For me the wish to eat solely raw plant food arises from the simple, direct experience of eating that which like myself is alive, radiant and vital. Consider for a moment the radical concept of eating only fresh plants in any of their amazingly diverse and beautiful forms, if every meal consisted completely of fresh vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds. Imagine how vibrant and alive you might feel. Like pouring water into water, eating raw plant food is a seamless assimilation of pure life energy - living food for a living being - now doesn’t that just make good sense? Why would a vital human being choose to eat dead, heat processed food if it wasn’t absolutely necessary?

Everyone knows what it feels like to eat a crisp, juicy apple. As soon as you take the first bite, a sensation of flavor and vitality overwhelms the mouth and the entire body. It is an undeniable experience. As the teeth crunch through the apple flesh, thousands of minute swollen cells of juice burst forth spraying the mouth with a slightly sour sweetness. It is as if the experience of eating living plant food itself were demanding you to wake up. This is not a dead, cooked up experience. The same goes for eating fresh celery, persimmon, avocado, kale or any other raw plant food. Is this not the experience of eating real food?

We humans can get along for a good while on practically anything - cheese sandwiches and coke, fast food and coffee. But is that all we really want out of life, to get by feeling good enough? All of us have the potential for experiencing great health, vitality and clarity of mind - nothing less than bliss, in this very body. Perhaps we forgotten this or have come to think of abundant health as a myth as the experience of discomfort and agitation in our bodies became ever more normal. If we are completely honest with ourselves, I suspect all of us intuit that the experience of health is a conscious choice and that choice is up to us.

My intention for writing this article is merely to share with you yet another possibility, a way nourishing oneself which I have found from my own experience to be utterly trans formative. I would be selfish if I did not occasionally speak out about what I have discovered. For more than five years I have eaten only raw plants. My experience of being alive in a body is one of great wonderment and joy, as well as vitality. On a regular basis, for no other apparent reason, I experience a rush of bliss travel from my toes up through my legs, leaving me feeling peaceful and content, confident in a body that has discovered great pleasure within. Through these experiences I have naturally come to know my body as empty and luminous though still grounded and strong. A couple years ago I walked over 100 miles in five days, over three mountain ranges, carrying my heavy pack in snow that came up to my knees. I love to run up mountains and swim in cold lakes. Recently, out of mere curiosity, I had my blood checked to measure the relative levels of various nutrients such as B-12. The results showed that with my raw-vegan diet, from the medical perspective, that I was healthy and not deficient in any regard. My experience of life has not always been so vital. In my early twenties I struggled with chronic fatigue and up until five years ago I had gotten used to often feeling low in energy.

Is the diet of eating solely raw plant food for everyone? I think it can be though not everyone in their present condition will find it immediately beneficial. As each of us are in the midst of our own ongoing, dynamic transformation, optimal diet and nutrition is as well something that would necessarily seem to be a dynamic journey of continuous discovery and refinement. For those who are experiencing much mental and emotional turbulence in their lives, perhaps the sheer vividness of a pure raw plant diet would be ungrounding. For them, eating cooked food with its sedating quality might be temporarily healing. Yet for everyone, knowledge of the raw food diet can act as a reminder of what potential lies within, of the ultimate evolutionary direction that beckons us. Mystical teachings of all religions and spiritual traditions describe our truest most exalted condition as being luminous and ecstatic, hardly a state of being that would require us to consume animal flesh and other sedating foods in order to have health. While we may not be quite there yet, isn’t it important not to lock ourselves into some fixed concept of who we are and what we absolutely need? Let us stay open to the possibility of continuous healing no matter what our present condition is and to the truth that we actually are divine, that the kingdom of heaven as total fulfillment has always been complete within us.

There is currently a popular trend in nutrition to study what we as ancient humans ate as well as what other animals in our primate family eat in order to determine what is optimal for us now (i.e. the ìpaleo-diet”). There is no doubt that this is an interesting and informative endeavor that suggests much evidence of support for both raw and cooked, vegetarian and carnivore diets. Yet there is something crucial missing from this approach when we take this information as a direct dietary prescription. Humans have been acting and living in all sorts of ways for a very long time. That we as a species have waged war, treated each other and animals with cruelty, and exploited the opposite sex as nearly every society in the past has done is this enough reason to justify and encourage such a way of life now? Obviously not. What makes us extraordinary as human beings is that we have the ability to think and feel consciously, to make decisions that transcend base impulses and habitual patterns. Our past will always influence and inform our present experience but whether it limits us in the future is simply our choice. Through the power of our mind and deeper heart-intuition, we are able to create and experience a life and society that this world may or may not have ever know. How we create our future is up to us, not those who lived before.

As this is only an introduction to this profound way of eating, there is much to understand that is beyond the scope of this article regarding how to successfully thrive on the raw plant diet. As with any diet, there are functional and dysfunctional ways of going about it. To introduce one functional approach to the raw plant diet that has worked for me, I have found that a balance of: relatively low-moderate glycemic fruit (i.e. apples and berries), an abundance of highly mineralized fresh greens (i.e. kale, nettle, romain lettuce) along with some nuts, seeds and avocado to be key to making this diet successful. Rainbow Green, Live Food Cuisine by M.D. Gabriel Cousins and The Sunfood Diet Success System by David Wolfe are two books that I have found especially helpful in learning how to nourish oneself in this beautiful way.

As powerful and healing as the raw plant food diet may be (or any healing diet for that matter), it is only a piece in the puzzle of complete health. We are so much more than what we eat food is only the beginning. May all have great health.

By Sergio S.

Sergio is grateful to live in the community of Ashland among so many who are passionate about health, healing and waking up. He and his partner Lisa have just started a business called “Pure Pie,” catering fabulous, guilt-free, nourishing live desserts to the people of Ashland. Feel free to write him at singlegreatwish@hotmail.com.

I began writing poetry when the guitarist from my band moved to Sacramento, in order to give myself a creative outlet while we struggled to keep the band going long distance. I remember voicing my frustration to Steve right before he left at how few venues were left to play live music in. Two of the biggest in town had been rendered mute due to noise restrictions from adjacent neighbors. It was clear to me that if Ashland continued to develop at its current rate we could expect more of the same.But there were still a few left who were keeping it alive. When a friend told me about the poetry slam at the Mobius my ears pricked up. It was only a couple of years ago that I had even heard the term “slam poetry.” I had often heard poetry readings in the city, and while they were wildly entertaining, they often lacked the depth and intensity that that I knew had come to characterize this movement. I wanted in. I dusted off song lyrics to a couple songs I had written, and composed a new one, a humorous and biting account of my frustration with the music scene. From then on, it was on.

It was a very different experience standing up in front of a mic. I was the guy who was always hiding behind a drum set with my eyes rolled back in my head, and here I was butt naked to the world. But I watched the subtle transmutation of my nervousness into exhilaration as I continued to read. I struggled to commit my pieces to memory, actually buying gingko biloba and then forgetting to take it. But I didn’t care. It was liberating to read. Inspiring to listen. Good to laugh. Really good to laugh.

I am sure you’ll agree that nothing reaches across boundaries like humor. It provides us an experience of each other’s humanness in a way that words could never describe. It seems to dissolve us into the present moment, and often allows us to see the truth when our defenses might have blocked us from it.

Since that time several other open mic/poetry readings have popped up in town. I can only assume that they have been born of a demand and I am excited by that. That this appears to be part of a much larger movement that is taking place excites me even more.

The following is one of my early pieces that was originally written as a song. It is a “period piece” meaning it was written during that very brief time when gas was a dollar seventy. It is called “Strapped, Tapped and Busted.”

By Cameron Gabriel

The wildlands of northern California and southern Oregon flood the mind with gorgeous images: cathedral forests of the Cascade Mountains; wet, foggy redwoods towering over the Pacific Ocean; mighty rivers shepherding salmon upstream to spawn.

Residents and travelers to the hamlet of Ashland sense that there is something special about this town, which sits at the confluence of the Cascade and Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains. Whether it is the artistic community, the university, or progressive politics, many people recognize that the gorgeous natural surroundings contribute to, if not wholly create, the enchanted aura of this town.

While much of this natural beauty is widely appreciated, relatively few know the extent of hidden treasure waiting in Ashland’s backyard.

Crossroads of Diversity

The Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains straddle the Oregon/California border and is a complex and diverse ecoregion, which is an area over which the climate, ecology and plant and animal communities are distinct.

The Klamath-Siskiyou is nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Crest, and stretches from the wine country in the south, to the Umpqua River in the north. The rivers run through extremely rugged mountains that were on the bottom of the ocean hundreds of millions of years ago. As chance would have it, the Klamath-Siskiyou was spared from glaciation in recent ice ages, and therefore served as a refuge for hundreds of species whose habitat was otherwise frozen. As a result of complex geology, climate and time, the region boasts some of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in North America, and one of the richest temperate forests on the planet.

The photo above was taken in the Condrey Mountain Roadless Area, one of the various Roadless Areas along the Siskiyou Crest. The photo shows a sample of the ancient incense cedar found in the area, as well as big leaf maple. Photo courtesy of KS Wild.

The Klamath-Siskiyou region is truly a crossroads. A combination of influences from the eastern desert, Central Valley, and the Cascade, Sierra and Coast ranges create unique and diverse plant and animal communities. The region’s temperate forests are home to more than 30 different species of conifer trees. These trees include the elegant and endemic (found nowhere else on earth) Port-Orford cedar in the rainy, western portion of the region. The eastern, drier part of the region hosts ancient, gnarled junipers more common in the Great Basin.

A Wild Landscape Flowing to the Sea

Two major watersheds, the Rogue River in the north and the Klamath River in the south, define the region. These epic rivers are divided by the Siskiyou Crest, which runs east-west from the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument east of Ashland, to the Illinois Valley in the west and down into the Siskiyou Wilderness in California. The Siskiyou Crest is a unique mountain range that serves as a biological corridor for plants and animals to travel and disperse throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The region also features the largest concentration of Wild and Scenic rivers in the country, providing excellent freshwater habitat for several species of salmon, lamprey and other aquatic life. For those seeking quietude and solace, an extensive complex of Wilderness and roadless areas make the Klamath-Siskiyou the wildest place on the West Coast. Many of these places are within an hour drive of Ashland.

Turning Landscapes into Community Strength

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” - Rachel Carson

The threats to the ecosystems in the Klamath-Siskiyou are the same threats that plague forests, watersheds and wildlands worldwide. Conversion of primary forests to logging plantations, widespread cattle overgrazing, rampant off-road vehicle use, excessive road construction and non-native species are all significant problems in the Klamath-Siskiyou. Certainly, there are solutions to the problems we face, it is only a matter of will.

One of the central tenets of a democracy is access to information and the subsequent action taken with that knowledge. While the world is full of horrors, the world is also full of vast beauty and simple awe. As a community in southern Oregon we are blessed with waterways and wildlands that are increasingly rare in the 21st century. As a community, we have a treasure worth protecting.

An upwelling of community education and action can hold government agencies accountable for their actions, while creating more legal and social leverage for community-based solutions for the problems we face.

Many believe that critters and plants and rivers and forests deserve protection in their own right. Additionally, many recognize that a healthy human community is interrelated and interdependent to the health of its surrounding landscape. Regardless, it seems hard to find a better way to contribute to the future of the planet than by cultivating community and protecting an extraordinary surrounding landscape.

By Lesley Adams
Lesley is the Outreach Coordinator for the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center (KS Wild). KS Wild monitors activity on public lands throughout the Rogue and Klamath watersheds of northwest California and southwest Oregon. KS Wild advocates for roadless lands, ancient forests, at-risk species of plants and animals and the cool clear waterways of the wild Klamath-Siskiyou region. For more information, visit www.kswild.org

Cougars, also known as mountain lions and pumas, are one of Oregon’s most majestic animals. They are solitary and reclusive by nature, pairing up only during the mating season. After a gestation period similar to that of a domestic house cat, the female raises her litter averaging two kittens for about two years, teaching them to hunt and defend themselves. Female offspring usually remain in the area, establishing territory adjacent to and overlapping with their mother. Males disperse and sometimes travel great distances to establish territory. Cougars will fiercely defend their territory from invasion by other cougars.

Cougars are magnificent animals and we are lucky to live in an area that is home to these big cats and other species of wildlife. As our population expands - and Oregon’s human population is increasing by about a 25% each decade - our quest for space encroaches further and further into remote areas where formerly only wildlife resided. As a result, our species is coming into contact more and more with elk, deer, raccoons, bears, cougars and other indigenous species of wildlife. We can learn how to better coexist, tolerate and share the land with our wild neighbors. As humans, we have the capability of changing our behavior to allow coexistence; wild animals have no choice. They have evolved complex social systems and behaviors over milenia in order to survive. For example, predators must kill to eat - it’s that simple. We can prevent conflict with wildlife by protecting our property and domestic animals, including livestock and companion animals. Let’s remember, they were here first. Perhaps we can tread softly as we invade their territory.

Although people fear cougars and some sources and agencies present them as vicious killers of livestock, pets and a danger to people, the truth is people are more likely to be killed by deer, lightning, bees or domestic dogs than the illusive mountain lion. In the last 116 years there have been 14 recorded fatal cougar attacks in all of North America, compared to the 15,000 people killed by lightning, 4,000 by bees, 10,000 by deer and 1,300 by rattlesnakes. Experts estimate the probability of being attacked is between 25 to 100 million. According to Center for Health Statistics, horses, bees, cows and dogs are the animal species responsible for the most deaths of Oregonians. Cougars do not even appear on the list. There has never been a documented cougar attack on a person in the history of the state. A child in Oregon has much greater risk traveling in a car, riding a bike, swimming, riding a horse, tending cattle or sheep or simply walking the dog. Additionally, cougars are reclusive, rarely seen and avoid contact with people.

In spite of these facts, our state and county government is spending hundreds of thousands of public dollars to trap, snare, poison, and shoot cougars. In the last year, the approach of wildlife managers has changed dramatically from removal of the occasional problem cat, to systematically and indiscriminately killing large numbers of cougars. The state adopted a 5-year management plan that is designed to kill up to 40% of the entire population in the state. Federal and state trappers hired by the state are killing the lions. The cats will be trapped in snares and steel leghold traps, and chased up trees by dog packs and then shot. The decision of where and how many cats to kill is largely based on public complaints, a criteria that is soundly condemned by scientists as being a totally unreliable index of population trends or even the presence of cougars. During the public comment period on the new management plan, some of the world’s most renowned cougar biologists severely criticized the criteria and the population model used in the Plan. The volume of public comments was huge and the vast majority of them were opposed to the killing plan. In addition to scientific criticism of the methodology used in the Plan, many biologists and people objected to the single-focus of the plan on killing, and the lack of any conservation aspect to the plan, and lack of any educational/non-lethal component.

To add insult to injury, Jackson County recently hired a federal trapper with the USDA’s Wildlife Services to kill wildlife at residents’ requests. A minimum of $30,000 dollars from the county’s general fund is being spent for this purpose. At a time when $23 million federal dollars from timber money is being withdrawn from the county, allocations from the general fund will come at the expense of programs vital to the community. The general fund monies are allocated for the benefit of all residents for programs like Access, On Track, animal control, sheriff’s patrols, libraries etc. These programs will go without, so private property owners can call the government to come and kill wildlife for them.

Although we hear a lot about cougar attacking livestock in the media, fewer than $1300 in cougar damages were reported last year in the Rogue watershed, including Jackson, Josephine and Curry counties. Yet, Jackson County is spending $30,000 plus dollars to ‘fix’ what does not pencil out to be a real problem. The Oregon Department of Agriculture survey of wildlife damage to agriculture shows that less than one percent of the $150 million dollars of wildlife damage in the state are due to livestock predation, and less than a third of that amount can be attributed to cougars, approx $300,000. Deer and elk cause the most losses; they are responsible for $15 million damage to crops. By the time the state and county are done ’solving Oregon’s cougar problem’, the economic agricultural damage will be several fold higher as elk and deer populations go unchecked, and generations of Oregonians will never have the opportunity to see and marvel at our most magnificent carnivore.

By Sally Mackler