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L i v i n g L o c a l l y G a l a & A u c t i o n T h e L ow e r N e h a l em C omm u n i t y T r u s t ’ s e i g h t h a n n u a l g a l a c e l e b r a t e s t h e N e h a l em a r e a ’ s f o o d , l a n d a n d p e o p l e h e Low e r N eh a l em Commun i ty T ru s t fo rm ed to p r e s e rv e l and in i t s n a tu r a l s t a t e and in s t i l l con s e rv a t ion v a lu e s among commun i ty p a r tn e r s in th e N eh a l em r eg ion o f th e No r th O r egon Co a s t . Wh en i t com e s - m en t LNCT s t a f f and vo lun t e e r s d e r iv e f rom th a t m i s s ion , th e r e ’ s no b e t t e r fo rum th an th e e igh th annu a l L iv ing Lo c a l ly G a l a , t ak ing p l a c e S a tu rd ay , Jun e 6 . LNCT o r ig in a t ed in 2002 w i th s ev en long - t im e commun i ty m emb e r s : T om B end e r , Doug F i r s tb rook , L an e D eMo l l , Judy So r r e l , V iv i T a l lm an , and G a r e th and G eo r g en e F e rdun . Th e s e commun i ty s t ew a rd s sh a r ed a v i s ion o f p r e s e rv ing a r e a p rop e r t i e s to p ro t e c t th e i r e co - log i c a l v a lu e . “Th e r e w a s a r amp ing up o f d ev e lopm en t th a t w a s o c cu r r ing du r ing th a t t im e , ” F i r s t - b rook r e c a l l ed . “Tho s e o f u s who h ad l iv ed h e r e fo r a numb e r o f y e a r s f e l t th a t i t (p r e s e r - v a t ion ) w a s impo r t an t to g e t go ing . ” Th e g roup app ro a ch ed s ev e r a l con s e rv an cy Ch i ldhood edu c a t ion i s a p r io r i ty , ev i - and a l iv e “Exp e r i en c e Au c t ion ” f e a tu r ing r e - d en c ed in th e Fo r e s t T o S e a C amp . E a ch Jun e , nown ed Po r t l and au c t ion e e r M i s ty M a rqu am . LNCT ho s t s lo c a l m a r in e b io log i s t P e t e r W a l - “D inn e r w i l l b e coho f rom th e commun i - c z ak , edu c a to r G a ry S e e l ig , and a g roup o f g r ad e - s choo l e r s a t LNCT ’ s v a r iou s p a r c e l s . f rom f a rm s in T i l l amook Coun ty , N e t a r t s oy s - A t th e s e ou tdoo r c l a s s room s , k id s l e a rn abou t t e r s on th e h a l f sh e l l , and w e a r e l aun ch ing su ch top i c s a s l and r e s to r a t ion and o r g an i c th e n ew N ink a s i s e a son a l b r ew , ” C r am e r Bu r r g a rd en ing . “K id s in tu i t iv e ly f e e l conn e c t ed s a id . “ I t ’ s an exqu i s i t e m e a l . ” n a tu r e , ” S e e l ig s a id . Th e t i t l e s o f th e “ exp e r i en c e s ” to b e au c - LNCT Ex e cu t iv e D i r e c to r D a l e C r am e r t ion ed a r e t an t a l i z ing , in c lud ing “My H e a r t Bu r r r e a l i z e s th e impo r t an c e o f invo lv ing B e long s T o A sh l and , ” “ In s id e r ’ s Po r t l and , ” p eop l e in th e t ru s t ’ s g row th . “W e ’ r e and “Th e A r t O f F e rm en t a t ion . ” an unu su a l l and t ru s t b e c au s e Th ey a l so in c lud e o f f - th e -b e a t en L i v i n g L o c a l l y o f th e fo cu s w e ’v e p l a c ed on p a th exp e r i en c e s , su ch a s “Un - G a l a w i l l b e h e l d f r o m 6 t o commun i ty eng ag em en t , ” d i s cov e r ed An c i en t Fo r e s t 9 p .m . S a t u r d a y , J u n e 6 a t N o r t h sh e s a id . “P eop l e a r e r e a l ly O f Fox C r e ek . ” H e r e , a t th e o u n t y R e c r e a t i o n D i s t r i c t , l o c a t e d b impo r t an t to th e con s e r - C a s e o f S add l e Moun t a in , a t 3 6 1 5 5 N i n t h S t . i n N e h a l e m . T i c k e t s th v a t ion o f th i s p a r t o f th e e w inn e r s w i l l sp end a c o s t $ 7 5 f o r LN C T m em b e r s a n d $ 9 5 f o r d co a s t . ” ay ab so rb ing a n a tu r a l LNCT ’ s L iv ing Lo c a l ly p a r t o f O r egon s e en by n o n -m em b e r s . F o r i n f o rm a t i o n o r G a l a en comp a s s e s a l l th e s e ew . “ I t s e co log i c a l v a lu e t o p u r c h a s e t i c k e t s , c a l l 5 0 3 - 3 6 8 - f id e a l s in an annu a l g a th e r - i s qu i t e r a r e , ” C r am e r Bu r r 3 2 0 3 o r v i s i t www . n e h a l em - ing th a t hono r s and c e l eb r a t e s a cknow l edg ed . Fo r th e exp e r i - t r u s t . o r g good food , good l and and good en c e , LNCT and NCLC p rov id e p eop l e . n a tu r a l i s t gu id e s , a gou rm e t m e a l , Th e g a l a a ro s e f rom LNCT ’ s d e s i r e to and ev en a c t a s sh e rp a s . c r e a t e mo r e p eop l e - c en t e r ed ev en t s . Th e po s i - “W e t r i ed to in t e r e s t l a r g e r g roup s in s ig - t iv e r e spon s e to th e commun i ty g a rd en w a s th e imp e tu s . cho i c e o f any exp e r i en c e in th e L iv e Au c t ion . fo rm a t a s f a r a s th e typ e s and s i z e o f l and th ey “ I t ’ s a v e ry comp r eh en s iv e edu c a t ion - F in a l ly , a s i l en t au c t ion o f f e r s a ch an c e a t w e r e w an t ing to con s e rv e , ” F i r s tb rook s a id . a l too l , a s w e l l a s p rodu c ing qu a l i ty o r g an i c U s ing th e No r th Co a s t L and Con s e rv an cy food , ” F i r s tb rook s a id . “Th e id e a g r ew ou t o f In sho r t , a t t end e e s a r e bound to go hom e in S e a s id e a s a mod e l , th e g roup m ad e i t s own th a t . ” fu l l , h appy and f e e l ing good abou t h e lp ing ou t . p a th , r a th e r th an r i sk lo s ing th e p rop e r t i e s to L iv ing Lo c a l ly G a l a un i t e s a w id e v a r i e ty “W e h av e am a z ing suppo r t f rom ou r com - d ev e lopm en t . mun i ty to pu t a l l th i s tog e th e r , ” C r am e r Bu r r “A t th a t t im e , th e NCLC h ad a mu ch sm a l l - d inn e r p r ep a r ed by N e t a r t s ch e f T om F lood , s a id . “ I t ’ s an oppo r tun i ty to shou t ou t good e r wo rk ing a r e a , ” F i r s tb rook s a id . “W e s en s i - d e s s e r t s by 2014 C l a t sop Coun ty I ron Ch e f wo rk s a round con s e rv a t ion and s t ew a rd sh ip . ” b ly r e a l i z ed th a t i f w e w an t ed to g e t l and s e t ch amp ion Jon a th an Ho f fm an , c r a f t b e e r s , An impo r t an t p a r t o f th e ev en ing i s g r an t - a s id e , w e ’d h av e to fo rm ou r own t ru s t . ” w in e s , o r g an i c co f f e e and t e a s , a s i l en t au c t ion , ing th e F e rdun Con s e rv a t ion Aw a rd . N am ed Th i r t e en y e a r s and num e rou s a c r e s fo r found e r s G a r e th and G eo r g en e o f p r e s e rv ed l and l a t e r , th e LNCT r e - F e rdun , th e aw a rd s ing l e s ou t ind iv id - m a in s comm i t t ed to a mu l t i tud e o f u a l s who ex emp l i fy LNCT ’ s v a lu e s . con s e rv a t ion and edu c a t ion p ro j e c t s F i r s tb rook w a s s e l e c t ed a s th e a round th e N eh a l em V a l l ey a r e a ; th e 2015 r e c ip i en t and C r am e r Bu r r commun i ty g a rd en a t A ld e r C r e ek ag r e e s w i th th e s e l e c t ion who l eh e a r t - F a rm , e s tu a ry c l e anup g roup s , and ed ly . “W e h ad num e rou s nom in a t ion s S t o r y b y D A N H A A G b i rd mon i to r ing to n am e ju s t a f ew . fo r Doug , and w e r e a l ly p a id a t t en t ion C o a s t a l L i f e 4 | Jun e 4 , 2 0 1 5 | co a s tw e e k end . com S u bm i t t e d p h o t o s L e f t : A f o rm e r d a i r y f a rm l o c a t e d w e s t o f N e h a l em , A l d e r C r e e k F a rm h o s t s t h e L ow e r N e h a l em C omm u - n i t y T r u s t ’ s C o a s t a l F o o d E c o l o g y C e n - t e r a n d m o s t o f t h e t r u s t ’ s e d u c a t i o n p r o j e c t s . B e l ow : N e a h - K a h - N i e s t u d e n t s w o r k a s p a r t o f a c o n - s e r v a t i o n c r ew a t L N C T ’ s A l d e r C r e e k F a rm t o d i g u p i n - v a s i v e b l a c k b e r r y p l a n t s . D o n a t e d t o t h e L ow e r N e h a l em C omm u n i t y T r u s t i n 2 0 0 5 , t h e 8 . 5 - a c r e p a r c e l o f V o s b u r g C r e e k i s l o c a t e d o n t h e s o u t hw e s t e d g e o f W h e e l e r . A f o r e s t e d w e t l a n d s a r e a t h a t s u p p o r t s c o h o , c h i n o o k a n d c h um s a lm o n , t h e l a n d a l s o i n c l u d e s tw o b u i l d i n g s a n d a t r a i l f o r L N C T e d u c a t i o n a l p r o g r am s a n d p u b l i c u s e . to th a t , ” sh e s a id . “Th e con s e rv a t ion wo rk h e do e s i s don e so qu i e t ly and so pow e r fu l ly . ” Fund s r a i s ed a t L iv ing Lo c a l ly go tow a rd l and a cqu i s i t ion , s t ew a rd sh ip p ro j e c t s , sup - po r t ing LNCT s t a f f o r wh a t F i r s tb rook c a l l s , “ any th ing i t t ak e s to run an o r g an i z a t ion l ik e th i s . ” Th a t in c lud e s th r e e r e c en t ly don a t e d p a r c e l s in Wh e e l e r and a wood ed up l and a r e a ad j a c en t to A ld e r C r e ek F a rm dubb ed So r r e l W ood s . LNCT ’ s L iv ing Lo c a l ly G a l a t ak e s a mo - m en t to c e l eb r a t e wh a t d ed i c a t ed commun i ty g roup s c an a c comp l i sh tog e th e r . Wh e th e r i t ’ s s e t t ing a s id e l and fo r fu tu r e g en e r a t ion s o r do - n a t ing p rodu c e g rown a t A ld e r C r e ek F a rm to th e coun ty food b ank , g iv ing i s wh a t m ak e s th e LNCT h e a r t b e a t s t rong . “Y ou c an h e a r th e sp i r i t o f g en e ro s i ty f rom f th e commun i ty , ” S e e l ig s a id . “Ev e ry p i e c e o th a t g en e ro s i ty bu i ld s on i t s e l f . ”