NOW ON SALE - 2010 Concow Phoenix calendars - full-color, original paintings, drawings, photos & other art, as well as poems & brief articles. Also includes info re. 'alternative' rebuilding concepts, such as alternative energy, graywater use, permaculture, native plants, home lumber milling, etc.

$10 donation mailed to 4096 Big Bend Rd, Oroville, CA 95965. Check made out to NVCF - CPP.
Available around Chico at Lyon's Books, S&S Produce, Cafe Flo and others.

NOW ON SALE - 2010 Concow Phoenix calendars - full-color, original paintings, drawings, photos & other art, as well as poems & brief articles. Also includes info re. 'alternative' rebuilding concepts, such as alternative energy, graywater use, permaculture, native plants, home lumber milling, etc.

$10 donation mailed to 4096 Big Bend Rd, Oroville, CA 95965. Check made out to NVCF - CPP.
Available around Chico at Lyon's Books, S&S Produce, Cafe Flo and others.

2010 Calendar: Celebrating the Beauty of our Community and Land

Concow Phoenix Project 2010 Calendar

Celebrating the Beauty of Our Community. Contact us at info@concowphoenix.org. Our 2010 calendar is available now for a $15 donation.

Sales are used by CPP to fund recovery and rebuilding projects for Concow and its residents. Send a check, made out to NVCF-CPP to:

Concow Phoenix Project
4096 Big Bend Rd.
Yankee Hill, CA 95965

This is a gorgeous wall calendar, with full-color, original paintings, drawings, photos & other art, as well as poems & brief articles. It also includes info re: 'alternative' rebuilding concepts, such as alternative energy, graywater use, permaculture, native plants, home lumber milling, etc. A wonderful gift to share the beauty of Concow.

Make a donation to Concow Phoenix Project at: http://nvcf.org/donate&list=f452:0

August 2009 CPP Update

Concow Phoenix Project

Our mission is to facilitate and support sustainable recovery of the Concow community through cooperative partnerships and fundraising efforts.

Our goal is to maximize resources for fire survivors who need them.

A Community in Restoration

It is the year anniversary of the fire that ravaged Concow. I am filled with admiration for what people and organizations have done to regain quality of life, with wonder and gratitude at the resilience of mother nature and with great sorrow still for what is irrevocably lost. For most of us fire survivors, this is the biggest calamity that has ever befallen us. How to respond? How to carry on?

Those of you who are receiving this newsletter have opened your hearts, and for many, your pocketbooks, through us to the residents affected by the 2008 Butte Lightning Complex fire. Our experience with fundraising has shown us time and again that resources come to us for what we DO for our community with the money, rather than because of our promotional materials or fund‐raisers.

In this newsletter, you will find articles by several of the founding members of the Concow Phoenix Project informing you about our activities during this past year. We hope tox give you a picture of our community 12 months on.

We want you to know what your generous donations have done. And we want you to continue to remember us and to make our community a part of your charitable giving program.

If you can arrange to make a donation to the Concow Phoenix Project during the month of September, through North Valley Community Foundation, a portion of your donation will receive matching funds through the annual “Annie B’s” drive.

Recovery takes a long time. Stay with us.

Early in my time there, I was told that “Concow” means “place where things grow well” in the language of the native people, the Concow band of Mountain Maidu. And indeed, in the wake of the fire, the profusion of wildflowers and native grasses has brought uplift and pleasure to all, I am sure. To see green and softness where last year was only black and harshness has carried me through. Watch for this year’s calendar, which will feature photos of nature’s munificence. After all, we do live in a “fire‐adapted” landscape; fire is a part of our natural world. Of course, as 22nd century humans, with our obligations and comforts and needs, fire is a great disruptor.

I just picked up the most recent edition of our local weekly paper, the Chico News and Review. The lead article covers the year‐anniversary of Concow burning. Although the writer, Jason Cassidy, had a hard act to follow (Concow Phoenix’s own Tina Meyer wrote an excellent story last August), he did a great job. If you are connected to the internet, you should be able to read this article (“Slow Burn”) at newsreview.com

Concow Rising!
Sarah Salisbury
Founding Member
Concow Phoenix Project

Concow Phoenix Project is working to bring relief to the fire-affected community through community-building, financial assistance, restoration guidance & collaborative building efforts.

CPP Undertakes a Community Needs Assessment
We are pleased to announce that the Concow Phoenix Project has received financial resources from VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters) and CRWC (Christian Reformed World Relief Committee) to conduct a Community‐driven Needs Assessment. It is an effort to locate all those who still have unmet needs as a result of the 2008 Butte Lightning Complex Fire.

We believe this will help us better serve our community. The assessment is the first step in working with fire survivors and cooperating agencies to establish a Long Term Recovery Plan. This Plan aims to identify short‐term and long‐term need of the community and to organize resources so that all possible services can be known and made available to the community. It will aid in establishing the resources we need to continue the enormous work of rebuilding homes, restoring our lands, our lives and our community.

If you need help, call us. If you can help, call us.
Contact Sarah: mizsarita@yahoo.com

The Focused Mini-Grant Program
CPP Donations Are Realized as Cash Equivalents to the Community
Garnering funds for the Mini‐Grant Program has been of the highest priority for Concow Phoenix since our inception. Recently, we’ve focused giving to support community members’ efforts towards critical seasonal objectives of a sustainable, firewise community.

This spring, granting was focused on preparing for yet another fire season. The application for the program is a simple questionnaire about the challenges and goals the community member faces with respect to securing their structures, establishing irrigation/water systems, and clearing fire hazards from their home. With the funds available for this round of bi‐annual granting, we were able to provide gift cards to local hardware store for about 50% of those who applied.

In the fall, granting will focus on ecosystem restoration and erosion control efforts. Along with gift cards for hardware and landscaping, grantees may select from other resources including native grass seed, native grass straw bales for erosion control, native seed and labor assistance to install erosion controls. Our goal for the fall is to provide some services 100% of those in need.
~R. Funes

The Collaborative Building Initiative’s 1st Project
A Success! Our most popular program so far, and the one we still get requests for, is Shed Building. We worked in partnership with a terrific team from the Construction Management Department of CSU Chico to build 13 lockable, weather‐tight storage sheds for fire survivors during the CSU Chico winter break. At the peak of the 3 day “blitz build”, we had 60+ students and faculty volunteers camped at the Lake Concow Campground.

Through Concow Phoenix Project partnerships with CSUC, Rotary Club, local contractors and community members, we were able to bring an extremely important building project to fruition in our community. This project underscores Concow Phoenix’s commitment to collaboration and realizing shared goals with other community service organizations. We look forward to more fruitful partnerships!

~ REFER INTERESTED SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS TO CONCOW PHOENIX PROJECT!
info@concowphoenix.org

Responding to Changing Times
As fires raged in our community, I felt a sinking sensation that the face of our community was about to change. A fire charred landscape and burned homes I began to accept as a given. I had heard chilling story after story of fire on the heels of an early a.m. evacuation. I had seen my own family home as a pile of so much debris on TV. But I could think nothing except how the world had changed in the 25 years since my family made Concow our home.

When we moved to Concow, the land was cheap and the owner would carry with no money down. Wells weren’t nearly as expensive to drill, and you could power your home with a generator. I knew most of our neighbors built their own homes as young men and women, with their own labor over many years. I knew many were uninsured or under‐insured, and un-permitted.

Times certainly have changed. Code Enforcement was aware that many homes had been built before permits were required, or despite them. Add diligent inspectors on top of the increased costs for building materials, subcontractors and fees, and you have a recipe for displacement.

Community Leadership & Sustainability
Concow is lucky to boast the work of many, many people who have dedicated themselves to our community’s recovery, and in particular, the work of Ms. Mandy Pyle. Mandy has worked to fill an important role; providing leadership in organizing the community to work on critical issues with Butte County. Mandy, with Concow Phoenix representatives and other members of the Concow Citizens Committee, has led the campaign to preserve our rights to a sustainable, rural lifestyle through advocacy and education with the Board of Supervisors to adopt the Limited Density Owner Built Rural Housing and corresponding Composting Toilet/Greywater System Ordinances.

Another community member, and a founding member of the CPP, was awarded the CSU Chico Rawlins Environmental Fellowship to determine the feasibility of Strawbale Construction for Affordable Housing in the Concow community. The Fellowship has provided resources to facilitate a network of interested parties to design, engineer and build a small, demonstration strawbale home in Concow for 2010. It has provided resources to educate the community on the value of strawbale construction. Thanks to Architect Bob Theis and local engineer Paul Krohn for their interest and commitment to our community!

Limited Density Owner Built Rural Housing Ordinance
This ordinance, also known as “Title 25”, was sought by community leaders for the purpose of creating a less stringent and less costly building code for rebuilding homes in Concow. After many talks with the Butte County Building and Environmental Health Departments and with the support of Bill Connelly, District 1 Supervisor, in May 2009, the Board of Supervisors unanimously passed an acceptable version of Title 25. While the ordinance did not realize cost savings with Building Permit fees and impact fees for previously un-permitted homes, Title 25 provides certain owner/builder benefits i.e.; a 2 year building permit, fewer restrictions on room dimensions, pier foundations,the use of owner milled lumber and more, including strawbale and earthen plaster construction.


Straw Bale Construction
"Could it be that the house of the future was invented a century ago?” While the pioneers of Nebraska began building strawbale houses in the treeless prairies in 1890, straw bale construction is on the rise in California as we realize its many advantages for people and the planet. Straw bale construction is an exciting building alternative. It offers excellent insulation. Scores of “super-insulated” strawbale homes are being built in California’s Central Valley without cooling systems.

Recent tests prove plastered strawbale to be have impressive fire resistance and structural strength. And as recently as March 2009, the University of Nevada test facility subjected a small strawbale home to 200% more shaking than recorded at the 1994 Northridge, California Earthquake. After a series of seven increasingly forceful tests, the plaster cracked and the house shook off it’s foundation but, it remained standing.

Facilitating the build of a demonstration strawbale home is just one of the priorities of the Concow Phoenix Project’s Housing Initiative. Strawbale construction, still a new concept for many, can provide an attainable option for affordable, firewise housing while fulfilling a commitment to responsible environmental stewardship.
~R. Funes

Get Your Concow Rising T-Shirt for Just $15!
All-Cotton T-Shirts.
Available Styles...
Women’s:
Tanks in black and blue;
T’s in dark brown and turquoise,
Men’s:
T’s in dark green and natural
All have logo and text in tan.
Just $15 includes shipping in the Continental US!

To order: info@concowphoenix.org

As with all our projects, all profits go to our various programs to assist fire
recovery in Concow: focused mini-grants, ecosystem restoration, our housing
and building initiatives, and other educational programs.

Leverage Your Charitable Gift to CPP!
Every dollar raised for the Concow Phoenix Project thru September 30 will be increased by a percentage during the Annie B’s Community Drive.
GET MORE FOR YOUR DONATION!
Plan your gift for CPP during the months of August and September!

How to Donate?
Online at: www.nvcf.org Click the Annie B’s link
Send Checks to: Annie B’s– CPP FUND
c/o NVCF
3120 Cohasset Rd. Suite 8
Chico, CA 95973

Or: Concow Phoenix Project
4096 Big Bend Road
Yankee Hill California 95965
info@concowphoenix.org

Concow Phoenix Project is a grassroots organization dedicated to the recovery of the land and community of the Concow basin after the Butte Lightning Complex Fires of 2008.
www.ConcowPhoenix.org
Show Your Support for a local Community In Restoration!

recovery looks like this

January evening sky.
Frozen pond. December snow storm.

Wild Mountain with the remains of the December snows.
November. Past the ruination of the stone wall I built in my 8th month of pregnancy 32 years ago, you see Wild Mountain.  Thanksgiving has a whole new meaning now.

from half a year later

Six months on, our world looks and feels very different. 

Some are living on their land. It's barren, but no longer does the ash tear your throat, nor eat through your clothes.  Nature is beginning to replenish. It's raining today...our third rain since the fires. It's soft and steady...a benediction.

the snap-shots:

directly above: my first trip to my home post-fire 6 days

above it: 3 weeks after the fire, the bracken ferns push up from charred earth

middle image: august. these little sprouts from the root crown appear to be the 3rd incarnation of this live oak

2nd from top: september. our beloved mother mountain in the background: Wild Mountain

top: October. the earth is still black, but there is green and PINK too

S H E D S !

Well, we all know that sheds aren't exactly sexy, but they sure are useful. I thought anyone reading this might like to hear what Concow residents said when notified that they were to be one of the shed recipients.
(check back to the main site to read about this Concow Phoenix/CSUChico Construction Management Department project)

>*"Finally, some good news."
*"It's a blessing! It's just a blessing!"
*"It's almost more important than the house."
*"Great, now I can get my tools out from under the tarp!"

Big ol' thanks to the student volunteers who reached out and helped folks in the foot hills start to rebuild. Y'all ROCK!

1/27 Butte Watershed Workshop

Butte County Department of Water and Resource Conservation
presents



Rural Watersheds Workshop



Tuesday, January 27, 2009

4:00-8:00 PM

Butte College Cafeteria

3536 Butte Campus Drive

Oroville, CA



Join us for a FREE workshop on how best to

use and conserve water, as well as reduce fire

risks on your property in rural Butte County.



Water is a vital resource. When properly

managed, everyone benefits from healthy

watersheds, vibrant wildlife and environmental

populations, more effective agricultural

production and reduced fire risks.



Presentations Include:

·
How does groundwater function?

• Ways to monitor and efficiently use

groundwater.

• Implications of current drought conditions.

• A Healthy Watershed... what does

that mean?

• Fire wise living on your property.

• How to rebuild and replant after a

catastrophic fire.

• Effective and efficient gardening

using native vegetation.

• Erosion control.







Light refreshments will be served

For more information on the workshop,

including a detailed list of presentations and

speakers, visit:

http://www.buttecounty.net/waterandresource/

watershed_groups.htm




Information Booths:
• Butte County Resource Conservation
District
• Tehama County Resource
Conservation District
• Natural Resources Conservation
Service
• Butte Fire Safe Council
• Butte Creek Watershed Conservancy
• Big Chico Creek Watershed Alliance
• Little Chico Creek Watershed Group
• Deer Creek Watershed Conservancy
• Golden Feather Watershed/Concow
Phoenix Project
• Butte County Farm Advisor

This workshop is presented by the Butte County
Department of Water and Resource Conservation
Watershed Outreach and Education Program in
conjunction with local watershed groups. Funds for
these activities have been provided by a grant from
the CALFED Watershed Program and administered by
the Department of Water Resources.

Concow Rising 2009 Calendar

Support Concow fire survivors by buying a calendar full of information about California foothill native plants and fire prevention.
Calendar is $15 by mail to: CPP, 4096 Big Bend Rd, Yankee Hill, CA 95965.

Email: info@concowphoenix.org

Or make donations and view website at www.concowphoenix.org

Quarterly News & Fundraising

During this season of
thanks and giving,

..
we THANK YOU for your interest
in Concow Phoenix Project.

Some positive things are happening for fire survivors in Concow,

and we want you to know about them.

Concow Phoenix Project is co-sponsoring our
ADOPT-A-SHED program

with the Construction Management Department of CSUChico.

Student volunteers will be building 10 or
more weather-tight, secure, storage sheds in
Concow during the 3rd week of January.

Fire survivors really need a place to store their belongings and tools this winter.

CPP continues to raise funds for more sheds -- let's build another 10! Each shed costs $1500 to build.

Please consider a tax-deductible donation to our ADOPT-A-SHED program:

To donate any amount, make
your check out to : The University Foundation CSU
Chico
Please
mark your check "for" Chico-Concow Rebuild
2009.

Send to:
The University Foundation CSU Chico,
California State University Chico,
Chico, CA 95929-0305

..
( See the press release above for more details: "CPP-CSUC
PR-public title.")

Our BIG SEASONAL FUNDRAISER! In time for the new year -- get CPP's custom wall calendar, full of info about California foothill native
plants and fire prevention...with month by month recommendations and photos by Concow residents.

These calendars are beautiful and useful -- $10. each if picked up, $15 if mailed-- and will directly benefit Concow fire survivors.

Contact CPP at info@concowphoenix.org to order ASAP. Limited
quantity available for sale.

Thanks to our donors and our non-profit partner, North
Valley Community Foundation,
our first fund drive netted us enough money to begin
our efforts to help restore Concow.

We have made small grants to fire survivors to help them
buy construction materials.

We established a free, lending "Tool Bank" with donated tools at the Concow Campground.

Do you have extra tools? We need 'em!

Please contact info@concowphoenix.org.

We continue with local outreach and fun events.

Eat ice cream for Concow!

…
through the end of February. Bring the gang!

(See
the "BenJerryflyerwCoupons" attachment for Ben & Jerry's
coupons.)

Concow Phoenix Project always wants
volunteers. We will hook you up with a project you like to do, whether it's an hour a month or one day.

Contact
Tina at surfgirl@jps.net
to discuss,

CPP supports the Title 25 Citizens' Working Group, which has been
working with Concow citizens and several county departments.

We are planning a pilot program using a special building code for "Limited Density
Owner-Built Rural Dwellings".

Our hope is that this new code will allow residents to rebuild in an
affordable, creative and green way.
You may find yourself in the position of wanting to make charitable donations before year's end for tax
purposes -- or you may know someone in that position.

Please
remember Concow
Phoenix Project now.

Fire survivors are struggling to clean up their lands -- virtually no one has been
able to rebuild yet.

(See
the end of this email for how to donate.)

We're in it for the long haul, and we invite you to follow our progress and that of the land and community of Concow. Our web-site is a good
place to see images and read reports.

Check out www.concowphoenix.org

BIG THANKS to Morgan and Dawn of Las Tejedoras Web Design

for donating their work on our beautiful website.

>>>>>>>> EACH ONE REACH ONE !! <<<<<<<<<<

The best Christmas present you could give fire survivors would be to
become a donor -- or spread the word to others.

You can contribute to our general fund, which funds all CPP fire survivor
assistance other than the CSUC shed project.

You could talk to your neighbors, your work mates or to family and friends
about local folks who are now homeless or displaced due
to the destruction of their homes.

You could say that the gift you'd like this season is a contribution by them to
Concow Phoenix Project.
Tell them they can help. Tell them how.

Pass it on!

Here are two ways to make a
tax-deductible donation:

(1) To avoid the processing fee, YOU MAY SEND A
CHECK :

MAKE check to:

North Valley Community Foundation ..
!!! IMPORTANT
!!! Please write on your check:

.. .. ..
"for Concow Phoenix Project Fund."

MAIL check to:

North Valley Community Fund

3120 Cohasset Rd., Suite 8

Chico, CA 95973 ..
A receipt will be sent to the name and address printed on the
check.

..

(2) TO DONATE ONLINE, please enter this
URL in your browser:

http://nvcf.org/donate&list=..f452:0

Online donations are secure through Pay Pal.

A small processing fee will be
assessed per Pay Pal transaction. CPP/NVCF will mail you
a letter for receipt/tax purposes within 30 days.

All contributions are generous, regardless of
their size!
All contributions will go to help the good people of Concow rebuild their lives.

All contributions made to us through
North Valley Community Foundation are tax-deductible.

Thank you ..
CONCOW RISING!

Concow Adopt-a-Shed

Concow Adopt-a-Shed Project
Now, and thru February 2009, the Concow Phoenix Project is seeking tax-deductible community donations to assist with a CSUC/Concow Phoenix Project program to build secure, weatherproof storage sheds for Concow fire survivors. Construction starts in January 2009 by CSU-Chico Construction Management students . Adopt-a-Shed for $1500, or any donation you can afford. For more information check out www.concowphoenix.org, or contact us at info@concowphoenix.org

12-9 Concert to Benefit Concow

On December 9, 2008 is a benefit concert supporting:

• Butte County FSC - chipper program (Concow benefits)
• Seedlings to plant in burn areas (Concow benefits)
• Sawmill Peak Lookout for staffing and maintenance (Concow benefits, especially Laurel who staffs it on occassion)
• Paradise Performing Arts Center

The band is: The Christmas Jug Band and special guest Norton Buffalo. Norton owns a home in Paradise and was on tour with the Steve Miller Band during the fires. He wanted to participate in an event that would benefit our communities.

Please share this information and encourage folks to come out and have a great time in addition to supporting a worthy benefit.

Doors open at 6 pm and the shows starts at 7 pm.

Tickets are $25 - $35, there is an after party for an additional $20
For tickets go to: www.paradiseperformingarts.com

Butte College Horticultural Club - Seedlings and Plants

From Jim Hart, who also lost his place in the fire. He is in the horticulture club at Butte College and they are looking for donations and materials to grow seedlings for planting in spring 2009. Some plants are available now from the Horticulture Club.

I am in the horticulture club at Butte College and with the generous help of a local nursery, we have started a program to help replant Concow. So far we have propagated Coffeeberry cuttings and seedlings and next week we are going to start Cedar trees. We are going to try and have as many plants and trees as possible to give to fire victims by spring 2009. If all goes well and I can drum up funds and donations for supplies, it will be on an ongoing basis. If you find any nursery supplies (i.e. coffee cans, pots, soil, fertilizers, tools, etc) or people that would like to help plant when the time comes.

Butte College Horticulture Dept. has many plants, redwoods, conifers (pines) for very very cheap (almost cheaper than someone would pay for the pot that it is planted in). Someone is always there Mon-Fri 8-5.

We are growing coffeeberry plants, they're a good native, fire and deer deterrant and privacy bush. They shoould be ready by spring. Next week we are going to start some cedar trees. We are doing this at Spring Fever Nursery on Wendy Way near Lunt road and hwy 70. The owners name is Dave Warther and his nursery is open by appointment. His number is 534-1556. If anyone makes an appt. they are more than welcome to see what we have going in the green houses as well as have the opportunity to see or purchase hardy exotic plants that grow here. (mine are still alive and that is saying alot).

Butte College has 6-8 ft Jeffery Pines & Redwoods That are very cheapThere are many other conifers as well. There are many many landscape, and house plants. There is someone glad to help anyone from Concow, Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00, ask for Heather or Tip. If you mention that I sent you and that you were in the fire, they may give you a good discount. (it depends on how mad I make them that day or if my homework is late).

Jim Hart

12-11 Community Meeting - Wildflower seeds, seedlings, Title 25

COMMUNITY MEETING

Thursday, December 11th 7 p.m.

at

Yankee Hill Grange

4122 Big Bend Road

· Update on Title 25 Owner Built - Limited Density Rural Bldg code

· FREE Wildflower Seed – get your free one pound bag

· Learn how to prune returning vegetation to become trees vs. bushes.

· Update on Seedlings – we hope to hand out seedlings at this meeting, however, if the order is not ready in time, we’ll announce when we’ll have a tree give-a-way.

Needs Assessment for Construction Project

Construction project ’Needs Assessment’

To: Concow Fire Survivors Who Lost Buildings in the Fire
From: Concow Phoenix Project
Deadline: November 15 - 5pm

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN RECEIVING FREE HELP

FOR A SMALL CONSTRUCTION PROJECT ON YOUR PROPERTY?

Concow Phoenix Project (CPP) is planning a collaborative program with CSUChico (CSUC) to provide a limited number of ALL-EXPENSES-PAID (FREE), SMALL construction projects to eligible Concow fire survivors. CPP wants to know what type of projects survivors are interested in.

YOU MUST BE A CONCOW RESIDENT WHO LOST BUILDINGS IN THE JULY 2008 CONCOW FIRE.

Your response will help to make this program possible. ttt

Please reply, if interested !!!

(see where to reply, below)

Please take a moment to inform at least one friend or neighbor about this program.

Please respond by 5pm, Saturday, NOV. 15

re. your interest.

Your reply is not a commitment from you or from CPP or CSUC to build the project.

Please supply the following info when you reply:

1) I am interested in the following construction projects, in order of preference (1=most preferred). If you are not interested in a particular structure, do not give it a number.

(draw a line thru it if responding by mail).

___ a secure, lockable, weather-proof tool shed, no larger than 10'x12'

___ a shelter for your animals, no larger than 10'x12'

___ a retaining wall, not to be used for future residential building

___ other small construction project _________________________________________________

2) YES / NO: I would be willing to fill out a Concow Phoenix Project application later in November, giving some personal, confidential info about my needs, resources, address, and property losses. This info will not be shared with any group other than CPP & will be used only to analyze applications.

3) YES / NO: I lost buildings in Concow due to the Butte Lightning Complex Fire on July 7-14.

4) Name: _________________________________. Tel. or other way to contact you _________________.

YOU CAN RESPOND BY:

email to: info@concowphoenix.org -- include all info requested in 1-4 above

mail to: 4096 Big Bend Rd., Yankee Hill, CA 95965

OR

telephone to: 342-1034, press 3 –- if no one answers, please leave your name, tel. , and the info in 1-4 above, as well as the best time to contact you.

Concow Phoenix Project is a grassroots organization dedicated to the recovery of the community and land of the Concow basin after the Butte Lightning Complex Fires of July 2008. Our mission is to facilitate and support sustainability, rebuilding, community and fundraising. Our goal is to maximize resources for fire survivors who need them. Please see our web site for other fire recovery info: www.concowphoenix.org

once this was home

things NOT to say to a fire survivor

These remarks have actually been made to fire survivors from Concow. 

They vary, of course, in their degree of egregiousness, but all should be avoided if you want to keep your compassion quota high.

*I know it doesn't seem like it right now, but often the house you build after one is destroyed is better.

 (what could be "better" than the simple little cabin you built with your own hands where you birthed your baby 31 years ago; that had cool old windows dragged out of a dumpster in San Francisco 35 years ago, a big cedar deck that your friend designed and made and where you delighted to sleep..summer or winter, a tile counter you designed and made yourself in the kitchen, an old clawfoot bath tub on the back porch with water you piped half a mile down the mountain side, heated by an on-demand water heater? where nearly everything was gathered second-hand and had the personality and sometimes the personal memories to go with it; except of course, for the poles you felled and stripped yourself and the sugar pine shakes you split yourself and laid up just so? where every plank and every stone had a story and that story was of your youth and your maturing?)

*Oh, well, it's all in here (cue gesture of hand to heart)

 (this said to a woman who had lost all her photos of herself and her 2 daughters growing up along with everything else)

*At least the fire cleaned out all those pot farmers.

(this said to a retired woman of 65 who had lost her only home of 35 years)

*It's time to move on

 (Who says?) (also:DUH?) (not to mention: has this person not heard of how important grieving what is lost is to doing just that?) 

*Fire is cleansing

*It will all come back.

 (this referring to the forest) 

Obviously this person did not study succession, nor do they even know how long it takes conifers to reach 100 feet and more in height. Of course, nature springs eternal, but no one reading this will ever see Concow as it was before 6 July, 2008..none of us will live that long.

Contact Concow Phoenix Project

www.concowphoenix.org
Email info@concowphoenix.org

home mani padme home

this is from Sarah and Cal's site, when they decided to come home from China after finding out about the Concow fire...

home mani padme home

The title of this post is a pun on the Buddhist chant OM MANI PADME (paymay) HUNG,

which translates something like: the jewel in the heart of the lotus.These lotuses are blooming in 4 pots on the rooftop terrace of our hotel in Beijing.

I took these photos the morning of the evening that I found out that the fires that had been threatening my home land and which had been considered 100% contained had kicked up again, carried by strong winds.
It is unknown at this time whether any of the cabins on our 50 acres still stand. It is unlikely.
So, we are heading home.
The thing about the lotus is that it is this exquisitely beautiful flower that grows out of the mud. Thus the imagery. Even mud can give rise to beauty. Even catastrophe can give rise to...?

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