Welcome to the Trout Lake, Washington Horizons Community Blog

Trout Lake View

2008-06-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

Final Review Graduation Questions

2008-06-21T16:24:00.000-07:00

Horizons Community Graduation Interview and Debrief

1. Look back over the past 18 months and think about all that you did in the Horizons program. Would you do it again (or recommend that the community do it again) knowing what you know now? Why or why not?
YES, Trout Lake would do it again. There is a big time commitment to fulfilling the project but the rewards for community pride and spirit are worth it.

2. What was the best part of the Horizons program?
For Trout Lake it was the Study Circles; gathering together to praise the value of living in Trout Lake and helping to guide the future.

3. What was the most difficult or challenging part of the Horizons program?
Getting others on board and then to commit.

4. What was the biggest mistake or missed opportunity of the last 18 months in Horizons? How would you avoid it in the future?
We should have gone right into the Visioning immediately after the Community Forum at the end of Study Circles and then had Leadership Plenty after that. We had no response to Leadership Plenty on the first try.

5. If someone moved away two years ago (before Horizons) and came back to town today, what kinds of changes in the community, if any, would they see? A rejuvenated Grange Hall as a Community Center, now open for many community events; A Community Bulletin Board on the porch rail of the Grange Hall/Community Center; New people in leadership roles; Forward thinking, “can-do” attitude.

6. Of all the things you have done during the last 18 months in the Horizons program, of what are you most proud? Study Circles, the community dialog, the Community Forum. What could be done to insure that other communities get to achieve the same thing? Get respected, established, leaders involved in the project with some as leaders of Study Circles.

5. Horizons is a community leadership program focused on poverty reduction. What is the evidence that people in your community see poverty as a serious issue? One does not associate “poverty” with “Trout Lake” and yet we discovered through Horizons that we DO have families and children in financial poverty AND the community has social and sustenance needs that are not being answered. Are you working seriously at reducing poverty? The establishment of a Community Information Center at the Grange Hall/Community Center was a first step in getting information out to the public about available community opportunities. A Trout Lake YELLOW PAGES was published and included in the Annual Town Fair Booklet. A Trout Lake blog site has been established to further disseminate community information.

6-10.We’d like you to be very candid about your work with Ava Van Velsor and Linda Williams. What was it like to work with us/them? What did they do here? How could Linda and Ava have been of more help to you here? What could they do differently? What should they provide that they did not? What difference did it make to work with Ava and Linda? Could you have done (implemented) this program without their help? What would be different if they had not been involved? Ava and Linda were highly influential to our success in Horizons. They provided needed information, forms, and materials and checked and double checked to be sure we had what we needed. To have all the materials provided right down to refreshments, child/elder care, and gas cards made the project more do-able with no out-of-pocket expenses. When we reached low spots, especially with Leadership Plenty, they carried us through, obtained more acceptable deadline dates, and lots of encouragement. Their leadership was firm but friendly and sincere. There was no doubt that they wanted us to succeed. They did some wonderful editing of the reports we provided. The project had so many valuable spin-offs which allowed us to attend Small Community forums, speakers, and workshops that would have easily passed us by without their omnipresent emails!! Their friendly reminders of deadlines kept our goals in front of us and deadlines met. I know I speak for all of Trout Lake in expressing our appreciation to Ava and Linda for keeping us on track and on task through to the successful end of this project!

11. Will the community continue the work you started in Horizons? We have the confidence we need; we have discovered new leadership; we have a sense of community pride; we have more knowledge about available grant money and the skill and resources to make successful applications; we WILL continue the work started by Horizons!! What will you need to make sure that happens? We have already experienced new leadership that has a passion for a certain community betterment project and is willing to put their passion into action. Some of these folks will carry out large assignments; some will carry out small assignments; some will follow. It will be important for us to have projects of some size to work on together for the next five years to keep the momentum going; to keep the confidence up; to keep the community pride going. There still are some leaders in the business community that need to “buy in” (not literally) to the concept of planned community growth and what it can mean to their business. We found many of these folks were so busy with their business that they did not have time for community action at a major level. We need to get the school administration, youth, and lead teachers involved in future community improvement projects.

12. If you were talking to someone from another community who is thinking about participating in Horizons, what would you tell them? I would encourage them to find a few leaders who will be dedicated to the time needed to succeed. What would you tell them was the most important thing that happened in your community because of Horizons? The community dialog, on a positive, “can-do” attitude, which reflected the “good” things about our community on which we want to build the future. What do you think might happen in the future? Trout Lake is a great place to live and, as more people are finding out about what life could be like here, we are going to experience continued growth. I think the Horizons project gave us tools to guide and plan this growth. We probably will never be a “large” town because the value of the organic agriculture and dairy is well established on well-planned large parcels of land. However, our Planning Commission has allowed for development on non-agricultural which will probably lead to smaller lots and more affordable housing. Trout Lake will always be a community with a lot of pride and will see to it that it remains that way in the future.

13. Put on your big picture hat. What difference does it make in the state or the region that (23) small, rural communities participated in Horizons? I think the usual “small, rural community” mind set is “Oh, we can’t do that—it’s never been done that way—and besides, who cares?” Well, now these 23 communities know better. The Northwest Foundation cares; the WSU Extension Service cares; and now the people in each of these communities care as well. This is sure to make for a healthier financial, social, psychological, and physiological rural strength for the State of Washington. I believe this will have a big impact on the “Green” life that will be our future.

Respectfully submitted by,
Trout Lake Steering Committee
Doug Anderson, Co-Chair, Nina Pochna, Co-Chair, Ray Thygesen, Founding Co-Chair, Dorothy Franklin

Trout Lake Youth to 4H Leadership Conference

2008-06-18T17:10:00.000-07:00

Here are the names of the students who have signed up for the June 29-July 1 leadership conference in Pullman.

Stephanie Irving will be the chaperone and has made arrangements for these students to attend.

Students from Trout Lake (and grades they’ll be in next year)

1. Lauren Hoodenpyl (9)
2. Gunnar Hoodenpyl (8)
3. Rick Cantwell (9)
4. Grace Anton (8)
5. Sebastian Mael (9)
6. Dana Kavanagh (11)
7. Katie Yarnell (11)
8. Megan Mersereau (11)
9. Lucas King (9)
10. Alex King (8)

Strategic Planning Affordable Housing

2008-06-05T17:07:00.000-07:00

STRATEGIC POVERTY REDUCTION PLAN

Washington Horizons Community: Trout Lake

Topic or focus area: Affordable Housing for workers and professionals employed in Trout Lake.

Why is this a focus area? Trout Lake has always been an established dairy and agricultural community with well-established, and successful, farms. In recent years the focus has gone to organic dairy and organic farming with fewer farmers and dairies but larger organizations requiring many hired hands. The residential portion of the community growth has been professionals with a successful career who come to this peaceful valley to establish a substantial home and live a retired life. Before the real estate fall-off in the Fall of 2007, the price of land and homes in the valley had risen to the $400,000-$800,000 level, beyond the reach of most work-a-day people. Even many of the teachers at the outstanding Trout Lake School were commuting in to work here!

Why did our community believe this focus area would lead to the reduction of poverty? Being able to live where you work is a great boon to reduction of poverty. Commuting costs are eliminated, people will develop a “shop at home” attitude. A sense of pride in, and belonging to, the community will be enhanced.

WHAT WILL WE DO?
We have found, as we study what “Affordable Housing” is, that it is a very large project. The Planning Commission of our Community Council has just finished a 3-year Comprehensive Plan for land use in our valley. Included in the plan is a large portion of the valley will remain in 20-acre plots for dairy, farming, and forest. A portion to the south and west of the community center is being considered for “smaller parcels” of 1-5 acre sub-divisions and even some quarter-acre plots which could be used for “Affordable Housing.” The Planning Commission next needs to make a survey of the land use, especially as it pertains to a septic/sewer system that can accommodate smaller homes. There is no sewer system in Trout Lake; each home is on a separate septic system. The survey will include a study of the feasibility of communal septic systems shared by up to six small dwellings.

WHO IS OUR TARGET AUDIENCE?
Our audience for this survey will include the current land owners of the proposed subdivisions, the people who now dwell close to these land plots, and those who would consider living there if such an opportunity to do so would present itself.

WHY ARE WE DOING IT?
Poverty will be reduced by allowing the workers of the valley to be able to afford living where they are working. We have often heard, “Oh, Trout Lake!! I would move there in a heartbeat if I could afford to live and work in that beautiful community!” The entire economical health of our community would strengthen with an Affordable Housing Program.

INDICATORS OF SUCCESS
The indicators would include identifying land owners who would be willing to use their land in this manner, even through a CLT program perhaps. Another indicator would be the discovery of methods of waste disposal that would be agreeable to the inhabitants. And, lastly, identifying a group of people who would move to Trout Lake to enjoy affordable housing here.

TIMELINE
The Comprehensive Study is complete. The Planning Commission is eager to take the next step, perhaps in the Summer and Fall of 2008, to do the study and prepare the survey which will help to guide them in the development of the Affordable Housing Project for Trout Lake.
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Strategic Planning Grange Hall/Community Center Rejuvenation

2008-06-05T17:02:00.000-07:00

STRATEGIC POVERTY REDUCTION PLAN

Washington Horizons Community: Trout Lake

Topic or focus area: Rejuvenation of the Grange Hall as a “Community Center”.

Why is this a focus area? It was revealed in the Horizons Study Circles, as well as the community survey, done by Horizons, that Trout Lake needed a physical central focus point where the community could meet for social events, educational meetings, and sharing of goods and services.

Why did our community believe this focus area would lead to the reduction of poverty? According to the Klickitat County Census of 2000, Trout Lake has a poverty rating of 14%. We believe that “poverty” in Trout Lake is more about “enrichment” than about “wealth”. We further believe that the enrichment that can be shared by the citizens of Trout Lake was largely going un-tapped. Many of our new citizens were folks retiring from a successful career in the working world and whose potential contributions to our community were being kept as a carefully guarded secret. The Grange Hall, celebrating its Centennial this year, had become a building of very little activity and then only by the few pioneer members who were struggling to keep it going. The two main events there were the Annual Saturday Market in the summer and the monthly meetings of The Quilters. In the details below we will show how this focus area will lead to the reduction of poverty in Trout Lake, Washington.

WHAT WILL WE DO?
Horizons will provide the impetus to get more people interested in the Grange as an organization, who will then elect new leadership. Horizons will provide the impetus for new activities to enrich the life of Trout Lake such as: a monthly Soup Supper and Community Dance, a regular forum of speakers and films on issues of concern from an understanding of the local Organic Dairy Industry to subsistence living in Cuba. Horizons will provide the funding for forum events such as Subsistence Living on a Limited Budget and a film series on social concerns. Horizons will provide the funding for upgrading the kitchen facilities for community use while using the building, and for media equipment and a film library for the film series.

WHO IS OUR TARGET AUDIENCE?
The Grange is often viewed as a group of adults in agricultural careers. We plan to involve families in many of these newly planned events; we plan to develop a summer activities program for the youth of our community with a film series especially of interest to this age level. These summer activities would also involve tapping into the rich leadership potential that lives in our community to lead day activities combining the interests of both youth and adult. We plan to develop a food sharing program involving the many master-gardeners in our community, to provide quality produce at economical prices to the non-gardeners, and to develop other community gardens.

WHY ARE WE DOING IT?
We believe a vital Community Center at the Grange Hall will provide an enriched life in Trout Lake. This Center can also provide a source of poverty reduction for those with produce and crafts to sell at the annual, and well-established, Saturday Market (July 4 weekend to Labor Day weekend), an event that adds considerably to the economy of the community as it gathers the locals together and brings in many visitors for weekend activity.

INDICATORS OF SUCCESS
The indicators of success will be the number of people who are drawn to the events at the Community Center, especially the number of new people who become involved in the leadership and active life of these events.

TIMELINE
The rejuvenation of the Grange as an organization began with the Horizon Study Circle discussions in the Fall of 2006 and took action in the spring of 2007 when the membership increased from 5-8 hardy pioneers to over 30 in a matter of weeks! The monthly Soup Suppers began in the Fall of 2007 with about 15 people responding to the initial idea. Subsequent months have included dance lessons, theme parties, and even costumes so that the current attendance is between 50-60 community members of all ages. The Horizon sponsored Workshop Series on Sustainable Living on a Budget will begin on May 25, 2008 and continue on June 8 and 22. The Community Forum Documentary Series began in early 2008 and has a schedule of film events to carry through for the next 12-15 months. The proposals for the kitchen appliances and the media equipment will be generated in June 2008 for presentation to the Foundation.
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Horizon Training Activities

2008-06-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

Trout Lake Horizons hosted a Grant Writing Workshop April 17, 2008 with 9 in attendance.

May 25, 2008 Monique Dupre led a workshop "Sustainable Living on a Budget" with over 40 in attendance. She will continue this 3-part workshop on Saturday, June 7, 2008 from 4-6 p.m. at the Grange Hall/Community Center on the topic of "Breads" and Sunday, June 8, 2008 from 2-4 p.m. on the topic of "Dairy Products". The Saturday meeting will include some pot-luck foods.

Beginning in June, the second Thursday of the month will be a Film Forum at the Grange Hall/Community Center with the showing of a documentrary film followed by a discussion.

Horizons Update May 2007

2007-05-07T11:17:00.000-07:00

Horizons is a five phase community leadership program aimed at reducing poverty in small rural communities. It is funded by the Northwest Area Foundation and facilitated through Washington State University, which provides leadership training and supplies.

Trout Lake has completed the first two phases of the program and is now focused on completing the lead project, which was determined at the Action Forum on 3/17/07. This project is Information Dissemination and there is a 10 member committee that is working on the following possible ways to share information in the community:

>A Community Bulletin Board located in a central area
>A Welcoming sign located at the wayside area, or further down the highway
>Perhaps expanding the Trout Lake website, with citizen training to post their
own information
>Perhaps a community computer center
>Perhaps involving the Village Voice and the Forest Service as physical places
for information dissemination.

YOU are welcome, encouraged, urged and recruited to be a part of this process. We need your ideas and energy. Remaining Horizons Project activities are:
Phase III: Leadership Development and Training, April - July 2007
Phase IV: Community Visioning, August - October 2007
Phase V: Community Coaching and Action, November 2007 - June 2008

Please call Doug Anderson, 395-9307 or Ray Thygesen, 395-2318 to secure your place in the future of Trout Lake. There are many more topics to be addressed and acted upon in the next months. LET US HEAR FROM YOU!!

Horizons in Trout Lake

2007-04-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

Trout Lake has a new resource for reducing poverty. The Horizons Program, managed by Washington State University Extension, provided leadership training for several folks. Over 60 people participated in the Horizons study circles and four then went to Moses Lake for additional training. This was a great learning experience, as we were able to exchange information with other communities and individuals.

This was exciting and enlightening to learn about other communities and how they are dealing with changing times and the resulting poverty. A very positive information sharing experience for all involved.

2004-08-05T14:37:00.001-07:00

2004-08-05T14:37:00.000-07:00

2004-08-05T14:36:00.000-07:00