Robert "Bobby" Kennedy - Leadership in Social Justice

“Let no one be discouraged by the belief there is nothing one man or one woman can do against the enormous array of the world’s ills – against misery and ignorance, injustice and violence…Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation…
It is from the numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

Robert F. Kennedy

USDA Official - James Gore - Visits Hoopa Valley

USDA Official - James Gore - Visits Hoopa Valley

By Dave Sanden Public Affairs Specialist, Red Bluff   James Gore, Special Assistant to the USDA Assistant Secretary for Departmental Management, visited the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation February 28 during a two-week tour of California.  The visit included meetings with Klamath Trinity RCD (KTRCD) staff and Tribal Council members, a tour of farms and EQIP and AWEP project sites, and talks with landowners and NRCS staff. Recently appointed, Gore is visiting several sites around the state to meet people, find out what the issues are, and how they’re being solved.  NRCS’ work with the Hoopa Valley Tribe is notable for its team approach and trust-building efforts. Staff from the Eureka office and the North West California RC&D have been developing a relationship with the Tribe for years, resulting in establishment of KTRCD in 2007 (the first tribal RCD in California) and an NRCS office in Hoopa in 2010.  KTRCD joined NW CA RC&D as a member in 2008. NRCS also helped the Tribe complete a soil survey that will help farmers better understand the properties of their soil.  In 2009, the first EQIP contract was funded in Hoopa Valley, and the Hoopa Public Utility Department was awarded the first Tribal AWEP in the US.  In 2010, NRCS assisted the Hoopa Forestry Department in submitting a CCPI proposal that was funded for $825,000.  In 2011, NW CA RC&D adopted three new projects in Hoopa Valley. Photo: Hoopa tour participants (from left):  Juan Armand, KTRCD President; Kirsten Losse, Ag Engineer, Eureka SC; James Gore, Heidi Harris, Soil Conservation Technician, Hoopa LPO; Ed Burton, State Conservationist; Rhoby Cook, KTRCD District Coordinator; Jim Spear, Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations; Diana Sturrock Dellinger, District Conservationist, Eureka SC; Reina Rogers, American Indian Liaison; Bryon Hadwick, NW CA RC&D Coordinator; Jennifer Figueroa-Golder, Rangeland Management Specialist/Tribal Liaison, Eureka SC.

USDA’s Gore Visits the Central Valley on Outreach Tour

USDA’s Gore Visits the Central Valley on Outreach Tour Text By Jim Cairns, Public Affairs Specialist & Photo By Ken Grimes, Fresno Service Center
 James Gore (3rd from right) met with African American farmers during his outreach tour of the Central Valley. 

USDA’s James Gore, Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Departmental Management, continued his outreach-focused tour of California on March 2, hosted by NRCS, with a stop in the Central Valley (see our March 4th e-news for details on Gore’s visit to Hoopa Valley).

The 12-hour-long day of activities included six meetings with 43 NRCS conservation partners throughout Fresno and Madera counties. Tribal outreach included meetings with the Picayune Tribe, and Tribal Council, followed by a visit to the North Fork Band of Mono Indians. Both the Picayune & North Fork Tribes now have Tribal Conservation Districts (TCD). Including his previous visit to Hoopa Valley two days before, Gore visited all three existing TCDs in California.

Other visits included a stop with Mr. Lee at Cherta Farms; Mr. Galavan, a small Hispanic farmer; and Will Smith and the African-American farmers at his property near Raisin City. Additional meetings were held with local Hispanic farmers and UCCE farm advisors.

NRCS staff accompanying Gore included Luana Kiger (S.O.), Curtis Tarver (Fresno), Sharon Nance (Fresno), Jenny Johnson (Madera), Sam Vang (Fresno), Garry Ford (Madera), and Ken Grimes (Fresno).