Restless Mountain Did you know that during the month of February 1984, Mount St. Helens experienced an average 15-20 seismic events a day? The high for February was 275 earthquakes in one ■ day. Also during this time, an estimated four million cubic meters of magma (molten rock) was added to the dome forming in the volcano's crater. The dome now towers 800 feet above the crater floor, making it 195 feet taller than the Space Needle in Seattle. Permaculture NW Formed after the May 1981 Permaculture Conference in Portland, the Maritime Permaculture Institute consists of northwesterners who have taken permaculture design courses. This summer and fall, they have lined up a string of seminars and workshops: "Critical Perspectives on Permaculture and Prospects for a Permanent Agriculture" is a four-day symposium at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, July 25-28; "Plant Tissue Culture and Microbe Propagation" is a course to be held in Centralia, Washington, August 6-17; an edible landscaping conference is set for August 1-5 at Breitenbush Retreat Center; and the First Northwest Chestnut Congress is planned for mid-November. Get the fine points from Mike Maki, Maritime Permaculture Institute, PO Box 6138, Olympia, WA 98502; 206/866-9362. The Evergreen State College is also sponsoring related seminars. "The Resources of Southern Puget Sound," July 10-14, will explore the potential of mariculture and include aquatic field trips. "Mushrooms: Wild and Cultivated," September 7-12, is an intensive course in mushroom identification and culture. Contact Summer Programs, TESC, Olympia, WA 98505; 206/866-6000. Neighborhood Coalition Last fall, Portland's neighborhood associations found themselves vying for extremely limited funds from the city's budget. After all the needs assessments were in, a few realized that the process could have come closer to an all-win ending. Neighborhood coordinators met and decided to initiate a City-wide Neighborhood Coalition (CNC) to share information on issues of interest to all the associations. As an adjunct to the city's Office of Neighborhood Associations, CNC will act as an advocacy group for strong neighborhood associations, land-use matters, transportation, and district-wide school issues. The coalition officially began operation March 29. For more inspiration, contact John Wernicken, 2055 NW Kearney, Portland, OR 97209. Funding Change McKenzie River Gathering (MRG) has supported almost 700 social- change projects with well over $1 million in aid since it began as an alternative foundation for the Northwest in 1976. This summer, MRG is completing its second successful year as an Oregon tax-exempt foundation. (In 1982, the MRG Seattle office became the Common Wealth Fund, a separate Washington Foundation.) Several hundred people give money to MRG each year, ranging from donors with inherited wealth (traditional philanthropists) to those who are not wealthy and contribute from their salaries and personal savings. MRG continues to play a major role in the growing movement for progressive change in Oregon by funding community-based groups working for economic, political, ecological, and social justice. For more information, contact MRG, 454 Willamette, Eugene, OR 97401; 503/485-2790. Rainbow Gathering in NW From July 1 to 7, in the mountains of northern California, there is going to be a gathering for all people—worldwide. The invitation reads, "We, who are brothers and sisters, friends of nature and of all people, children of God, families of life on earth, children of humankind calling ourselves Rainbow Family Tribe, humbly invite: All races, peoples, tribes, communities, men, women, children, individuals—out of love. All nations and national leaders—out of respect. All religions and religious leaders—out of faith. All politicians—out of charity. All ecolutionaries, ecotopians, evolu- tionaries, revelationaries, revolutionaries, and visionaries—in solidarity— to join with us in gathering together for the purpose of expressing our sincere desire that there shall be peace on earth and justice and harmony May/Jane 1984 RAIN Page 33 among all people ... on the fourth day of July at noon, to ask that there be a meditative contemplative silence wherein we, the invited people of the world, may consider and give honor and respect to anyone or anything that has aided in the positive evolution of humankind and nature upon this, our most beloved and beautiful world— asking blessing upon we people of this world and hope that we people can effectively proceed to evolve, expand, and live in harmony and peace." For those who wish to help in preparation or share in the vision, contact Bobcat and Julie Norman, 14894 Galice Road, Merlin, OR 97532, or the Rainbow Family Tribal Council, Box 2157, Chico, CA 95927. Radioactive Waste Disposal With just two months left before the petition deadline. Forelaws on Board, an activist organization based in Oregon that has been working on nuclear and environmental problems since 1973, is sponsoring a state-wide initiative petition that would change the radioactive-waste-disposal laws in Oregon. The changes proposed in this measure "would add to existing disposal requirements by requiring the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council to find, before approving a site for the disposal of wastes containing naturally occurring radioactive isotopes, that the site is not subject to water erosion, earthquakes, volcanoes, or landslides; that there is no safer choice for such disposal; and that there will be no radioactive release from the waste." Among other things, these amendments would regulate the disposal of tailings from uranium mines throughout the state. They would also regulate the disposal of radioactive chemical sludge produced by Teledyne Wah Chang of Albany, Oregon, a company involved in removing metals such as zirconium from Australian sand through a metallurgical reduction process. The sand processed at Wah Chang contains elevated levels of naturally occurring radioactive isotopes that are reconcentrated in liquid waste during processing and transported by pipeline to unlined disposal ponds 400 feet from the Willamette River. A slide show available from Forelaws on Board illustrates the problems surrounding Wah Chang's waste site. Through the initiative process, Oregonians can effect changes in matters of vital concern to us all. To
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