One on One ~ Linda Short
Winter 2008
by Tomi Owens
In every river, eddies develop naturally ~ churning behind boulders lodged midstream, swirling around the tangled roots of immense trees along the bank.
At these points in the stream, the current folds in on itself and the flow slows down. The same is true with RiverHOURS currency. Occasionally, our local currency runs up against obstacles (mortgages,
utilities, national distributors) which create little vortices of “la moneda local” in businesses that accept RiverHOURS.
Local activist Linda Short, however, has taken it upon herself to add a little surge to the current from time to time, and keep those RiverHOURS moving!
“I’m a spender,” joked Linda when we met recently, “Members of the GLCC steering committee give me a call if there are too many [River]Hours somewhere—and I come buy them and spend them.”
Linda is far more than just “a spender;” she has been an integral part of several Hood River County non-profits for years and one can only marvel at (and be very, very grateful for) her incredible commitment to our community.
Tomi Owens: Tell us about the various non-
profits you are involved with.
Linda Short: I’ve been a member of Columbia River Fellowship for Peace on and off since its beginning in the early 80’s. I am currently on the Steering Committee heading an affinity group called Project Full Disclosure.
PFDs primary mission is to get students information about military recruitment, enlistment, military service, violence, combat, job training, discrimination, and
conscientious objection which is not given to them by military recruiters. I advocate with the administration for equal access, and better oversight between students and recruiters. I also organize Community Treasures presentations which bring local
“community treasures,” into the classrooms to share their experiences and bring history alive.
I am a member of the Rockford Grange, a
fraternal organization whose goal is to
protect the family farm and strengthen the community. One of the projects I’m working on with the Grange is a plan to sponsor cooking classes, specifically geared towards community members who wish to learn basic cooking and food preservation skills as well as more advanced skills. A tie in to this concept is the work being done for ‘emergency food’ assessment in our community. I am helping with many others to formulate a community survey to better assess our emergency food resources.
Linda Short: continued from page 2
I am a member of a local Immigration Rights group which provides a Rapid Response Team who observes and advocates for immigrants during ICE raids.
I belong to RiverKeeper, Earth Center, Gorge Local Currency Cooperative, Gorge Grown Food Network, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
and have supported the work for Waterfront Park and efforts to keep Wal-Mart out of our community.
Tomi Owens: Do you find all these organizations create a seamless whole in your life or are you forced to prioritize your efforts when schedules conflict?
Linda Short: There’s always juggling and prioritizing, but I feel so fortunate to be a part of what my community is about and contributing in some way. It’s partly selfish. I don’t sleep well when I am so overwhelmed with the injustices or threats in this world or in our community. There’s a spiritual component for me, in working towards a healthier, cleaner, safer, more beloved community and environment.
Tomi Owens: You have been here since 1972. What are the most significant changes you have seen in the Columbia Gorge over the years?
Linda Short: The pressures of growth and the loss of many huge trees. Being born and raised in southern California, I always knew what could happen if Oregonians weren’t careful with land use.
Like so many, my family fell in love with the valley, and eventually migrated here for good. When I moved here the loss of farmlands was already starting to happen.
Downtown changed from a ghost town by 5pm every evening and totally closed on Sundays to a windsurfing mecca. I admit to feeling resentful at first of the new
day-glo migrants, as we were resented when many of us arrived
in the early 70’s.
Over time I met some people in the industry who were actually wanting to be functional and active members of the community. I felt hopeful that they weren’t just here for the wind, but wanted to buy into the whole community scene and become
contributing members.
While many of the newcomers thankfully helped some of the
environmental and land use causes, the fickle hand of tourism has evolved from the extreme sports crowd to the shoppers from Portland and surrounding areas. It appears that market demands have contributed to pushing real estate prices up to the point that locals who “stay the winter,” are having to relocate further and further away.
Thirty percent of the homes in Hood River commons are now second homes. My own grown children wish to live here and cannot afford to buy a home where they were born and raised. The many people who depend on jobs here and make up the full-time community are also affected. I’m afraid Hood River County is losing its broad diversity that was so appealing to me and becoming a playground for the more affluent.
Tomi Owens: Why are RiverHOURS important to you?
Linda Short: I’m a big advocate for community sustainability. I see RiverHOURS as another way to become self-sufficient. Years ago there was a big push by a few of the downtown merchants to ”shop local.” I think this saved the downtown.
It made such good sense not only to support your community so the products and services remained here, but we were literally supporting our families, friends and neighbors.
I love being able to go into a business and ask if they accept RiverHOURS. If they say they don’t, I love being able to tell them how wonderful RiverHOURS are, and how beautifully it can work.
It sometimes feels like businesses think they have to just cater to the tourist, but I hope they get the message that this is about supporting each other. The money stays here and we are here for each other through thick and thin.
I’m afraid we are in for some difficult times. I was living here during the recession of the 70’s. We nearly lost our house and my husband lost
several jobs in a row. It was pretty bleak. Many businesses downtown went out of business. I’m not sure if we had RiverHOURS then they would have saved the day, but I suspect they would have helped to some extent.
I think having a local currency is critical now more than ever. It may sound alarmist, and maybe to certain extent it is, but I’m really more of a Girl Scout. “Always be prepared” is my motto. Here’s an opportunity now for our community to get prepared for sustainability and self-sufficiency. Having a local currency is such an asset for our community.
Tomi Owens: How/where do you spend your RiverHOURS?
Linda Short: We have huge elm and maple trees pruned, which is a major undertaking. The arborist, Anthony Villagomez takes RH. He also did some construction work on our house which we paid in part with RH. I have paid for vermiculture and computer tutoring by Callie Jordan, coffee and lunches from Acre Coffee and Dog River Coffee Co., and picture framing from Collage of the Gorge. I’ve paid for massages at Cascade Wellness, reflexology from Marie Louise Pencheon, massage, Acutronic Sounds Healing and acupressure from Heaven on Earth, acupuncture from Carola Stepper and tax services by Middle Mt. Tax Services. I’ve paid some of my tithing to the Unitarian Universalist in RH, and my membership dues to Columbia River Fellowship for Peace. I’ve bought the New York Times with them, fair trade goods at Small Planet Trading, paid for yard work, and for many supplies at the Rebuild-it Center. I’ve bought produce at the Gorge Grown Farmer’s Market, and bulk groceries from Waucoma Food Co-op. I’ve purchased goods from the Ruddy Duck and aromatherapy by 3 Flowers Healing, as well as medical/dental care from La Clinica del Carino, ice cream from Mike’s Ice Cream, and groceries from Mother’s Marketplace.
Winter 2008
by Tomi Owens
In every river, eddies develop naturally ~ churning behind boulders lodged midstream, swirling around the tangled roots of immense trees along the bank.
At these points in the stream, the current folds in on itself and the flow slows down. The same is true with RiverHOURS currency. Occasionally, our local currency runs up against obstacles (mortgages,
utilities, national distributors) which create little vortices of “la moneda local” in businesses that accept RiverHOURS.
Local activist Linda Short, however, has taken it upon herself to add a little surge to the current from time to time, and keep those RiverHOURS moving!
“I’m a spender,” joked Linda when we met recently, “Members of the GLCC steering committee give me a call if there are too many [River]Hours somewhere—and I come buy them and spend them.”
Linda is far more than just “a spender;” she has been an integral part of several Hood River County non-profits for years and one can only marvel at (and be very, very grateful for) her incredible commitment to our community.
Tomi Owens: Tell us about the various non-
profits you are involved with.
Linda Short: I’ve been a member of Columbia River Fellowship for Peace on and off since its beginning in the early 80’s. I am currently on the Steering Committee heading an affinity group called Project Full Disclosure.
PFDs primary mission is to get students information about military recruitment, enlistment, military service, violence, combat, job training, discrimination, and
conscientious objection which is not given to them by military recruiters. I advocate with the administration for equal access, and better oversight between students and recruiters. I also organize Community Treasures presentations which bring local
“community treasures,” into the classrooms to share their experiences and bring history alive.
I am a member of the Rockford Grange, a
fraternal organization whose goal is to
protect the family farm and strengthen the community. One of the projects I’m working on with the Grange is a plan to sponsor cooking classes, specifically geared towards community members who wish to learn basic cooking and food preservation skills as well as more advanced skills. A tie in to this concept is the work being done for ‘emergency food’ assessment in our community. I am helping with many others to formulate a community survey to better assess our emergency food resources.
Linda Short: continued from page 2
I am a member of a local Immigration Rights group which provides a Rapid Response Team who observes and advocates for immigrants during ICE raids.
I belong to RiverKeeper, Earth Center, Gorge Local Currency Cooperative, Gorge Grown Food Network, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
and have supported the work for Waterfront Park and efforts to keep Wal-Mart out of our community.
Tomi Owens: Do you find all these organizations create a seamless whole in your life or are you forced to prioritize your efforts when schedules conflict?
Linda Short: There’s always juggling and prioritizing, but I feel so fortunate to be a part of what my community is about and contributing in some way. It’s partly selfish. I don’t sleep well when I am so overwhelmed with the injustices or threats in this world or in our community. There’s a spiritual component for me, in working towards a healthier, cleaner, safer, more beloved community and environment.
Tomi Owens: You have been here since 1972. What are the most significant changes you have seen in the Columbia Gorge over the years?
Linda Short: The pressures of growth and the loss of many huge trees. Being born and raised in southern California, I always knew what could happen if Oregonians weren’t careful with land use.
Like so many, my family fell in love with the valley, and eventually migrated here for good. When I moved here the loss of farmlands was already starting to happen.
Downtown changed from a ghost town by 5pm every evening and totally closed on Sundays to a windsurfing mecca. I admit to feeling resentful at first of the new
day-glo migrants, as we were resented when many of us arrived
in the early 70’s.
Over time I met some people in the industry who were actually wanting to be functional and active members of the community. I felt hopeful that they weren’t just here for the wind, but wanted to buy into the whole community scene and become
contributing members.
While many of the newcomers thankfully helped some of the
environmental and land use causes, the fickle hand of tourism has evolved from the extreme sports crowd to the shoppers from Portland and surrounding areas. It appears that market demands have contributed to pushing real estate prices up to the point that locals who “stay the winter,” are having to relocate further and further away.
Thirty percent of the homes in Hood River commons are now second homes. My own grown children wish to live here and cannot afford to buy a home where they were born and raised. The many people who depend on jobs here and make up the full-time community are also affected. I’m afraid Hood River County is losing its broad diversity that was so appealing to me and becoming a playground for the more affluent.
Tomi Owens: Why are RiverHOURS important to you?
Linda Short: I’m a big advocate for community sustainability. I see RiverHOURS as another way to become self-sufficient. Years ago there was a big push by a few of the downtown merchants to ”shop local.” I think this saved the downtown.
It made such good sense not only to support your community so the products and services remained here, but we were literally supporting our families, friends and neighbors.
I love being able to go into a business and ask if they accept RiverHOURS. If they say they don’t, I love being able to tell them how wonderful RiverHOURS are, and how beautifully it can work.
It sometimes feels like businesses think they have to just cater to the tourist, but I hope they get the message that this is about supporting each other. The money stays here and we are here for each other through thick and thin.
I’m afraid we are in for some difficult times. I was living here during the recession of the 70’s. We nearly lost our house and my husband lost
several jobs in a row. It was pretty bleak. Many businesses downtown went out of business. I’m not sure if we had RiverHOURS then they would have saved the day, but I suspect they would have helped to some extent.
I think having a local currency is critical now more than ever. It may sound alarmist, and maybe to certain extent it is, but I’m really more of a Girl Scout. “Always be prepared” is my motto. Here’s an opportunity now for our community to get prepared for sustainability and self-sufficiency. Having a local currency is such an asset for our community.
Tomi Owens: How/where do you spend your RiverHOURS?
Linda Short: We have huge elm and maple trees pruned, which is a major undertaking. The arborist, Anthony Villagomez takes RH. He also did some construction work on our house which we paid in part with RH. I have paid for vermiculture and computer tutoring by Callie Jordan, coffee and lunches from Acre Coffee and Dog River Coffee Co., and picture framing from Collage of the Gorge. I’ve paid for massages at Cascade Wellness, reflexology from Marie Louise Pencheon, massage, Acutronic Sounds Healing and acupressure from Heaven on Earth, acupuncture from Carola Stepper and tax services by Middle Mt. Tax Services. I’ve paid some of my tithing to the Unitarian Universalist in RH, and my membership dues to Columbia River Fellowship for Peace. I’ve bought the New York Times with them, fair trade goods at Small Planet Trading, paid for yard work, and for many supplies at the Rebuild-it Center. I’ve bought produce at the Gorge Grown Farmer’s Market, and bulk groceries from Waucoma Food Co-op. I’ve purchased goods from the Ruddy Duck and aromatherapy by 3 Flowers Healing, as well as medical/dental care from La Clinica del Carino, ice cream from Mike’s Ice Cream, and groceries from Mother’s Marketplace.