Laura Zak-Introduction

What if our fingers were tape recorders? What if knuckles had buttons and our chapped skin was a red light clicked on to say you’re recording? We could remember every word. Our hands could tell each other stories and we wouldn’t have to retell or recreate what people said.

My hands would say this: I lived in Lubbock, Texas for twenty three years. I grew up with streets as flat as palms. I grew up with wind and skies that turn red when it blows. Because of this, I knew wind long before anyone gave me a definition. That came in eighth grade. My science teacher told us wind was the force and movement of air. And when she asked us if we understood, twenty pairs of eyes stared at her blankly. Lady, we knew wind. We didn’t need your bolded words about weather patterns to tell us that when the clouds were low and black, you ran to the bathroom. You curled in the bathtub, and your dad threw blankets over your head, hollering “This is it, the garden’s finally going to fly away.” Wind may be this force and movement of air, but it was also the bath water running down your leg. The seconds you counted, hoping the tornado blew over.

This city puts wind in your bones. So when I graduated college, I found work transcribing a wind energy oral history collection. There were a hundred stories wound in tape. Everyday, I listened to local farmers, ranchers, and wind developers.
I wrote a story about how landscapes change. About the miles and miles of transmission lines carrying power from the panhandle to bigger cities down south. I wrote about the largest wind farm in the world outside Roscoe Texas. I showed the story to Kim Cypert. She paints and films and sees the world as oils and stop animation. She wanted to make a video. Together, we created a Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1945012824/wind-turbines-transmission-a-performance-art-show) to fund the project and in a month we raised all 1,700 dollars needed. I started a blog: http://turbinesandtransmission.tumblr.com/. We took the video around Texas. We screened it in Junction, Muleshoe, and then Lubbock, the city with so much wind.

In college, I studied stories. It started with books, hundred of them, piled in stacks along my bedroom wall. I devoured them with a hunger I’d never felt in my stomach. I read about sadness and loss and joy and grace and all that makes life so wonderful. And then I started writing. I filled folders with short stories. I took creative writing classes and wrote about the day the Berlin Wall fell. I wrote about violence and grace and girl with a heart as wide as Palo Duro Canyon so that it broke easily.

Writing led me to an internship with Ogallala Commons. If I thought the wind energy oral history collection had a hundred stories, Ogallala Commons has a thousand more. For the internship, I am only writing a handful. I am creating narrative profiles for thirty-five interns, writing and filming a video that tells one of the intern’s story, and using social media to form an internet-based Ogallala Commons community. But. If there’s anything I’ve learned it’s that projects change. So for now this is the plan, but we’ll see.

Intern Blog #2

Things are definitely starting to come along with the Nazareth Veteran's Project! The transcriptions of the oral histories are well underway and the exhibit planning stages is now being entered! Although, I must say, transcribing oral histories has been one of the most difficult things I have ever done. It truly takes a lot of time and patience to ensure that you have everything right, from every "uh" or "um" to the correct spelling of locations. I have a lot of respect for people how do this everyday for a living.

The community has gathered informational sheets from its veterans to record the stories and records of service. With some were attached amazing pictures and copies of portions of the veteran's actual service record. The generosity and openness of the community to share this information about community members who served our nation is overwhelming! It looks like we still could get more of these informational sheets in!

A committee of community members, members of the American Legion and Auxiliary, and I met on January 27^th in Nazareth to discuss expectations of the exhibit and to begin planning the actual exhibit itself. We laid out how the exhibit would be organized, laid out, and potential artifacts and photographs in which to use and where we could access these artifacts. Additionally, the digitization of some photographs and paper documents might be done to ensure their longevity for future generations.

While the exhibit is merely in its infancy and we still have a lot of work ahead of us before the exhibit's first showing in July, it is truly leaps and bounds ahead of where we need to be, thanks to the enthusiastic support of community members!

Cynthia Buster - Introduction

Hi! My name is Cynthia Buster and I live in Lubbock, Texas, with my husband, David, and our pets, Norman, a dachshund, and Klondike, a guinea pig. I grew up in Fort Worth and completed my Bachelor’s degree in History with Secondary Education Certification from Tarleton State University in Stephenville, about 65 miles southwest of D/FW, in May 2010.

I knew I wanted to live on the South Plains the first time I laid eyes on it in 2007. My husband and I had just started dating and he had recently graduated from Texas Tech and wanted to come back over spring break that year to visit friends. I immediately fell in love with the endless cotton fields, the Caprock, and the bluest sky and prettiest sunsets I had ever seen. The summer after graduation, I was accepted at Texas Tech University to work on my Master of Science in Heritage Management. I will be graduating in August 2012.

I am currently an Ogallala Commons Community Intern working in Nazareth, Texas, producing the exhibit about the village’s veterans and their service to their country, community, and families for their annual German Festival in July 2012. I am currently in the process of recording oral histories of veterans of various wars and peace time, ranging from World War II to the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with a colleague in the Heritage Management program, Emily Purcell, and my advisor, Dr. Hyojung Cho. These stories are integral to the exhibit and are important for the community since these are their stories and are worth remembering. Without these recordings, the stories will be lost to history. After completing the oral histories, I will be digitizing them in preparation for eventual donation at the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library at Texas Tech.

I’m looking forward to continuing my work with the community, where I have been more than welcomed as a part of their small town. I am very fortunate for the opportunity that everyone at Ogallala Commons and the community of Nazareth, Texas, have given me to gain valuable experience in the field of Heritage Management prior to graduation.

Teresa Gonzales - Final Blog

As this internship comes to a close, I can say that this was a very rewarding experience that comes once in a lifetime.  It was a positive and focused environment and the people were great to work with.  My journey began after meeting the Ogallala Commons teaching team at Oak Grove Elementary in Brownfield, Texas in November 2010.  I was very impressed by the presentation but intrigued by how powerful the day was mainly due to great planning and "partnering" with the Terry County Extension agent and the South Plains UWCD.  Schools welcome guest speakers but it is rare to have the opportunity not only to learn the crucial lessons at hand (importance of water conservation and playas)  but  to give the students an opportunity to apply their new found knowledge and then extend on that knowledge  through the outdoor experience.  In a visit to a local playa, students are encouraged to ask questions about the natural world around them and how it applies to our community. Students were excited about learning and I was amazed at the knowledge acquired by the students in one short day.  I believe that "partnering" made all the difference.  I knew that day that I needed to know more about Ogallala Commons and their vision statement.  I was then invited to attend a teacher training/land owner meeting in January 2011.  Again, I left feeling like I needed to learn more about Ogallala Commons and how it applies to me.  Later, I attended a meeting in Abernathy where I met a special group of people who supervise interns.  This is a dedicated group of professionals who have a passion for community involvement and understand the impact that mentoring makes.  It was at this meeting that I got a better, more clear understanding of how broad the vision statement is.   The goal is to inspire our youth to get an education and return in the future to work and live in their own community.  We need to retain our talent and promote our area for future generations.  This can and will happen when we allow students to start thinking early about the endless possibilities our own communities hold.  It was about this time that I realized everything is interconnected and most likely a slow process.  This is also where I met Martha Kunkel, Director of Grants and Resource Development in Odessa, Texas.  Martha is a super lady and an important contact as she agreed to assist me when I expressed an  interest in the grant writing process.  Finally in June I attended the intern orientation in Nazareth, Texas.  This two-day training gives interns and supervisors an opportunity to  meet, discuss, and fellowship with other interns.  It included a bus tour of the Caprock where we met new people in new places along the way.  (Silverton, Texas is an amazing place to visit.)  My internship was scheduled to begin in the Fall with Darryl Birkenfeld , Executive Director of Ogallala Commons and Julie Hodges, Education Director as my mentors.  Our goal is to reach 24 schools and 1500 students in learning about High Plains water thru science, creative writing, art and history.  The teaching sessions were well planned by our education director.  We had four rotating groups including a visit to a local playa for the outdoor experience.  I had the honor of making  presentations and was also responsible for our blogs.  I also participated in the fifth annual "Youth Engagement Day" in Plainview, Texas.  "Growing Entrepreneurs Building Businesses" was the focus of this event.  This was time well-spent for tomorrow's community,state, and county leaders.  These students were challenged to ponder ideas based on real-life business owners' success stories.  I was impressed with the number of city officials and business owners who came together to make a positive impact on their youth.  The students were welcomed by Mayor John Anderson who was pleased to have us come and explore ideas with local business owners.  After our keynote address given by M.C. Montelongo, students were divided into investigations teams and conducted interviews at assigned businesses.  I was very impressed with  Perry Collins who bought a historical marker building and transformed it into a building that better fits today's needs.  The students of Plainview and Hart, Texas were then challenged to identify their community's needs and develop a business plan to enter in the Youth Entrepreneur Fair in November.  With the top prize of $1,000, the students understand that Ogallala Commons and other sponsors are working diligently to create opportunities for all to succeed.  Partnering  makes all the difference in making an impact on today's youth.  I watched as city officials, educators, professionals, business owners and mentors came together to make a positive difference in the lives of students on the High Plains.

Teresa Gonzales - Barry Playa Festival

Barry Elemenatry in Clovis, New Mexico was a great place to visit and a super place to teach!  We were greeted by Ms. Mohaughton, Ms. May, Ms. Burnett, and 36 eager fifth graders who accompanied us in a day of learning  and great adventure.  These eductors are enthusiastic and excited about our program of teaching through hands-on activities and outdoor learning.   We began our journey in the Barry Elementary Library where Julie Hodges, our Education Director,  introduced the day with a visual presentation on what playas are, where they come from and why they are important followed by a presentation on nature journals and their value, presented by Teresa Gonzales, Educator and OC Intern.  After a brief  investigation of soils and their differences, we proceeded our rotating groups of Jim Steiret, waterfowler and author, Robert Martin, from the Nature Consercancy in Clovis, New Mexico and Joe Whitehead with the NRCS in Clovis, New Mexico.  Each bringing vital information for a clear understanding of the importance of preserving our natural resources.
Jim Steiret demonstrates the importance of lake buffers and how they help preserve playas.  He checks for student understanding and challenges them to explain ratio to him in relation to playa buffers.  The water fowl demonstration was a big hit, as usual, identifying birds by their markings and color.  He informed the students that it will require a quiet approach to get close enough to get a good look at the wildlife upon arriving at our designated playa (the first one I have seen this year with water in it ...awesome!).  Robert Martin brings  yet another layer of excitement to learning by sharing his reptiles and amphibians!  He was assisted by Tish Stewart, an upcoming OC Intern.  Robet and Tish shared toad, frogs snakes and the all-time favorite, Ms. McLuven, Robert's personal snapping turtle!  Students were amazed and  full of questions.  Joe Whitehead from NRCS in Clovis uses humor and music for his presentation. Topics covered are the Ogallala Aquifer and watersheds.  The students  participated as he brought his presentation to life using music. I loved his "Jewels of the Plains" and his "Water Song." The message that Mr. Whitehead delivers is that our playas are necessary but suffering due to roads, farming techniques, and the lack of awareness that our society has about our natural world.  In Mr. Whitehead's words, "Take care of what we have, now that we know."  He made a believer out of me!   With their curisosity level at a pretty high level, we proceeded to a local playa.  To my surprise, this playa was well preserved by the community and was a place where people actually visit and enjoy.  There are posted signs for the walking trail which is very nice and allows a wonderful view of nature and wildlife (really peaceful).  The trail measured one and one-eighth miles.  I observed at least ten walkers in the short time we were there.  None seemed intimidated by the school bus and 36 excited fifth-graders!  They just kept coming!  This is a true example of what more communities should be doing with our precious playas. 

New Brochure and RSVPs for Partnering meetings

A new Ogallala Commons brochure is being cooked up that includes updated information about the Community Internships and the interns themselves, as well as new photos.

Also, a reminder that if you are planning to attend either of the upcoming Partnering meetings on November 3rd and December 6th that you need to RSVP with Julie Hodges (juliehodges@prairieworkshop.com)

Intern Profiles and Community Partnering Meetings

Hey folks

Some new things are cookin' up with the Ogallala Commons:

First off, up until now the Ogallala Commons website (ogallalacommons.org) has had a limited amount of information to offer concerning the individuals involved in the Community Internships. However, soon there will be links on the website that will lead to each intern's profile so that anyone who is interested in the Ogallala Commons Community Internships will have first-hand information readily available.

The second bit of information is a reminder about the Community Partnering Meetings coming up on November 3rd and December 6th - more information will be made available as the dates draw near