CURRENT 2009 NEWSLETTER
2010 WEI INTERNSHIPS (now available)                                                                                        
BECOME A WEI (NEW or RENEWED) MEMBER  
SNEAK PREVIEW FOR NEW WEI MEMBERS                           

WEI is a  membership-driven organization. We are opening 2010 with a renewed membership drive to help bring in more supporting  members and offer you as members more opportunities to participate in WEI events, planning meetings and happenings.  In addition, WEI offers many optional benefits to members as well as the knowledge that your membership keeps us connected and keeps WEI going.  Check out our membership page for more information.  Encourage yourself and your friends to find a place with WEI. If you are a current member, consider an early renewal in 2010.

Individual memberships @ $48/year and double memberships for you and a friend @ $58/year. Memberships are available
on-line or by mail (send check and your e-mail address(s) to WEI, P.O. Box 128, North Branch, MN 55056). PHOTO: WILL ALLEN WITH WEI/LITTLE EARTH URBAN FARMING PROJECT

A MESSAGE FROM KAREN JOY CLARK, WEI EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:
The year gone by --2009 -- has been a very exciting and challenging time for WEI!  In brief, WEI has made stunning progress in each of our two Environmental Justice Education and Advocacy Collaboration (EJEAC) projects— the Phillips Neighborhood EJEAC in South Minneapolis and East Metro EJEAC in the East Metro/East St. Paul community.  They are both bringing important national attention and resources to WEI’s innovative environmental justice and food justice work in the inner city and the metro area. WEI has also had a successful Community Supported Agriculture Project (CSA) at the Amador Hill farm campus despite a severe early drought this summer.  WEI’s fourth year of Organic Farm School had full and active attendance in a new location at the Midtown Global Market and will be expanded into a new Earth Justice and Sustainability Studies education program to begin in Spring 2010.  The Eco-Aware Project providing “safer home products and environment workshops” in both rural and city locations and our policy advocacy work with Healthy Legacy was successful in helping produce historic new protections against toxics in consumer products, including baby bottles. The North Circle Project has added several successful new local farmer members to WEI’s organic farm marketing program and a new Motherhouse Capital campaign is being launched for WEI’s farm campus.

The best news for us this year is that WEI has been named a Growing Power Regional Outreach Training Center which means that we will be developing our farm campus and our farm education program in collaboration with Will and Erika Allen from Growing Power, Inc. (Milwaukee and Chicago) to provide training, workshops, classes and many volunteer opportunities for developing organic urban and rural farming and food justice communities in our region. Will Allen, the brilliant founder and CEO of Growing Power Inc., an intensive and highly acclaimed urban farm/food justice center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, may have said it best: “Growing Power is proud to partner with WEI as a new Regional Outreach Training Center in Minnesota.  WEI really gets how to link up environmental justice with the food justice revolution.  Not everyone does.  And WEI also has the culturally appropriate infrastructure to make all cultures feel welcome.” These projects and programs are each highlighted on our website  and are important to celebrate! WEI is accomplishing our environmental/agricultural and food justice mission with a unique coallition of rural and urban Indigenous, low-income and communities of color and with women’s voices and priorities leading the way to change lives and to change public policy. 

We welcome you to a new or renewed 2010 WEI membership. Check out below WEI's programs and projects.  Contact us if you are interested in getting involved in any of these projects or the new ROTC project. We would love to hear from you. 

For more information and updates on WEI's projects and programs:  Farm Program,  EJEAC Research/Community Advocacy, Earth Justice and Sustainability Studies, Eco-Aware Project and Healthy Legacy Coalition, Land Registry Project,  Eco-Retreat Center, Internhship and Fellowship Support, WEI's Wish List. 

WEI is looking for interns to help with our various projects and programs.  We would prefer to work with students doing an internship for academic credit at an educational institution but we are also willing to establish an internship opportunity under WEI’s Earth Justice and Sustainability Education Program and Regional Outreach Training Center Project.   Some of the internships have a paid stipend and others do not.  Stay posted on WEI’s website for further information and updates.  These internship opportunities are currently open, and when closed, this will be posted on the website.  

(1) Social Network and Webwork Intern. (unpaid) This internship is to develop WEI’s capacity to operate better electronic communication systems for the organization; includes developing WEI’s website capacities (using Drupal) and may include facebook, wiki, moodle development and other electronic media utilities.  The student applying for this internship should have the requisite skills and be able to train staff to maintain these systems. Available Spring Semester, 2010. Review of applications begins January 15, 2010 and remains open until the position is filled. Intern application.

(2) Nonprofit Administrative Intern. (includes $500 stipend)  This internship is especially designed for a graduate student interested in learning how to manage a small non-profit towards a viable growth curve. You will be included in the hub of high level decision-making and will take on significant responsibilities for fundraising, grant writing, financial management, office infrastructure development, and experience in day-to-day management. Available on flexible terms for a minimum of 4-6 months. Academic credit internships in collaboration with site supervisors on the WEI staff are the best arrangement for this internship, although we are open to other arrangements. Final Project is an evaluation of the organizational development strategies and goals as designed at the beginning of the project.  Review of applications begins January 15, 2010 and remains open until the position is filled. Intern application.

(3) Events Coordinator Interns. (unpaid) To develop and implement WEI’s events calendar, includes planning, preparation, outreach, implementation, data records, and evaluations of WEI events, classes, workshops.  We have opportunities for four interns one term each:  2010 (January –March), 2010 (April-May), 2010 (June-September), 2010 (October-November).  Overlapping schedules are also negotiable. WEI will cover intern mileage expenditures for events at WEI. Deadline for applications December 15, March 15, May 15, September 15 before term of internship. All positions remain open until  filled. Intern application.

(4) 2010 Student Summer Farm Interns (includes hourly training wage for direct farm work).
This year WEI will be able to support up to 8 interns for on-residency farm education and training in organic farming. The internship includes a season-specific curriculum, hands-on skill building, educational classes when Organic Farm School is in session, experience working as a member of the farm crew and at farmer’s markets, and a research project. On-site residency at WEI available: Monday evening through Friday afternoon for May and Summer internships. Internship available in 2010: 
Spring Term (May 1-May 31- two interns); Early Summer (June 1-July 15 -two interns); Late Summer (July 15-August 31 -two interns); Autumn Orchard Internships (September 15 -October 31-two interns) Fri-Sun and local residents only. Review of applications will start on January 15, 2010. Positions will remain open until filled. Summer Farm Intern Application.

(5) 2010 WEI/GrowingPower/Little Earth Interns.
This year WEI will be hosting a number of volunteers, working urban farmer interns, and urban farming development interns to help develop WEI’s capacity and  implementation as a Growing Power Regional Outreach Training Center and to begin the urban farming project at Little Earth of United Tribes in Minneapolis.  WEI will be seeking additional funding for internship stipends, but currently there is no funding. High school and college students and community individuals are all welcome to apply. Deadline for application to be determined. Call 651-583-0705 to put your name on contact list for those interested in applying. Intern application.

(6) WEI Research Assistants. These internships are for students interested in gaining academic credit and doing research related to WEI community justice projects and curriculum development. The latter includes curricular research for courses in WEI’s new Earth Justice and Sustainability Studies, Organic Farm School, youth programming curriculum, and special field curriculum for WEI farm interns and visitors.  Interested students should inquire for Spring Term 2010 and for summer terms coordinate with their home institutions. Review of applications begins January 15, 2010 and remains open until the position is filled Contact Professor Zita (zitax001@umn.edu) about setting up an academic internship that is customized for your interests in environmental, agricultural and food justice. Intern application.

If you have other internship ideas that might be useful to WEI, please contact us at the website or call 651-583-0705.

“I am writing to send a sincere thank you to the WEI for hosting my
group, the Seeds of Justice Youth Fellowship in later October.  We had
an amazing experience and will definitely want to come back next year
for our next fellowship class.” (Lauren Batien, 2009, Seeds of Justice
Youth Fellowship Group)

What can you expect to find at the WEI Eco-Retreat Center a place for WEI members and WEI organizational members. 

We received some excellent coverage from the local media of Will Allen's visit to the WEI  Organic Farm School and Little Earth of United Tribes during his August visit.  Listen to the MPR interview  with Euan Kerr or read Sheila Regan's story in the Twin Cities Daily Planet. See also more recent article on WEI/Growing Power from Star and Tribune.

As a result of our work with Will Allen and Growing Power, WEI has been given the honor and opportunity to become a Growing Power Regional Outreach Training Center.  We are currently working on plans to implement this. You can read the following draft. What is a Growing Power Regional Outreach Training Center?

You can become a 2010 CSA shareholder directly on-line or by mail.  More information about the 2010 CSA will soon be available at the WEI website.  It is important for returning CSA shareholders to know that we are incorporating many of your exciting suggestions for the coming year and welcome special requests for your favorite vegetable at this point in time, while we are
 ordering organic seeds for 2010.  Checks for the 2010 CSA can be sent to WEI. P.O. Box 128, North Branch, MN 55056.

The cost this year is $570/share for 18 weeks.  Deliveries generally start the second or third week in June, potentially the second week this year with our new 100 ft. hoop house in early operation. CSA boxes will be delivered to your preferred drop-site every week on Thursdays.

Deductions this year include $50 for those of you who can pick up directly from the WEI Amador Hill farm; $25 for those of you who are current WEI members; and a $20 coupon in the 2010 Blue Sky Guide. We are also again collecting individual donations for CSA boxes WEI will provide to Harvest for the Hungry: You can check that box when you purchase your CSA.

Payment plans include:  $190(three payments), $285 (two payments) or $570 (one payment). All pre-payments ($190 or $285) are due before May 1, 2010.  All final payments are due in full June 1, 2010.

Your CSA share helps support WEI’s farm program guided by a mission of environmental and agricultural justice and policy work for a more sustainable planet and better food for all.  We hope to serve you well this year with great produce, additional selections of North Circle value-added products, and many recipes and storage tips. The WEI Amador Hill Farm is organically certified by Midwest Organic Services Association (MOSA). 

If you have any questions, please call Beth at the WEI office,  651-583-0705. Information on 2010 DROP SITES will be forthcoming.  

“Dedicated to the ideals of good water quality in the Sunrise and St. Croix Rivers, the preservation of habitat for native plants and wildlife, and a vibrant rural/farm economy that embraces sustainable agricultural practices.”

The Amador-Sunrise Registry was launched in 2008 to support the conservation efforts of private landowners with property in Amador and Sunrise Townships of Chisago County. An informal membership-based program, the Registry brings together people who share an appreciation for the rural and natural heritage of the area, and are interested in caring for their land in ways that project these values.

Anchored by WEI’s own Amador Hill Retreat Center, the program has grown to include a total of nine properties and over 228 acres. Our 2009 member gatherings were held in community settings: in February at Wild River State Park, and in September at Landscape Alternatives. Participants enjoyed presentations on local ecology and landscaping with native plants (as well as coffee and blueberry pie!). This year, two members enjoyed free “Ecologist Walk-abouts” of their land with program ecologist Tara Kelly— a great chance to find out about their properties’ unique natural features, ask questions, and get ideas for how to achieve their goals. Also this year, buckthorn wrestlers were happy to learn that the Registry has now acquired a “weed wrench” for loan to members. (Go get ‘em).


Heartfelt thanks to those who participated 2009 Registry events, in particular guest speakers Dave Crawford and Roy Robison. We look forward to the Registry year ahead; a chance to learn, to meet more conservation-minded friends and neighbors, a chance to work together to protect the beautiful landscapes of this region.

Landowners in Amador and Sunrise Townships are welcome join this effort.  For more information, contact program coordinator Laurie Allmann at laurie@w-e-i.org. This program operates with funding assistance from Embrace Open Space, which is supported by the McKnight Foundation.

For more information, click here.

WEI survives with the help of all our contributing members and volunteers. Our mission is becoming ever more pressing as environmental justice, agricultural justice, food security, and environmental health issues become the forefront struggles in the coming decades. To continue this vitally important work, we need your investment in the form of an annual membership, and we especially encourage your participation in WEI programs and volunteer opportunities in the coming year.

For Membership Options and Perks, click here. You can join directly on-line or by check sent to WEI, P.O. Box 128, North Branch, Minnesota 55056. If sending by mail, please download our new membership form. Individual memberships are $48/year or $58/year for you and a friend. Student memberships are $25.