WISDOM OF THE ELDERBERRY FARM
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Mission Statement
Elderberry Wisdom Farm provides holistic workforce opportunities and culturally-tailored mentoring for Native Americans pursuing meaningful conservation career pathways, including habitat restoration, native plant nursery development, urban forestry and organic farming. Educational outreach to Native Americans, communities of color and public audiences will also increase awareness and understanding of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) along with the rich cultural heritage of America’s First Peoples. We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion for all by strengthening appreciation and respect for the wisdom and knowledge of Native American youth, elders, cultural leaders and indigenous scientists.
About This Cause
Elderberry Wisdom Farm was formed in 2019 to accomplish the Traditional Ecological Knowledge Workforce Development Project to provide cohorts of Native Americans and other interns of color with culturally tailored academic training and service learning in habitat restoration and native plant nursery development. In 2022, the Native Agricultural Biodiversity Accelerator was developed to help emerging owners/operators integrate TEK standards of practice with local western science practices to restore Mid-Willamette Valley wetlands, forests, and farms. In 2024, with support of partners, we created the Native American Climate Adaptation Partnership which includes urban forestry. EWF accomplishments: 9 cohorts of Native American and other Interns of color have successfully strengthened their conservation career pathways through EWF's culturally tailored learning model which is compatible with Native American learning styles. * In 2025, our majority (85%) Native American team will expand to include 8 staff members and 6 contractors; and develop our executive transition plan into its group leadership model. *Nursery infrastructure development includes EWF's four-acre site with the two-acre native plant nursery, 5 recessed growing beds (4' x 16'), smart irrigation system, 48' x 48' greenhouse, 350' south facing hedgerow, 250' east facing hedgerow, Sambucus patch, Douglas fir forested area, and ceremony area. Staff qualifications: Founding Director Rose High Bear, with 30 years of prior experience as Director of Native American nonprofits, gained broad background and skills developing a conservation workforce development model with culturally relevant learning materials. She developed EWF's Traditional Ecological Knowledge Workforce Development Project in a 5-year partnership with Chemeketa Community College (2021-2026). As a result, nine cohorts of Native American and other interns of color have strengthened their conservation skills and career pathways. EWF’s team of five Native American educators, mentors, curriculum writers and tribal/community liaisons have combined four decades of experience to provide conservation, habitat restoration and native plant nursery development training to local Native Americans and other workers of color. The team is now expanding to include UCF classroom education with experiential service-learning activities at their 2-acre educational farm, adjacent 2-acre native plant nursery, and partner sites. This has helped them gain additional support from an increasing number of new collaborative conservation partners. The leadership team and EWF’s majority Native American board of directors manage the organization using group decision making. This hybrid management model, a four-person Native American executive management team concept, was developed over a decade to share leadership and collaborative decision making with its expanding multi-generational organization of color. EWF's model is more compatible with traditional Native American leadership and communication styles because it integrates the voices of staff and interns with the founder and working board plus it includes technical assistance support from western science partners. The EWF team includes a community outreach and social media volunteer who will be hired with proposed grant funding to expand awareness of the project to the students and communities of color benefitting from project successes. Long-term project sustainability EWF celebrated its fifth year of operations in 2024 with strengthened capacity. Rose High Bear's 30 years of experience as Director of local Native American nonprofits and a background in project development, education, racial equity, and outreach also strengthens EWF's sustainability to succeed in culturally relevant multimedia education, conservation workforce development, community outreach and social and environmental justice. She created and funded a successful social and economic initiative for Portland's low-income urban Indian community and administered it for a decade before relocating to rural Marion County. The LLC operated for over a decade in the Portland metro area, providing secure employment for Native American habitat restoration workers. This helps to prove the concept that training Native Americans in conservation career pathways and providing them with work opportunities and leadership is a successful business model. EWF's all-Native American staff has strengthened qualifications and will increase to 10 staff and 6 consultants in 2025. The six-person majority Native American board of directors meets monthly to manage EWF using group decision making. Their hybrid management model is compatible with traditional Native American leadership and communication styles, and shares leadership across the organization, integrating the voices of staff and interns as well as technical assistance from six conservation partners. The Native plant nursery site includes 2023-4 completion of our 700 sq. ft. classroom on the farm. We have held 9 internships for interns to 36; evolved our learning model, lesson plans and work plans supporting interns' learning experiences; and increased agency and organizational partnerships. All elements of this project are designed to continually strengthen EWF capacity to help our Native workforce as they increase their knowledge and skills in habitat restoration, native plant nursery infrastructure, maintenance and management. We continue to observe the need to increase numbers of culturally significant native plant species in urban forests and other ecosystems in this region to balance the impact of climate change. We also recognize the need to identify gaps in knowledge that need to be filled so we can actively conserve the health and abundance of these species. We increased organizational revenue annually (2020 - $12,100; 2021 - $86,370; 2022 - $346,580; and 2023 - $470,200) which strengthens financial capacity building and organizational sustainability; and increased public awareness through educational and social media outreach. All projects have successfully completed, providing a positive outlook for future funding, including three years (2025-2027) of funding secured from Marion Soil and Water Conservation District, Oregon Tilth, the Trust for Public Land and the Center for Regenerative Solutions.