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SINCE 1889 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CXXXII, NO. V
THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2021
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AGRICULTURE
ACADEMIA
Singer and Dairy Farmer Stephanie Nash AgVocates Against ‘30 by 30 Plan’ How the Biden Administration’s plan could threaten farmland
Angel Gomez headed to Princeton University on a full scholarship. Contributed photo
Paso Robles 2021 Graduate Receives Full Ride to Princeton
By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
O
ne week after President Joe Biden took office, he signed an executive order known as the “30 by 30
Plan.” By 2030, the United States Government plans to “protect at least 30 percent of the states’ land areas and waters; to help advance the protection of 30 percent of the nation’s oceans; and to support regional, national, and international efforts to protect at least 30 percent of the world’s land areas and waters and 30 percent of the world’s ocean” according to the assembly bill text. In essence, the Country’s goal is to conserve 30 percent of its waters and land by 2030. The Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful preliminary report was released on May 6. According to the report it is, “only the starting point on the path to fulfilling the conservation vision that President Biden has outlined. Where this path leads over the next decade will be determined not by our agencies but by the idea and leadership of local communities. It is our job to listen, learn, and provide support along the way to help strengthen economies and pass on healthy
GOVERNMENT
lands, waters, and wildlife for generations to come.” But a deeper look into how those lands and waters will be protected has spurred controversy amongst farmers and ranchers across the Nation. Stephanie Nash, a singer/songwriter, dairy farmer, and agricultural activist, speaks loudly against legislative threats made against farmers and ranchers, especially the 30 by 30 plan. Nash’s family operated a dairy farm in
California for 85 years until 2010 when they decided to purchase property in Tennessee and move their dairy farm operations there. Around 2008, Nash’s father began to see a shift in California. Increasing regulations set on farmers in the State showed him that life for farmers and ranchers in California would only worsen. For eight years now, Nash’s family has been successfully milking dairy cows in Tennessee. Nash says she learned her advocacy voice
while participating in the dairy challenge at Fresno State. Dairy challenge is the evaluation of dairy farms to help other farmers financially, reproductively, and more. “I wanted to learn what the struggles were throughout our country regulation and bill wise,” said Nash. Now, Nash works at her family’s dairy running their calf-heifer program, and
“how honest it can be, how it was sacred to the people who made and used the objects and reflected their understanding of the world around them and their place in it. I want my paintings to be more than just decorations—I want them to be talismans, to be endowed with gravitas, to be painted with heart like the masks from Yoruba and Puget Sound, like the pottery of the Southwestern pueblos, like the sculptures of Zapotecs in Oaxaca. I want to make paintings that are modern and ancient at the same time.” CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
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Art sold at Farron Elizabeth Boutique and Brecon Estate Winery By PATRICK PATTON patrick@pasoroblespress.com
By MELISSA GUERRA melissa@pasoroblespress.com
SAN LUIS OBISPO — San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors held a regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Jul. 20 at 9 a.m. The meeting opened with a commendation for Deputy Nick Dreyfus, Deputy Clifford Pacas, Detective Blake Bursiaga, Sergeant Michael Smiley, Officer Isaac Clocherty, and Officer Timothy
NORTH COUNTY — An eclectic array of books and magazines lie scattered at the artist’s feet—the art of ancient cultures alongside modern fashion magazines. Nine separate canvases are arranged before him, all in various states of completion. A jet-black set of headphones keeps him focused on his work. Artist Adam Eron Welch put on four live-painting sessions this past week— Wednesday and Thursday at Farron Elizabeth in Atascadero and Friday and Saturday at Brecon Estate in Paso Robles. Visiting from North Park, San Diego Welch is no stranger to the Central Coast. “I arrived in Paso for the first time in 2003, did my first wine tasting at Linne Calodo, took one sip of the LC Red & Cherry Red, and suddenly understood that I had found a magical location on Earth,” said Welch. “Tasting my first Paso wines was a transcendental experience.” In 2018 the artist had his first major solo art exhibition, “Urban Archaic,” in downtown Paso Robles, which sold out in 4 hours. His art now appears on numerous wine labels, album covers, murals, and magazines. “It was my first time allowing people to watch me work,” Welch explained, “which was terrifying at first because I am generally a very solitary person. When I’m painting,
RECOGNITION
Local artist Adam Welch put on four live-painting sessions in Atascadero and Paso Robles last weekend. Photos by Patrick Patton
it requires total concentration for the nearly constant decision-making that I have to do... I wanted to do it, though, to involve the viewer in my process and to talk with them about the work. Even Mayor Moreno stopped by to say hello and to watch for a bit. All in all, it was very rewarding and, I think, successful.” Influenced by Pre-Colombian pre-hispanic mesoamerican art, the sacred art of the Maya, the Aztec, the Zapotec, the art of the Pacific Northwest tribes—the Salish and Kwakiutl tribes of British Colombia and Washington, by art that would be called “primitive” by some. “I love the rawness of the work,” Welch said,
GOVERNMENT
By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
PASO ROBLES — Attending an Ivy League school was not something Angel Gomez, a 2021 Paso Robles High School graduate, saw in his future. But when Gomez opened his last college submission response and saw that little Princeton Tiger and Accepted next to it, that seemingly impossible goal became a reality. “I was very surprised. Princeton was the last letter I opened—[I was] also conscious of the fact that I earned it,” said Gomez. Gomez will be studying molecular biology at Princeton. Later he hopes to focus on neuroscience and transfer to another university for pre-med. “From a little kid, I always wanted to be a doctor in some way,” he said. Gomez continued, “There are so many opportunities to explore different departments at Princeton, but neuroscience would be what I’m starting off with.” Princeton itself does not offer academic scholarships to students. Still, with financial aid and local scholarships, Gomez was able to pay for all four years at the Ivy League university. In total, Gomez earned $22,000 from local scholarships, including: • Prince Family Scholarship • San Miguel Car Show Scholarship • San Miguel School Retired Staff Scholarship • Paso Robles AAUW Academic Scholarship • Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance Scholarship • Paso Robles Rotary/Cullen Black Scholarship • Richard J. Weyhrich Leadership Scholarship On top of his numerous scholarships, Gomez earned the following
The Artist, Adam Welch, Hosts Live Paintings
The Supervisors submit a commendation for heroic actions from last June
EVENT
Stephanie Nash is a singer/songwriter, dairy farmer, and agricultural activist, who speaks loudly against legislative threats to farmers. Contributed photo
ARTS & CULTURE
Supervisors Begin Process of Redistricting With First Info Meeting
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Angel Gomez will go on to study molecular biology at the Ivy League University
SENIOR LIVING
WEATHER
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