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Bridging the urban-rural divide
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The purpose was to help bridge the rural/urban divide in this state. Progress was made in that direction, Wallowa County Extension Agent John Williams believes. The idea of an exchange began began just before Oregon’s wolf management plan was adopted in December 2005. Shortly before that, at a public hearing on the matter, Sunnyside students presented legal public input to an overflow crowd in the form of pro-wolf rap music. Grant County Judge Dennis Reynolds recognized how big the urban/rural divide was. He wanted to make sure that the students had the whole story. So, he arranged to speak at an assembly at the school and invited students to come visit his county. The concept fit right in with the school where once a week, students take a field trip to learn firsthand about the environment. Sunnyside students have been visiting Grant County annually since. Last year Klamath County was added to the program, and this year Wallowa County became part of the program. The 14 students stayed with seven local families. The adult chaperones, stayed with two local families. The students met their host families at an April 9 supper at Community Connections to get to know each other. The learning began immediately. It was found that among the children there, one had climbed Mount Hood, 11 knew a foreign language, seven had lived in a foreign country, 12 have a vegetable garden behind their house and a dozen had never seen an animal born. Well, the latter was about to change. Most of the visitors saw calves born while they were here, a bulk of them were involved in branding and all of them got to ride a horse, and not just in a corral. “It was a new experience for most of them,” Williams said. There were questions along the way. Visitors learned the reason for vaccinating calves to protect them from known diseases, that branding is necessary to prove ownership on the range after spring turnout, and that with castration steers gain more weight and have more meat and fat, Williams said. The visitors learned how long the days are here from 4 or 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. by the time the horses are unsaddled and fed. “I heard that a great deal of learning about each others’ world occurred,” Williams said. He said that although large differences were found between those worlds, great commonalities were also recognized. “I know that this educational program is part of the solution to bridge the urban/rural divide. All of us won’t be so quick to accept unsubstantiated stories without checking the facts,” Williams said. Sunnyside students will be back again next year. Multnomah County agent Maureen Hosty said that this was one of the best exchanges the school has had. |
