m e n ’s Land Trust begain
in 1975 when several w om en got together to
decide to purchase a piece of land so that
w om en and children would have a safe, heal­
ing space to live. It was felt that there should
be a place for w om en, who m ight not have
the m eans to live rurally, to live close to the
earth, to grow their own food and be con­
nected with other w om en in a com m unal
setting. These founding mothers searched in
O regon for such a place and found O W L
F a rm nestled in a beautiful valley. O W L (O re­
gon W om en's Land) Farm is 147 acres of
forest and m eadows. It has three dwellings,
a barn, chicken coop, green house, creek
and m any springs. All o f the land, situated in a
bowl at the end of a valley, is south facing and
ideal for solar energy and growing all kinds of
crops. T h e original wom en, working out of
E ugene, decided to form a Land Trust and
set up a non-profit corporation with a board
o f directors. Corporation papers of the by­
laws and am end m ents were filed with the
state. T h e first land trust m eeting was called
July 1976 and over 100 w om en cam e. There
the m ain house. It was one of incredible
peace and healing. How strange, how power­
ful this was in the midst ot all the excitement
and activity of the day. I looked up the valley
and saw the big ashes, the pink log house, the
quiet house, and the yurt in a m eadow of
white daisies. I im m ediately felt drawn to this
land, its energy, its promise, and its potential.
T h a t first day was filled with greeting m any
w om en, preparing a huge bowl of salad in the
outdoor kitchen, attending the land trust
m eeting in a beautiful 16 foot yurt, and listen­
ing to and sharing w o m en ’s ideas and feel­
ings. T h e m eeting itself was a new experience
to m e. All decisions were m ade by consensus
and there was a road w om an who kept the
w o m en on track. We followed an agenda de­
cided on by everyone. That night there was a
circle around a fire and we all sang songs
about our power and wisdom. I felt connected
to the w om en and to this beautiful land. I slept
in an old abandoned school bus and in the
m orning I helped m ilk the goats. I was eager
to experience it all and it was all there to
experience.
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Comp.
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Ben N lerrill
2 9 5 - Î >456
LET TH E B EST
K E P T S E C R E T O U T!
i
4
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W e a re P o rtla n d ’s W h o le s a le
T ra v e l S p e c ia lis ts w ith the
B est R ates on V acatio n s to
H a w a ii, M exico , St. T h o m a s /
V irg in Islan d s, D isn ey W orld,
Las V eg as and E urope.
S P E C IA L C R U IS E R A T E S
JET
TRAVEL
(5 0 3) 6 3 5 -2 9 6 4
(5 0 3 ) 6 3 6 -6 7 9 5
H R S . 9 A M to 8 P M M O N .-F R I.
408 SW Secon d , Suite 519
Downtown Por Hand 97204
►■VI
PEOPLE’S
See Vue
A N a t u r a l F ood S t o r e .
v Experience the unusual
Ocean Front - Antiques
Plants - Fireplaces - Kitchens
A friendly place to shop, your neighborhood coop.
• • Natural
Fresh produce, mostly organically grown
groceries
• • Herbs,
vitamins, body care
Northwest wines and imported beers
• Bulk foods, wholesale buying for members
Monday - Saturday 10-8, Sunday 12-7
1029 S.E . 2 Nt (One block north of Pow ell) Bus * 9 . 212 - 9 Q 11
16
Large suite available for
group gatherings. Two nights
free out of seven.
*
*
«
*
K
Reservations (503) 547-3227
95590 Highway 101
6.2 miles South of
Yachats, Oregon 97498
1 #
going full steam.
Since that tim e there have been m any
waves of w om en living at O W L Farm . Each
group added its own special dynamic. It was
through these years of experim enting with
different ways of living and being that a set of
Land Trust Agreements were developed. They
symbolize the change and growth of the wo­
m en of O W L Farm and are as follows: 1. No
m en on the land except for m aintenance and
repairs. 2. N o drugs or alcohol to the point of
abuse to the self or others. 3. N o violence to
the land, structures or others. 4. Weekly
m eetings to keep in touch with feelings.
5. T h e grievance procedure should be used
to m ediate unresolved disagreements.
T h e O regon W om en’s Land Trust con­
tinues to have land trust m eetings every three
m onths at O W L Farm . After the m eeting a
newsletter is sent to our m em bers detailing
the events at O W L Farm and our financial
situation. Subscription fee is $3 per year.
T h ere are 4 0 0 w om en on our m ailing list
fro m all over the USA, Canada and foreign
countries. Any w om an who agrees with our
purpose can be a m em ber. We depend on
fundraising events and our m em bers to do­
nate m oney to pay our $ 3 6 5 /m o. land pay­
m e n t and additional taxes of $2,000 /y r. At
tim es w om en on the farm pay m oney toward
the land payments and there is a cam ping fee
o f $ 3 /n ig h t for our m any visitors. O W L Farm
cost $ 6 5 ,0 0 0 to buy but through these 10
years we have paid m uch m ore than that with
interest and taxes. Today we only have
$ 2 0 ,0 0 0 left to pay on the land. To m e this
a m o u n t symbolizes the determ ination and
dedication of wom en to keep O W L Farm
alive. I encourage you who read this to com e
visit O W L Farm , to join our effort and help
financially to keep O W L Farm for all of us to
enjoy.
Since we are proud of our herstory and full
o f love for this land, we are going to celebrate
our existence with a 10 year anniversary
celebration at O W L Farm this sum m er. It will
be a tw o-day weekend event July 19th and
2 0 th . Saturday will be a special O pen House
fro m 11-4. The outside com m unity is invited
w hich includes rural neighbors and friends
and the gay m en of southern O regon. There
will be a flea market, arts and crafts sale,
baked goods and a plate lunch served. O n
Sunday the w om en only celebration will start
at noon. Events this day include an auction,
square dance, music and entertainm ent, per­
sonal theater with Bethroot Gwynn, a potluck
supper and full m oon circle. W om en from all
over O regon will gather to celebrate the land
and our achievements. C om e and spend time
on this beautiful land and feel her special
powers. Directions to O W L Farm : Take 1-5 to
Canyonville. Follow Co. Rd. # 1 to Days Creek.
Turn left onto Rd. # 3 4 . G o 1 Vi mi. G o left on
Rd. # 9 2 . G o 1 % mi. Take the first road to the
right and go 1 Vi mi. to a fork. Take the left
fork to the O W L parking lo t For m ore infor­
m ation call Hannah at 6 7 3 -7 6 4 9 or write
O re g o n W o m e n ’s Land Trust, PO Box 1692,
Roseburg, O R 97470, or O W L Farm , PO Box
133, Days Creek, O R 97429.
W hen I look back and rem em ber the en­
thusiasm , joy and excitem ent on all those
w o m e n s ’ faces circling the yurt’s perim eter
on that su m m er day nine years ago, I feel
pride in knowing that w om en care about this
land and its existence. O W L Farm does keep
happening through thick and thin, thanks to
all o u r supporters that care and love this
m a jica l place.
Jem m a Crae is a founding m em ber o f
GALA and currently co-president. She is a
past president o f (Jmpqua Rivers N.O.W.
a n d a m em ber o f Oregon Women s Land
Trust s Board o f Directors.
Just Out. July, 1986