gaia ki mission focus w. art

8/8/2019 Gaia Ki Mission Focus w. Art

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Gaia Ki

Natural Ecosystem Advocacy

Located in the eastern Cascades region of Central Oregon,

Gaia Ki embodies "think globally, act locally" covering significant

ecological issues throughout the region, helping bring cognizance

of both the local and global consequences of societal activities andchoices, while sharing information and allied action with others

across the Earth.

Public Lands Protection and Restoration

We cover the public wildlands of our region, withparticular emphasis on Central and Eastern Oregon National

Forests and adjoining BLM lands, including wildlands

connectivity and salmonid watersystems. Advocacy involves

monitoring public agency projects, participating in the NationalEnvironmental Policy Act public process; coordinating activity

with allied conservation, recreation, tribal, and communityinterests; endeavoring to protect and restore the integrity of

natural ecosystems, recover and maintain native species

biodiversity, distribution and abundance; bring greatercommunity awareness of ecological issues and the

interconnection of human society with wild wonderful nature.

We train and coordinate volunteers in effectively survey

documenting projects of concern, utilizing area-specific information throughout the NEPA process for

public lands projects to bring needed changes, and when necessary to halt harmful projects. Effortsaddressing public lands ecology and management additionally help inform and influence the direction of

society as a whole, bringing greater awareness of both individual and societal impacts and lifestyle

choices more in balance with nature.

Biodiversity and Ecological Integrity

The ecological functioning, continuity, and integrity of ourregion's ecosystems have been dramatically altered and disrupted over

the course of the past one hundred and sixty years; as have most of the

natural ecosystems across the Earth. Societal development has

fragmented once connected ecological landscapes, depleted anddegraded water resources and altered overall hydrological system

patterns. The complex interconnected web of biodiversity has been

diminished, with an overall depletion in the diversity, abundance anddistribution of native species. There are nearly two hundred

recognized species of regional concern, including federal and state

listed species within the focal region's public lands ecosystems that are

evidencing declining population and distribution trends. Achieving therecovery and long-term viability of these and other imperiled native species

requires that public lands management develop a comprehensive vision based

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upon the ecological needs of the land. Management planning must incorporate relevant scientific research,be based upon an accurate assessment of area conditions and natural processes, monitor imperiled species

populations and status, accurately assess the impacts and efficacy of management actions, and revise

planned actions to avoid harmful impacts and achieve restorative ecological objectives.

Utilizing comprehensive compilations of existent and new research on the many species ofconcern and their natural habitats, in combination with research on the interwoven roles of species,

ecological functioning, natural cycles, and ongoing climate change; Gaia Ki helps ensure public lands

projects are in better accord with credible scientific research and ecological needs. Employing thoroughproject monitoring and ongoing participation in the NEPA public processes for regional projects of

significance, Gaia Ki combines relevant science with localized conditions and the requirements of

environmental policy laws. We engage in public outreach and education, NEPA comments, and whennecessary appeals and litigation to help protect and restore the ecological integrity of public wildlands.

Energy

Contemporary industrial societies across the Earth alterand consume natural environments, referring to nature as

"resources" to be utilized in the exponentially increasing

expansion of corporate-directed societal pursuits. Considerations

of climate change and finite resources are bringing increasingawareness of the need to reign in unchecked energy use, and

develop energy sources that are environmentally sustainable.

While the awareness of this paramount need has grown,purported "renewable" energy methods are not absent

considerable environmental harms. Many self-proclaimed

"green" energy sources remain embedded in a technological

foundation that has yet to develop the environmentally benign orharmonious production methods and reduced impact scale

requisite to be in accord with "green" renewable energy objectives. Additionally, many renewable energy

sources expand societal impacts into previously undeveloped natural environments. Issues of location,

production methods and scale, transmission routes, energy efficiency and use patterns, and cumulativelyaffected resources all play important factors that need consideration. Gaia Ki utilizes information from

ongoing assessments of environmental track records and impacts, pioneering scientific research, gridsystem operation and location, effective energy efficiency and use-reduction measures, and existent and

project energy needs to help influence the development of more truly "green" environmentally benign,

sustainable energy methods.

Within our focal region (as elsewhere across this Earth), unbridled energy development plans areoutpacing environmental safeguards, scientific and informed public knowledge, energy efficiency

measures, and exploration of more environmentally appropriate alternative energy methods. In pursuit of

new energy sources the overall development footprint of contemporary society continues to expand

rapidly; irretrievably altering remaining natural areas, diminishing the ecological integrity of interwoven

ecological systems. Gaia Ki endeavors to educate affected communities and our increasingly global scalesociety on the actual ecological impacts and consequences of current and proposed energy sources and

use patterns; and feasible alternatives that evidence potential for ecologically sustainable energy. Weadvocate for the protection of remaining natural wildlands and treasured ecological locations from

irreparably harmful development; while working towards the reduction of energy use and the

development of methods that are more truly ecologically balanced and beneficial.

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Creative Arts

Creative arts embody inspiration surpassing the limitations of

defined words, predictable intent, entrenched patterns, and expert

knowledge. Physics reveals a fledgling grasp of awareness beyond

measurable space-time continuums. Dreams and visions evidenceinherent depths of being much as the utilization of invisible energy

waves evidences dimensional complexities beyond what can otherwise

be seen and confined in objective matter. Gaia Ki encourages thecreation and enjoyment of arts that celebrate the interwoven connection

of nature and spirit. In public educational events, outreach publications,

and regional venues, we include the use and promotion of creative artsin efforts to protect wild wondrous nature and bring society into more

harmonious balance and celebration of this living Earth.

Encouraging the creation of art, music, and creative expression

inspired by and directly related to specific imperiled places, species,

and natural ecosystems helps increase public awareness. Creative artsspeak to the inner depths of the human psyche, reaching broad spectrums of the public across otherwise

often entrenched societal divisions of beliefs, occupation, status, and culture.

Adventure & Wildlands WondersConnection with nature, awareness immersed within and part of

nature's inherent interconnected wonder, is paramount to inspiring the

changes necessary in bringing human societies towards balance andharmony with living Earth. Urbanscapes and technological enticements

dominate the living hours and experiential parameters of many people.

Removed from spirit rejuvenating wild nature, people lose appreciation

and awareness of the myriad species and ecological systems upon whichour existence and well-being depend. Absent such innate understanding

and connection, development incrementally and exponentially spreads

the impacts of industrial technology further diminishing the naturallandscapes of Earth.

Located in an inspiring comingling of natural ecosystems

spanning volcanic alpine peaks, jeweled mountain lakes, ancient wildforests, carved river canyons, and sculpted high deserts; Gaia Ki helps

connect people and communities with wild nature, holding events,

outings, and teaching the skills necessary to effectively document

conditions and influence public lands projects and management. Webring people to specific public lands project locations, helping people

experience directly the ecological conditions and consequences of

proposed and implemented management actions. We provide people with

opportunities to interact with nature and view the region's imperiledspecies in their natural habitats.

Human Societies and Corporate Dominance

Corporations once were limited in longevity, function, and scale.

At the onset of this nation, corporations were licensed for five year

periods, and restricted to the performance on one type of enterprise, andin operation to only the locale in which they were licensed. They could

not own other corporations and had no political legal rights. They had to

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operate for the good of the community in which they were licensed, were held accountable for any harmsincurred, and could have their corporate charter revoked for violating the well being of the community or

the terms of their license.

Coming to the fore with the removal of the absolute authority of monarchies, corporations

represented a renewed metamorphosis that over time has allowed continued concentration of wealth andpower to dominate human society. Whittling away public oversight, licensing restrictions, and regulatory

laws, today corporations exist in perpetuity - far longer than multiple human life spans. Corporations

amass financial resources and real property holdings that exceed the wealth and resources of manynations, facilitating the direct and covert domination of local, national, and global politics. Absent

effective public oversight and regulation; corporations foment wars, degrade the natural environment,

pollute the planet with myriad carcinogenic toxic compounds, hinder and suppress public dissent and theexercise of democratic power, unduly influence public politics and governance, and set the parameters of

education and achievable ambition that define societal choices and placement.

Yet as a species, we too are bound by the finite realities of nature and Earth. Despite corporate

financial baselines, it behooves those in positions of wealth and power to maintain sufficient solvency ofthe natural environment that the viability of life is at least feasible. At present, most conservation

organizations operate within societal corporate parameters determined by what is considered reasonable

and realistically achievable. Incrementally over time, the natural environment is degraded and diminished

until a society ultimately collapses, is conquered, and/or a new one rises elsewhere in its stead. Romebefore it collapsed was concerned about deforestation and recycling, as were others before it. The rise and

fall of various nation states is ultimately tied to the abundance of natural resources within its ready grasp.

Those aware of such historical patterns, and the full circle global scale of human societies andpopulations, realize that repetition of this past pattern cannot continue without dire consequences for not

only humans, but many of the other species and ecosystems with which we evolved.

Gaia Ki endeavors to candidly acknowledge the substantive changes necessary for our species. In

this era of global scale ecological degradation and rising climate change, such changes are of paramountimportance. Seemingly insurmountable challenges have incrementally achievable steps. Gaia Ki educates

on the need for proactive environmental protections. We utilize the societal legal and educational systems

to achieve measureable results across the scope of relevant issues. By helping protect the remaining pieces

of tattered nature; increasing human understanding and awareness; actively involving people andcommunities; celebrating wonderful living Earth in art, music, adventure, and cause celebre`s; we join in

the societal rising tide toward an evolutionary paradigm upon which the quality of life, and ultimately oursurvival as a species depends. By letting the needs of the living Earth inspire and define our actions,

instead of the ephemeral corporate-sponsored illusions of political

feasibility, we chart course towards what is actually needed in this era.

We welcome all to join as they may, for ultimately we are allconnected; there is no "us vs. them." All people - and "all our

relations" - all species of this living Earth are in this transition time of

changes together. Ultimately this is about societal evolution, a healing

change bringing harmony and balance for the generations yet to be.

Measureable Metrics

Measurable steps include:

the extent and quality of the remaining naturalwildlands protected;

restoration of ecological systems, continuity,connectivity, and hydrology;

public outreach and educational events that increaseawareness of projects of concern, address underlying

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societal issues, and offer achievable solutions;

helping empower people with the knowledge and motivation to come more fully intotheir raison de etre,` and participate actively in the decisions charting the course of

democratic society;

identifying more ecologically balanced alternatives to current societal practices,products and needs;

encouraging inclusive conscious awareness and ecologically balanced wisdom insocietal practices, products, resource and energy sources and use; promote local energyefficiency, local organic agriculture, ecological restoration, ecologically responsible

economies and enterprises, and empowered informed communities;

building effective active alliances with institutions, agencies, enterprises, arts,organizations, and individuals helping pioneer needed changes;

monitoring the consequences of actions, assessing alternatives, and holdingaccountability to ecological goals and needs;

celebrating our innate connection with all beings and ecosystems on this living Earththrough arts, music, education, action, adventure and creative exploration.

Immediate Threats to Wild Nature

The region hosts a number of public lands projects that areserious threats to ecological integrity and imperiled native species.

At present, most existent financially solvent conservation

organizations in the region have become little more than ancillariesto government agencies and/or financially-vested corporate

interests. In a growing trend, former conservation allies have

instigated, endorsed, and obfuscated the growing harms of industrial

activities degrading natural ecosystems, further jeopardizing alreadyimperiled native species. There exists an emphatic need for

ecological activism based not on political and financial

contrivances; but based instead as Gaia Ki - on protecting and

restoring the ecological integrity and flourishing biodiversity of theland.

At present, over 168,337 acres of logging are planned acrossOregon's eastside public lands, directly affecting well-over 603,906

acres of forest in the focal national forests and BLM lands covered

by our organization. The Umatilla, Malheur and Wallowa-Whitman

National Forests are developing a revised Forest Plan that will setthe direction for public lands management across these national forests' combined 5.5 million acres for the

next 15 to 20 years. Travel management plans are being developed in the Deschutes and Ochoco National

Forests, affecting ORV use and impacts across over 9,000 miles of roads and trails, and are being

contemplated in the Malheur National Forest. Livestock Grazing continues to be a major cause of

environmental degradation, including diminished habitat and biodiversity throughout most of the region'spublic lands ecosystems. Excessive road densities, habitat fragmentation, and the cumulative incremental

industrialization of public lands ecosystems remains a core concern needing significant curtailment toprotect and restore the integrity and ecological functioning of nature. Among these current public lands

issues being addressed by Gaia Ki through participation in the NEPA process, community education and

involvement, judicial challenge, and/or post-project monitoring are:

Regional logging projects:

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o Deschutes National Forest: Ogden, Popper, Rim Paunina,Glaze Meadows, Flank, Deadlog, Junction, West Tumbull,

Five Buttes, and EXF;

o Ochoco National Forest:Howard Elliot Johnson, Canyon,Spears, East Maury, and Upper Beaver;

o Umatilla National Forest: Wildcat II, Cobbler II, Mirage,Farley/Bruin, Potamus; S. George;

o Fremont and Winema National Forests: Deuce, Fort,Coyote;

o Malheur National Forest: Soda Bear, Damon, Jane, Galena,Dads Creek, Starr;

o Prineville BLM: Rudio Highlands;Together these affect hundreds of thousands of acres of forest and salmonid watersystem habitats;

Monitoring the consequences and impacts of previous recent logging and other managementprojects. By documenting the actual results of projects comparative to purported management

objectives and rationales, we can help hold agencies accountable to their stated project goals and

prevent similar harms in subsequent projects;

Regional ORV systems and Travel Management Projects:o Deschutes and Ochoco National Forest, and Crooked River National Grassland: the

overarching Travel Management Plan affecting over 9,000 miles of roads and trails acrossthe entirety of these public lands; Lava Rock (144,000 acres), Three Trails (93,000 acres),

Meadow Lakes (9,500 acres and over a dozen lakes and wetlands), and Summit (164,000

acres) proposed ORV trail systems; and ongoing ORV impacts and issues in area

recreational and community locations (McKay, Anne's Butte, etc.); the TravelManagement Plan, and accompanying proposals for additional ORV trail systems would

allow unmanageable ORV use resulting in extensive harms across much of these national

forest lands;

o

Umatilla National Forest: volunteer monitoring the implementation and impacts of theWest End ORV system;

o Malheur, Fremont, and Winema National Forests: the need for Travel ManagementPlanning NEPA process; addressing unchecked impacts of ORVs including the lack ofeffective enforcement on public lands, and needed restoration of impact harms;

o BLM: ORV impacts harms and lack of enforcement andrestoration throughout the region's public lands;

Regional Wilderness Integrity:o Wilderness lands are overburdened with high recreational

use due to management harms outside of limited

protected areas, a scarcity of natural trails outside ofwilderness, unmaintained and/or inaccessible wilderness

trails, and conflicts with ORV use and degradation of

natural experience outside and adjacent to wilderness;

o The need for additional wilderness designations inecologically significant roadless and natural areas;

o The need to provide for ecological connectivity, viablebiodiversity, and ecosystem integrity linking wilderness

and adjoining public lands systems;

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o The need for effective protection and restoration of low-land natural ecosystems to helpalleviate recreational stresses on wilderness areas, and to address the seasonally limited

accessibility of current wilderness designated areas - most of which are located in high

elevation terrain;

Regional Public Lands Livestock Grazing: Much of the region's public landsare grazed by livestock, causing significant harms to natural integrity,

hydrology, native biodiversity, aquatic systems, and numerous imperiledspecies from salmon to rare plants;

Roads: Ecosystem and habitat fragmentation due to excessive road densities,poorly maintained road systems, old logging skid trails and openings,

development, and ongoing management disturbance;

Science: Scientifically unwarranted alteration of natural disturbance patternsby ecologically inappropriate management projects. Such projects includeexcessive logging-thinning, unnatural burning, biomass removal, road

construction, foundational soil community damaging heavy machinery, and

other disruptive actions;

Energy: Energy production inappropriately planned in ecologicallysignificant locations, including industrial scale EGS geothermal production at the edge ofNewberry National Volcanic Monument, and a number of utility and natural gas transmission

routes proposed across roadless wildlands and salmonid waterways;

Natural Sovereignty:The overall usurpation of the public NEPA process by federal agencies andauthorities. This effectively precludes meaningful public and community involvement,

undermining the Congressional intent of the NEPA and the ecological well-being of public lands.

The arbitrary selective misuse, manipulation, and/or exclusion of relevant scientific research byfederal agencies undermines the scientific integrity of agency projects, violates federal

environmental policy laws, and jeopardizes regional and global ecosystems, biodiversity, and the

"Gaia Ki" life force of this living Earth. Together we have the choice to aikido the domination of

corporate profits and policy above the inherent natural birthright of current and future generations

and species, bringing needed societal healing and a return to balance with this living wondrousEarth.

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