Jo Myers - 2011 CARLY apprentice at the James Ranch.




















In Jo's own words...
Although I grew up in an agricultural community in central Idaho, much of my time was spent on the Salmon River. My parents owned and operated a whitewater rafting company, and I was fortunate enough to spend the first 23 years of my life exploring, learning, teaching, and eventually guiding on this river. Learning in this outdoor setting taught me many things that a traditional classroom could not, such as a sense of stewardship for the land and a passion for teaching others about the splendors of natural places.

My time spent on the river has shaped the way I see the world and has been the foundation for my life goals. It inspired me to travel to New Zealand and across the western United States in pursuit of new and different rivers. It prompted me to attend Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado to study Environmental Science and to pursue a Master's Degree in Environment and Community from Antioch University Seattle. It motivated me to work on the Upper Sawtooth Basin Sockeye Salmon Recovery Project conducting limnological research, to collaborate with private landowners on various stream restoration projects, to develop watershed based outreach and education projects, to improve shoreline uses and policies, and to help restore marine ecosystems and native species.

It has been through these experiences that I have learned to see our environmental challenges as complex systemic problems within our society. I believe that many of our environmental and social issues are directly related and stem from a lost connection to the local landscape. When our necessities come from within our own community, we become more invested in insuring that the environment and our neighbors are properly cared for. We become interdependent, as opposed to independent. However, as we source more and more of our needs from distant places, we lose the incentives and desire to properly care for our own environment.

During the past few years I worked for Puget Sound Restoration Fund managing a community supported oyster farm on Bainbridge Island, Washington. The purpose of the oyster farm is to engage island residents in water quality improvement projects and connect them directly to the benefits of a healthy marine ecosystem by growing and eating local shellfish. It was here that I was able to observe how locally gown food can directly and tangibly connect people to place, and I began to realize what an important and powerful tool food can be to encourage a sense of environmental stewardship.

My goal is to return to Idaho and blend my passions -- learning, land stewardship, teaching others, and sharing good food -- by starting a multifaceted sustainable farm, much like James Ranch. There are many opportunities for innovation and evolution within Idaho's food system. I view this apprenticeship as a way to build upon my previous experiences in permaculture design and community supported farming so I can return with a deeper understanding of wholistic farming and the ability to share these techniques with others in the community. I am honored to be a 2011 CARLY Agrarian Apprentice, and I look forward to continuing to explore how locally produced food can connect communities to their landscape and to one another while contributing to a vibrant local economy.

Jo's Final Report 145KB

James Ranch Sample Application 209KB