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• 1. [Article] Mosier Valley Groundwater Conservation Action Plan: Concept Paper

  Abstract -- This concept paper attempts to describe a groundwater conservation action plan to reverse the overdraft of groundwater in the Mosier Valley, allowing for sustainable use of the resource, and ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Mosier Valley Groundwater Conservation Action Plan: Concept Paper Abstract -- This concept paper attempts to describe a groundwater conservation action plan to reverse the overdraft of groundwater in the Mosier Valley, allowing for sustainable use of the resource, and conservation of all natural resource values in the Mosier Valley, including homeownership, agriculture, stream flows, and fish and wildlife habitat. Title: Mosier Valley Groundwater Conservation Action Plan: Concept Paper Abstract -- This concept paper attempts to describe a groundwater conservation action plan to reverse the overdraft of groundwater in the Mosier Valley, allowing for sustainable use of the resource, and conservation of all natural resource values in the Mosier Valley, including homeownership, agriculture, stream flows, and fish and wildlife habitat. Close

• 2. [Article] Planning for Sustainability of Groundwater Resources in the Mosier Valley, Wasco County, Oregon

  Abstract -- The document is an executive summary on the Planning for Sustainability of Groundwater Resources in the Mosier Valley, of Wasco County, Oregon.

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Planning for Sustainability of Groundwater Resources in the Mosier Valley, Wasco County, Oregon Abstract -- The document is an executive summary on the Planning for Sustainability of Groundwater Resources in the Mosier Valley, of Wasco County, Oregon. Title: Planning for Sustainability of Groundwater Resources in the Mosier Valley, Wasco County, Oregon Abstract -- The document is an executive summary on the Planning for Sustainability of Groundwater Resources in the Mosier Valley, of Wasco County, Oregon. Close

• 3. [Article] Lower Tillamook Bay Watershed Plan and Environmental Assessment

  Abstract -- This document describes a plan to improve water quality and fishery habitat within the Lower Tillamook Bay Watershed while improving the economic sustainability of the dairy and livestock industry. ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Lower Tillamook Bay Watershed Plan and Environmental Assessment Abstract -- This document describes a plan to improve water quality and fishery habitat within the Lower Tillamook Bay Watershed while improving the economic sustainability of the dairy and livestock industry. This plan will help the agricultural community meet the requirements under the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. The financial and technical assistance provided will offer the agricultural community the opportunity to accelerate efforts already underway through the Tillamook Bay National Estuary Study and other state and local programs (Oregon Plan, SB1010 plans, etc.). Proposed is the development and implementation of conservation plans on approximately 60 dairies, 22 heifer replacement operations and 34 other livestock operations. Plans will address resource concerns on farm headquarters, pasture and haylands, riparian areas and wetlands. Title: Lower Tillamook Bay Watershed Plan and Environmental Assessment Abstract -- This document describes a plan to improve water quality and fishery habitat within the Lower Tillamook Bay Watershed while improving the economic sustainability of the dairy and livestock industry. This plan will help the agricultural community meet the requirements under the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. The financial and technical assistance provided will offer the agricultural community the opportunity to accelerate efforts already underway through the Tillamook Bay National Estuary Study and other state and local programs (Oregon Plan, SB1010 plans, etc.). Proposed is the development and implementation of conservation plans on approximately 60 dairies, 22 heifer replacement operations and 34 other livestock operations. Plans will address resource concerns on farm headquarters, pasture and haylands, riparian areas and wetlands. Close

• 4. [Article] Coho Life Cycle Monitoring in Palouse and Larson Creeks

  Abstract -- The Coho Life Cycle Monitoring project in Palouse and Larson Creeks is a continuation of a long-term monitoring study initiated in 2004 to examne coho salmon survival, production and habitat ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Coho Life Cycle Monitoring in Palouse and Larson Creeks Abstract -- The Coho Life Cycle Monitoring project in Palouse and Larson Creeks is a continuation of a long-term monitoring study initiated in 2004 to examne coho salmon survival, production and habitat use in tide gated coastal lowland streams. Tide gates are tidal flood control structures designed to open and close with each tidal cycle to limit tidal influence on upstream agricultural areas. The basic function of tide gates creates a partial barrier to fish passage. Coastal lowland streams are critical for the sustainability of Oregon Coastal coho, but it is unclear how tide gates may affect coho movement, habitat use and survival. Displaced fishers were employed by the Coos Watershed Association with funding from OWEB Grant 208-2098 during fall 2008 through fall 2009 to assist with implementation of the Life Cycle Monitoring project and related sampling efforts in the lowland coastal subbasins. Title: Coho Life Cycle Monitoring in Palouse and Larson Creeks Abstract -- The Coho Life Cycle Monitoring project in Palouse and Larson Creeks is a continuation of a long-term monitoring study initiated in 2004 to examne coho salmon survival, production and habitat use in tide gated coastal lowland streams. Tide gates are tidal flood control structures designed to open and close with each tidal cycle to limit tidal influence on upstream agricultural areas. The basic function of tide gates creates a partial barrier to fish passage. Coastal lowland streams are critical for the sustainability of Oregon Coastal coho, but it is unclear how tide gates may affect coho movement, habitat use and survival. Displaced fishers were employed by the Coos Watershed Association with funding from OWEB Grant 208-2098 during fall 2008 through fall 2009 to assist with implementation of the Life Cycle Monitoring project and related sampling efforts in the lowland coastal subbasins. Close

• 5. [Article] AI - Rearing of Juvenile Salmon in Recovering Wetlands of the Salmon River Estuary

  Abstract -- The Salmon River estuary, on the central Oregon coast, provides an excellent opportunity to study salmonid use of restored tidal marsh. The U.S. Forest Service manages the estuary as part of ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: AI - Rearing of Juvenile Salmon in Recovering Wetlands of the Salmon River Estuary Abstract -- The Salmon River estuary, on the central Oregon coast, provides an excellent opportunity to study salmonid use of restored tidal marsh. The U.S. Forest Service manages the estuary as part of the Cascade Head Scenic Research Area with the goal to rehabilitate the estuary “to its condition prior to the existing diking and agricultural use.” To achieve this goal, the U.S. Forest Service has completed three dike removal projects at 9-year intervals beginning in 1978. These projects created a patchwork of restored marshes in various stages of recovery, providing a natural laboratory for studying marsh restoration processes and their effects on estuarine rearing salmonids. Our Sea Grant-funded research, which is a cooperative study with researchers from the University of Washington, has four objectives: (1) describe salmon species use of undiked reference and recovering marshes; (2) compare diets of juvenile salmon among reference and diked marshes of different recovery ages; (3) compare availability and distribution of prey organisms consumed by juvenile salmon; and (4) assess geomorphological and ecological indicators (“metrics”) of restored wetlands and relationships to salmon use. This report describes the results of fish distribution and abundance surveys. Results of the other objectives are described in Gray et al. (In Review). Title: AI - Rearing of Juvenile Salmon in Recovering Wetlands of the Salmon River Estuary Abstract -- The Salmon River estuary, on the central Oregon coast, provides an excellent opportunity to study salmonid use of restored tidal marsh. The U.S. Forest Service manages the estuary as part of the Cascade Head Scenic Research Area with the goal to rehabilitate the estuary “to its condition prior to the existing diking and agricultural use.” To achieve this goal, the U.S. Forest Service has completed three dike removal projects at 9-year intervals beginning in 1978. These projects created a patchwork of restored marshes in various stages of recovery, providing a natural laboratory for studying marsh restoration processes and their effects on estuarine rearing salmonids. Our Sea Grant-funded research, which is a cooperative study with researchers from the University of Washington, has four objectives: (1) describe salmon species use of undiked reference and recovering marshes; (2) compare diets of juvenile salmon among reference and diked marshes of different recovery ages; (3) compare availability and distribution of prey organisms consumed by juvenile salmon; and (4) assess geomorphological and ecological indicators (“metrics”) of restored wetlands and relationships to salmon use. This report describes the results of fish distribution and abundance surveys. Results of the other objectives are described in Gray et al. (In Review). Close

• 6. [Article] ODFW Sage Grouse Core Areas

  Abstract -- Core Area Approach to Habitat Mitigation for Greater Sage-Grouse in Oregon: The goal of these recommendations is to protect essential habitats to meet habitat and population objectives identified ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: ODFW Sage Grouse Core Areas Abstract -- Core Area Approach to Habitat Mitigation for Greater Sage-Grouse in Oregon: The goal of these recommendations is to protect essential habitats to meet habitat and population objectives identified in this Plan. The objective of these recommendations is to avoid, minimize, or mitigate for impacts on sage-grouse habitats from energy development, its associated infrastructure or other industrial/commercial developments. The rapid increase in energy development across the West in recent years has initiated a landscape approach to wildlife conservation, referred to as core areas (Doherty et al. 2011). The landscape approach prioritizes habitats based on measures that assess sage-grouse population and habitat relative abundance, and provides protection for a minimum of 75% of the population. The remaining 25% of the population area would be available for development with some level of stipulations and regulations, but likely at a reduced level. The strength of this approach is that it uses biological information to identify core areas with the objective of protecting the most important breeding areas. It also enables managers, at the landscape scale, to map and analyze the risks and necessary conservation measures for each core area. The limitation of this approach is that it focuses on breeding abundances. For sage-grouse the relative abundance data is drawn from spring lek counts of males. Thus, habitat conservation measures may be biased towards breeding and nesting only. Lek data have limitations as well including: variable sampling effort both spatially and temporally and detection probabilities have not been estimated for ground or aerial counts. Notwithstanding, these are the best data available for mapping sage-grouse distributions. Because the method outlined by Doherty et al. (2011) focuses on breeding habitats and ODFWs lek data is prone to variable sampling, an additional and complementary method was used to approximate seasonal use ranges, referred to as connectivity corridors. Using a home range estimator local and seasonal connectivity corridors were estimated. Thus, it is important to clarify some definitions about the mapping approach in Oregon. This document refers to Doherty's "core areas" (i.e., 25, 50, 75, 100%) as lek density strata. Lek density 25-75% polygons and the intersection of 100% strata and local connectivity polygons collectively define a "core area." Title: ODFW Sage Grouse Core Areas Abstract -- Core Area Approach to Habitat Mitigation for Greater Sage-Grouse in Oregon: The goal of these recommendations is to protect essential habitats to meet habitat and population objectives identified in this Plan. The objective of these recommendations is to avoid, minimize, or mitigate for impacts on sage-grouse habitats from energy development, its associated infrastructure or other industrial/commercial developments. The rapid increase in energy development across the West in recent years has initiated a landscape approach to wildlife conservation, referred to as core areas (Doherty et al. 2011). The landscape approach prioritizes habitats based on measures that assess sage-grouse population and habitat relative abundance, and provides protection for a minimum of 75% of the population. The remaining 25% of the population area would be available for development with some level of stipulations and regulations, but likely at a reduced level. The strength of this approach is that it uses biological information to identify core areas with the objective of protecting the most important breeding areas. It also enables managers, at the landscape scale, to map and analyze the risks and necessary conservation measures for each core area. The limitation of this approach is that it focuses on breeding abundances. For sage-grouse the relative abundance data is drawn from spring lek counts of males. Thus, habitat conservation measures may be biased towards breeding and nesting only. Lek data have limitations as well including: variable sampling effort both spatially and temporally and detection probabilities have not been estimated for ground or aerial counts. Notwithstanding, these are the best data available for mapping sage-grouse distributions. Because the method outlined by Doherty et al. (2011) focuses on breeding habitats and ODFWs lek data is prone to variable sampling, an additional and complementary method was used to approximate seasonal use ranges, referred to as connectivity corridors. Using a home range estimator local and seasonal connectivity corridors were estimated. Thus, it is important to clarify some definitions about the mapping approach in Oregon. This document refers to Doherty's "core areas" (i.e., 25, 50, 75, 100%) as lek density strata. Lek density 25-75% polygons and the intersection of 100% strata and local connectivity polygons collectively define a "core area." Close

• 7. [Article] Beyond Fruit: Examining Community in a Community Orchard

  The Fruits of Diversity Community Orchard, located in Portland, Oregon in an affordable housing neighborhood, is a site of alternative food provisioning in which a group of people, organized by two nonprofits, ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Beyond Fruit: Examining Community in a Community Orchard Author: Becker, Emily Jane Year: 2015 The Fruits of Diversity Community Orchard, located in Portland, Oregon in an affordable housing neighborhood, is a site of alternative food provisioning in which a group of people, organized by two nonprofits, work together to manage fruit and nut producing plants. Through conversations with volunteers who participate regularly and participant observation, this study explores the questions: What does community mean in the context of a community orchard? In what ways does partnering with a nonprofit from outside the neighborhood influence community and the way the project is operationalized? This thesis situates community orchards within the literature on alternative food networks (AFN) and highlights three key findings drawing on literature about community development and race in AFNs. First, neighbors and non-neighbors who participate in the project propose different definitions of community. Second, neighbor involvement is limited by a number of factors, including neighborhood divisions and organizational challenges. Notably, orchard participants do not reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the neighborhood, putting this project at risk of creating a white space in a majority people of color neighborhood and reproducing inequality rather than fighting against it. Finally, this research complicates the notion of community in alternative food networks and demonstrates how collaborating with an organization from outside the neighborhood impacted the community through increasing non-neighbor participation and through their communications, aesthetics, decision making, and inattention to racial dynamics in the neighborhood and orchard. Title: Beyond Fruit: Examining Community in a Community Orchard Author: Becker, Emily Jane Year: 2015 The Fruits of Diversity Community Orchard, located in Portland, Oregon in an affordable housing neighborhood, is a site of alternative food provisioning in which a group of people, organized by two nonprofits, work together to manage fruit and nut producing plants. Through conversations with volunteers who participate regularly and participant observation, this study explores the questions: What does community mean in the context of a community orchard? In what ways does partnering with a nonprofit from outside the neighborhood influence community and the way the project is operationalized? This thesis situates community orchards within the literature on alternative food networks (AFN) and highlights three key findings drawing on literature about community development and race in AFNs. First, neighbors and non-neighbors who participate in the project propose different definitions of community. Second, neighbor involvement is limited by a number of factors, including neighborhood divisions and organizational challenges. Notably, orchard participants do not reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the neighborhood, putting this project at risk of creating a white space in a majority people of color neighborhood and reproducing inequality rather than fighting against it. Finally, this research complicates the notion of community in alternative food networks and demonstrates how collaborating with an organization from outside the neighborhood impacted the community through increasing non-neighbor participation and through their communications, aesthetics, decision making, and inattention to racial dynamics in the neighborhood and orchard. Close

• 8. [Article] Cultivating Common Ground? A Case Study of a Community Garden Organization in Northeast Portland, Oregon

  When it comes to the topic of environmental sustainability, most of us will readily agree that we face a litany of local and global environmental threats in the twenty-first century. As such, we would ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Cultivating Common Ground? A Case Study of a Community Garden Organization in Northeast Portland, Oregon Author: Zinschlag, Bryan James Year: 2014 When it comes to the topic of environmental sustainability, most of us will readily agree that we face a litany of local and global environmental threats in the twenty-first century. As such, we would largely agree that the need to address climate change and other issues is urgent. Where this agreement tends to end, however, is on the question of whether this urgency is so great that we need not address issues of inequality and environmental justice when organizing sustainability efforts. Some are convinced that, because sustainability efforts are "saving the world for everyone", so to speak, issues of environmental justice are secondary at best. On the other hand, "just sustainability" advocates argue that no such effort is truly sustainable unless it considers winners and losers from the onset. I will argue the latter and demonstrate the potential consequences of a sustainability effort that has failed thus far at engaging those who might benefit most from involvement. This study is an exploration of the City Soil Network (CSN), a community garden organization comprised of seventeen garden sites throughout Portland, Oregon. Thirteen of these sites are in Northeast Portland, an area with a history of racial and ethnic discrimination and both inequalities and boundaries that prevail across the same lines today. A significant number of these residents are food insecure or at risk of becoming food insecure. Furthermore, recent gentrification in Northeast Portland has disproportionately displaced African Americans and members of other historically marginalized communities. As such, these groups tend to view recent neighborhood changes as a new variation on a decades old theme of injustice. Previous research suggests that community gardens can play a role in addressing all of these problems to some degree. However, this body of research has yet to explicitly analyze the relationship between local historical context, gentrification, the conflicting rhetorics of environmental sustainability and environmental justice and outcomes for community garden organizations. This case study includes content analysis of organizational publications, participant observation from four of the CSN's garden sites in Northeast Portland. It also includes interviews with eleven members of the CSN, representing all three levels of involvement with the organization, and six interviews with representatives of community organizations that serve Northeast Portland in some capacity. This study finds that the CSN largely consists of members of a preexisting community of sustainable agriculture enthusiasts. As such, those involved tend not to live near their garden site(s) and are distinct in a number of ways from the diverse neighborhoods that surround many of the CSN's garden sites. The organization has made very few neighborhood-level outreach efforts thus far, and those that have been made have largely been unsuccessful. Understandings expressed by both groups of interviewees help to explain why this has been the case. They also compel me to introduce the potentially adverse impact of gentrification on understandings of neighborhood socioeconomic conditions into the just sustainability debate; we need to consider that unjust sustainability can be the result of not only a lack of concern for inequality, but also a simple lack of awareness of it. Interviewees also provide suggestions for how the CSN or other community garden organizations might be more successful in appealing to marginalized communities. Title: Cultivating Common Ground? A Case Study of a Community Garden Organization in Northeast Portland, Oregon Author: Zinschlag, Bryan James Year: 2014 When it comes to the topic of environmental sustainability, most of us will readily agree that we face a litany of local and global environmental threats in the twenty-first century. As such, we would largely agree that the need to address climate change and other issues is urgent. Where this agreement tends to end, however, is on the question of whether this urgency is so great that we need not address issues of inequality and environmental justice when organizing sustainability efforts. Some are convinced that, because sustainability efforts are "saving the world for everyone", so to speak, issues of environmental justice are secondary at best. On the other hand, "just sustainability" advocates argue that no such effort is truly sustainable unless it considers winners and losers from the onset. I will argue the latter and demonstrate the potential consequences of a sustainability effort that has failed thus far at engaging those who might benefit most from involvement. This study is an exploration of the City Soil Network (CSN), a community garden organization comprised of seventeen garden sites throughout Portland, Oregon. Thirteen of these sites are in Northeast Portland, an area with a history of racial and ethnic discrimination and both inequalities and boundaries that prevail across the same lines today. A significant number of these residents are food insecure or at risk of becoming food insecure. Furthermore, recent gentrification in Northeast Portland has disproportionately displaced African Americans and members of other historically marginalized communities. As such, these groups tend to view recent neighborhood changes as a new variation on a decades old theme of injustice. Previous research suggests that community gardens can play a role in addressing all of these problems to some degree. However, this body of research has yet to explicitly analyze the relationship between local historical context, gentrification, the conflicting rhetorics of environmental sustainability and environmental justice and outcomes for community garden organizations. This case study includes content analysis of organizational publications, participant observation from four of the CSN's garden sites in Northeast Portland. It also includes interviews with eleven members of the CSN, representing all three levels of involvement with the organization, and six interviews with representatives of community organizations that serve Northeast Portland in some capacity. This study finds that the CSN largely consists of members of a preexisting community of sustainable agriculture enthusiasts. As such, those involved tend not to live near their garden site(s) and are distinct in a number of ways from the diverse neighborhoods that surround many of the CSN's garden sites. The organization has made very few neighborhood-level outreach efforts thus far, and those that have been made have largely been unsuccessful. Understandings expressed by both groups of interviewees help to explain why this has been the case. They also compel me to introduce the potentially adverse impact of gentrification on understandings of neighborhood socioeconomic conditions into the just sustainability debate; we need to consider that unjust sustainability can be the result of not only a lack of concern for inequality, but also a simple lack of awareness of it. Interviewees also provide suggestions for how the CSN or other community garden organizations might be more successful in appealing to marginalized communities. Close

• 9. [Article] Local food and land-use in Washington County, Oregon

  Local food networks are often defined as presenting a variety of alternative food production, consumption, and distribution practices to the conventional food system such as community-supported-agriculture, ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Local food and land-use in Washington County, Oregon Author: Cousins, Joshua James Year: 2010 Local food networks are often defined as presenting a variety of alternative food production, consumption, and distribution practices to the conventional food system such as community-supported-agriculture, farmers markets, and community gardens. Local food initiatives are commonly proposed as a model for the future of sustainable agriculture, and in the region of Portland, Oregon the abundance of such alternative venues results from the area's natural surroundings and smart planning. The region is host to 39 farmers markets and Portland is often hailed as one of the country's most sustainable cities. This study examines the role of local food networks in preserving agricultural land uses and livelihoods in Washington County, Oregon, a rapidly growing county adjacent to the city of Portland. I focus on small-scale agricultural landscapes where the producer sells at farmers markets or through community supported agriculture (CSAs). I explore farmers' concerns about urbanization and farmland preservation, their relationship to urban markets, motives to become a farmer, engagement with the surrounding environment, and their difficulties participating in local food networks. In addition, I explore farmers market managers' insights into the development of local food networks and how they see their markets supporting small-scale farmers. In a survey of consumers I examine consumer motives to `buy local' and consumer concerns about farmland preservation. The research is qualitative and explores: 1) the processes shaping the development of local food networks; 2) how particular ideas and images of nature and the countryside inform both consumer desires to purchase from farmers selling locally and; 3) how those same images of nature and the countryside inform and motivate people to become farmers participating in local food networks. In so doing, I argue that the networks that sustain urban and rural systems are important in understanding the development of local food networks, and that the preservation of economically and culturally important agricultural lands in Washington County depends on a diversity of opinions and rural narratives in order to preserve small-scale sustainable farmlands close-in to cities. The conclusion is that local food sold through alternative venues can be used as a means to preserve and develop specific and manageable farm sites and agricultural land uses but the impact is limited. Large scale impacts on agricultural land uses and livelihoods will depend on planners and advocates agreeing on policies that encompass a diversity of opinions, land uses, and land managers, while understanding the array of networks beyond the city that sustain both urban and rural systems. Title: Local food and land-use in Washington County, Oregon Author: Cousins, Joshua James Year: 2010 Local food networks are often defined as presenting a variety of alternative food production, consumption, and distribution practices to the conventional food system such as community-supported-agriculture, farmers markets, and community gardens. Local food initiatives are commonly proposed as a model for the future of sustainable agriculture, and in the region of Portland, Oregon the abundance of such alternative venues results from the area's natural surroundings and smart planning. The region is host to 39 farmers markets and Portland is often hailed as one of the country's most sustainable cities. This study examines the role of local food networks in preserving agricultural land uses and livelihoods in Washington County, Oregon, a rapidly growing county adjacent to the city of Portland. I focus on small-scale agricultural landscapes where the producer sells at farmers markets or through community supported agriculture (CSAs). I explore farmers' concerns about urbanization and farmland preservation, their relationship to urban markets, motives to become a farmer, engagement with the surrounding environment, and their difficulties participating in local food networks. In addition, I explore farmers market managers' insights into the development of local food networks and how they see their markets supporting small-scale farmers. In a survey of consumers I examine consumer motives to `buy local' and consumer concerns about farmland preservation. The research is qualitative and explores: 1) the processes shaping the development of local food networks; 2) how particular ideas and images of nature and the countryside inform both consumer desires to purchase from farmers selling locally and; 3) how those same images of nature and the countryside inform and motivate people to become farmers participating in local food networks. In so doing, I argue that the networks that sustain urban and rural systems are important in understanding the development of local food networks, and that the preservation of economically and culturally important agricultural lands in Washington County depends on a diversity of opinions and rural narratives in order to preserve small-scale sustainable farmlands close-in to cities. The conclusion is that local food sold through alternative venues can be used as a means to preserve and develop specific and manageable farm sites and agricultural land uses but the impact is limited. Large scale impacts on agricultural land uses and livelihoods will depend on planners and advocates agreeing on policies that encompass a diversity of opinions, land uses, and land managers, while understanding the array of networks beyond the city that sustain both urban and rural systems. Close

• 10. [Article] Engaging Community Food Systems through Learning Garden Programs: Oregon Food Bank's Seed to Supper Program

  The purpose of this study was to discover whether learning garden programs increase access to locally grown foods and successfully empower and include food insecure populations. This study examined the ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Engaging Community Food Systems through Learning Garden Programs: Oregon Food Bank's Seed to Supper Program Author: Withers, Denissia Elizabeth Year: 2012 The purpose of this study was to discover whether learning garden programs increase access to locally grown foods and successfully empower and include food insecure populations. This study examined the Oregon Food Bank's Seed to Supper program which situates garden-based learning in food insecure communities. Through a mixed-methods community-based research process, this study found that community building, learner empowerment and sustainability leadership in place-based learning garden programs increased access to locally grown foods for food insecure populations. When food insecure populations participated in these learning garden programs they often engaged in practices described in the literature as the "web of inclusion" (Helgesen, 1995). When food insecure populations were engaged in these practices, participation in food democracy and food justice increased. Additionally, participation in learning gardens led to sustainability leadership and increased access to food literacy, which led to greater community health and engaged, local community food systems. Title: Engaging Community Food Systems through Learning Garden Programs: Oregon Food Bank's Seed to Supper Program Author: Withers, Denissia Elizabeth Year: 2012 The purpose of this study was to discover whether learning garden programs increase access to locally grown foods and successfully empower and include food insecure populations. This study examined the Oregon Food Bank's Seed to Supper program which situates garden-based learning in food insecure communities. Through a mixed-methods community-based research process, this study found that community building, learner empowerment and sustainability leadership in place-based learning garden programs increased access to locally grown foods for food insecure populations. When food insecure populations participated in these learning garden programs they often engaged in practices described in the literature as the "web of inclusion" (Helgesen, 1995). When food insecure populations were engaged in these practices, participation in food democracy and food justice increased. Additionally, participation in learning gardens led to sustainability leadership and increased access to food literacy, which led to greater community health and engaged, local community food systems. Close