Who We Are

AS A PUBLICATION OF SPREADING ROOTS, SPRING FORTH,
The Dirt! helps strengthen the connections between people and the environment.

Who We Are

Spreading Roots, Spring Forth Board Beetles

Laura B. Nobelis the founder of The Dirt! helping breath life into her dream so that it can take shape as the publication of Spreading Roots, Spring Forth. Ms. Nobel graduated from the University of Chicago with a BA in Environmental Studies, emphasis in biology. She is currently pursuing a Masters degree at Graduate School of Education, in a program concentrating her studies in "Leadership in Ecology, Culture and Learning." at Portland State University. She has worked within the Portland area environmental community with such organizations as Rock Creek Environmental Center through Washington County Outdoor School, Headwaters To Ocean, The Sierra Club, Friends of Trees, and Tualatin Hills Nature Park. By keeping her ear to the ground and her fingers in many piles of work at once as she chews on new ways The Dirt! and Spreading Roots, Spring Forth can improve, better increasing the quality of information in the publication, and honing our overall networking abilities as a community.

Zeratha M. Young is an optimistic, creative and free-spirited young woman who's vision encompassed within her self titled interdisciplinary studies degree "Harvesting a Sustainable Cultural Consciousness" is what drives her to keep pursuing pathways to a positive sustainable future for all. She is originally from New Hampshire but has also lived in Wisconsin and has now been in Portland for five years and loves it. Currently she is completing a year of Americorps service as a volunteer coordinator. In the fall of 2005 she plans on attending Antioch Graduate School to receive a masters in the environment and community program with a focus on whole system design. Her long term plans include strengthening SRSF and The Dirt!, going for a PhD in international sustainable development with a focus on preserving biocultural diversity, creating documentaries, working on her artwork, becoming published, and eventually developing and running a non-profit and/or NGO. In her leisure time her hobbies and interests include camping, hiking, travelling, music, art, dancing, reading, writing and exploring the natural and spiritual landscape of life. She also is a contributing "Warbling Songster Writer" for The Dirt!

Jeremy O'Leary spins a fine web with his expertise as a unix system administrator and Oracle database administrator. His expertise with blogging, open source and botany shines and only erved us in good stead when he reminded us to put good content on the web. He is one of the original masterminds to research and place The Dirt! website up using Drupal as its background database program. He has also taken much time to train new users (read SRSF Board members and more!) on ways they can use the site easily.

Advisory Mason Bees

Historically, Members of the Advisory Commmittee participated in a collaborative decision making process that steered the future direction of The Dirt! This board evolved from pure sounding board initially to undertake many efforts including: writing of a grant, design of a reader survey, moderation of focus groups, performing an analysis of various avenues to achieve financial stability, plus participating in two strategic planning retreats. Currently, the Advisory Board is undergoing a period of transition as some members have morphed into sitting on the actual Board for our developing nonprofit corporation. However, the Advisory Committee remains as a testament to the hard preliminary work of many dedicated individuals. Currently Ariana Kramer holds down the fort here in her esteemed position as one of its longest standing members. (She was there when we first dreamed up the name The Dirt! for the publication!!) Past members include such esteemed persons as: Joe Pruett, Andrew Epstein, Allen Poole, Janet Beatty, Amy Livingston, Adam Robins, Gaston To'olo, Laura Nobel and Ann Pickar. If you are interested in participating in this capacity, please contact us.

Ariana Kramer has a keen eye and ear for facilitating an excellent work environment, promoting collaborative efforts and busily brainstorming new possibilities. She has worked in such non-profits as Renewable Northwest Project, The Salvation Army, and Multnomah County's 4-H Youth Development Progrram. She has also volunteered with other organizations like Oregon Trout's SalmonWatch program, and The Nature Conservancy. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Leadership in Ecology, Culture and Learning from Portland State University. Her skills lie in the realm of wildlife studies,people, process awareness, creative writing, education and communication.

Susan Glasser rolls out management skills gained in her 20+ years in the business community. A former student at Portland State University,University of New Mexico, and Loyola University in Chicago, she offers leadership skills and a can-do attitude in financial operations, human resources, coordination of company sponsored events, and a myriad of practical office administration and management. Her rich and diverse background includes NYSE brokerage services, accounting, fish and wildlife contract services, media broadcast management, and non-profit administration. A Board member from April, 2004 until March, 2005, Susan played an integral role in the early days of the newly formed board. She continues on now as a supportive Advisor and is actively involved with her family (including three grandsons!), while simultaneously managing an independent business venture.

Graphic Design Potato Bugs

Chris Johnson has rolled his valuable graphic design knowledge into the production of concert tickets, poster, thank you cards, stationary, sign-up sheets and The Dirt! brochure. The original Dirt! logo was collaboratively designed by Laura Nobel and Chris Johnson.

Web-wise Data Spiders

Jeremy O'Leary spins a fine web with his expertise as a unix system administrator and Oracle database administrator. His expertise with blogging, open source and botany shines and only erved us in good stead when he reminded us to put good content on the web. He is one of the original masterminds to research and place The Dirt! website up using Drupal as its background database program. He has also taken much time to train new users (read SRSF Board members and more!) on ways they can use the site easily.

Zachariah Nobel was instrumental in getting our first events database written in php online and functioning efficiently so that organizers could submit their events via working web-forms that fed directly into our events database.

Joe Pruett handles the networking of our computers, maintains The Dirt!'s web site domain on a server and keeps an eye toward building in greater functionality with regards to our email list capabilities.

Allen Poole works as an independent consultant to non-profits specializing in information management, technology assessment, training, and planning. Allen combines his strong interests in environmentalism and community organizing, with a broad knowledge of non-profit organizational development, fundraising, web and database technologies. He has used his considerable database expertise to develop a donor database to keep track of The Dirt!'s incoming revenues and implement our online reader survey in May 2003.

Kara Chanask has significant expertise in website strategic planning, design and development. Her eye for style, site layout and detail has helped us consider presentation to the public in our own web site re-design (not up online yet -stay tuned!)

Emily Pollard just rolled into the heap to help with sorting out our website. Welcome!

Ryan Matson has significant skill and lots of energy for the task in crafting usable php interfaces. A late night owl, his presence on the team has helped keep momentum going on the project.

Fund Raising Springtails

Teresa Hill lends an element of fun to everything that she does. The highlight of her career so far was when she masterminded a sold-out concert party in March of 2002.

Allen Poole significantly spring boarded funds raised when he asked Dirt readers to contribute in a matching funds donation "ask." in November, 2001. He came through again for us through taking on the task of selling some yard tools leftover from our recent Yard Sale in September 2004.

Energetic Earthworm Editors

Scarth Locke matched wit with careful editing eye, sifting through weekly event submissions to catch grammatical mistakes, spelling errors and jumbled words and turn them from a pile of events sift them into the weekly Dirt! issue as we know it. Scarth has moved on to San Francisco to pursue his editing career, and will be missed. We are currently looking for new editors that would like to help out with this aspect of issue production. Good Luck Scarth!

Chris Stockner joined us in 2004 and has wiggled about doing both editing and outreach to organizations that work with us.

Creative Crane Fly

Daniela Naomi Molnar was born in New York City, but couldn´t wait to leave. After traveling widely for years, she has happily settled in Portland, and can often be spotted talking to other people´s dogs or biking in the rain. A lifelong artist, poet, and athlete, she is currently working towards a graduate degree in Science Illustration. Her artwork was recently featured in the New York Times Magazine, and she is currently working on a mural in Portland´s Pearl District. As artist extraordinaire, Daniela painted the tree on our most beautiful Spreading Roots, Spring Forth Tabling Display Board. She is available for custom illustration, signs, murals, or prints.

SRSF Songster Writers

Ariana Kramer hatched the idea of the popular Meet Your Neighbor feature that explores the world around us by examining fellow "neighbors" from a natural history point of view She has worked in such non-profits as Renewable Northwest Project, The Salvation Army, and Multnomah County's 4-H Youth Development Progrram. She has also volunteered with other organizations like Oregon Trout's SalmonWatch program, and The Nature Conservancy. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Leadership in Ecology, Culture and Learning from Portland State University. Her skills lie in the realm of people and process awareness and communication.

Clair Klock Strong supporter and yearly Songster Writer Clair Klock has farmed for the past 25 years with his wife Beverly,. They started with a leased field and then developed their own blueberry farm at 931 NE Salzman road in Corbett on the western end of the  Columbia River Gorger. They concentrate mainly on U-pick and ready, fresh-picked blueberries. The berries are available later in the season than most in the Willamette Valley because they are grown at a higher elevation. The Klock's have always run the farm as a teaching center for agriculture and conservation, answering any questions asked. Clair and Beverly give a free annual Berry Care Seminar in late January or early February for the public. Klock Farm can be found as part of the Farm Fresh Produce Guide or by calling 503.695.5882

Zeratha M. Young is a fun, mature and visionary 27 year old poet who loves reading, writing, music, art, hiking, camping, dancing, traveling, and being socially and environmentally conscious and active. In her own words she describes her life: "Currently I serve as an Americorps coordinator developing a volunteer program from the bottom up for The Arc of Multnomah County. I recently graduated with a bachelors degree from Marylhurst University in interdisciplinary studies entitled "Harvesting A Sustainable Cultural Consciousness", with concentrations in ecology, spirituality and the social sciences. I have been in Portland for over four and a half years and love it here. Originally I am from the East Coast- New Hampshire to be exact. I also lived in Wisconsin for ten years before moving here to Portland to attend M.U. My future plans include going to grad school for international sustainable development and international environmental policy with a focus on preserving biocultural diversity. Eventually I would like to run an NGO/Non-profit, create documentaries, work on my art, be published, do a stint in the Peace Corps or other international volunteer opportunity and live a fulfilling spiritual, conscious lifestyle while hopefully helping make a difference in this crazy world of ours."

Nancy Wolf just rolled into the heap to help as a Warbling Songster Writer of the weekly introduction section. Welcome!(A better description will be forthcoming soon.)

Cheyenne Glasgow just rolled into the heap to help as a Warbling Songster Writer of the weekly introduction section. Welcome!(A better description will be forthcoming soon.)

Jill Kuehler just rolled into the heap to help as a Warbling Songster Writer of the weekly introduction section. Welcome!(A better description will be forthcoming soon.)

Casey Bynum just rolled into the heap to help as a Warbling Songster Writer of the weekly introduction section. Welcome!(A better description will be forthcoming soon.)

Louise Banks just rolled into the heap to help as a Warbling Songster Writer of the weekly introduction section. Welcome!(A better description will be forthcoming soon.)

Chad Honl just rolled into the heap to help as a Warbling Songster Writer of the weekly introduction section. Welcome!(A better description will be forthcoming soon.)

Alberto Naranjo is a Fairy Princess of the First Order of Princi. Yes, I know. You´re probably wondering how could this be. Must not a princess be a girl? Well, generally speaking yes, but there have been a few exceptions to this rule. Alberto´s mother bore no daughters. So, when she retired at the ripe young age of 879, he picked up her mantle and wears it proudly to this day. The job of Fairy Princess is not nearly so glamorous as one might imagine. It´s basically an executive position. Alberto works very hard, troubleshooting and supervising a rather large crew of pixies, nymphs, and other assorted species as they fly about the forest at night looking after all of the woodland creatures. For Alberto, the most difficult part of his job is the dancing which must be done at the end of each shift, just before sunrise. Swirling and twirling in Fairy Rings makes Alberto very dizzy and somewhat nauseous, but he cannot shirk this duty. After all, if the Princess did not dance no one else would either, and then things would really start to fall apart!

Nina Jett just rolled into the heap to help as a Warbling Songster Writer of the weekly introduction section. Welcome!(A better description will be forthcoming soon.)

Tim Holbert just rolled into the heap to help as a Warbling Songster Writer of the weekly introduction section. Welcome!(A better description will be forthcoming soon.)

Jenny Andrews just rolled into the heap to help as a Warbling Songster Writer of the weekly introduction section. Welcome!(A better description will be forthcoming soon.)

Amazingly Active Actinomycetes

Tim Brandon, Doug Burcomb, Kris Frietag, Ameer Tavakoli, and "BD" fill in holes on an as-needed basis to do outreach, research, brainstorming, and Dirt! promotion through tabling. Most recently Tim and Kris formed the bulk of the tabling committee to design a fantastic new Tabling Display Board for SRSF and The Dirt!. Ameer has taken on the task of helping create website documentation.

We are currently looking for more volunteers.

Spreading Roots, Spring Forth

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