Currents, Mohave Electric Cooperative, July 2023

Currents MOHAVE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

JULY 2023

Linemen Recognition

Linemen receive certificates and proclamations during the MEC Employee Appreciation Day Page 8 ALSO INSIDE >>

Mehdi Azarmi Wins Award Page 4 MEC’s 77th Anniversary Page 32

MEC Kingman Line Construction Supervisor Maurice Longmire pauses for a moment to take in our beautiful Mohave County while working off Vanderslice. PHOTO BY JULIA GARRINGER/MEC

Ruralite Currents July 2023 • Volume 58, No. 4 ANZA ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

Sherri Stafford

ARIZONA’S GENERATION AND TRANSMISSION COOPERATIVES

Magen Howard

DUNCAN VALLEY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

Steven Lunt

ELECTRICAL DISTRICT NO. 2

Roselyn Bever

GRAND CANYON STATE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION

Hannah Capozzi

MOHAVE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

Heather Foreman

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Mike Teegarden EDITOR

Victoria Hampton Currents (USPS 030-520) is published bimonthly for members for $1.23 a year, plus postage by Pioneer Utility Resources, 5625 NE Elam Young Pkwy.

Ste. 100, Hillsboro, OR 97124—a not-forprofit Oregon cooperative corporation— to serve the communication needs of four consumer-owned electric utilities in Arizona and California. Preferred periodical postage paid at Hillsboro, Oregon 97123 and additional mailing offices. © 2023 Pioneer Utility Resources. All rights reserved.

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FROM THE PIONEER TEAM

25 Years of Storytelling A quarter century ago, the first edition of Currents magazine rolled off the press. That singular event was an exciting evolution of the wonderful relationship between you—Currents readers—and the utilities that serve you.

I’m proud to say I was there at the beginning.

The genesis of Currents magazine came from an off-handed comment made by an Arizona co-op employee who was looking at a Ruralite magazine, a co-op magazine Pioneer Utility Resources has published since 1954. She wistfully remarked that she wished she could have a magazine like Ruralite for her members. I said, “You can.”

A few months later, the first issue in fall 1998 featured a story on Colossal Cave written by nowretired Currents editor Pam Blair. It also included a story about viewing sandhill cranes near Benson and another on how to wrap a water heater for energy savings. The water heater in the photo accompanying the story was from my garage.

Looking back at the first issue, I had to chuckle when I saw the story about Y2K. The years leading up to 2000 were full of speculation about what would happen when the clocks struck midnight on January 1, 2000. We devoted two

The first cover of Currents magazine published in fall 1998.

pages to educating readers on why they should care and how to prepare.

Through the years, Currents magazine has brought you news of legislative issues that could affect your rates, informed you about candidates running for board positions at your utility, and helped keep you and your family from harm by pointing out ways to be safe around electricity.

I hope we have become a trusted part of your family—arriving in your mailbox every other month—ready to entertain and inform.

To those who have been faithful readers since the beginning and those who have joined us more recently, a heartfelt thank-you. The staff at Pioneer Utility Resources is grateful you have found our work worthy of your valuable time.

We look forward to bringing you more stories about your neighbors and news from your utilities in the coming years.

Mike Teegarden Editorial Director

Symbol of Resiliency

Delivery Issues: Utility members should contact the local utility office listed on the back cover. Nonmembers should contact Pioneer Utility Resources at mailingdept@pioneer.coop.

Environmentalist helps place a peace tree with ties to Hiroshima in his Oregon hometown Up Close, Page 10

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The Ultimate Road Trip

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A family with a Busload of Books rolls across America Spotlight, Page 12

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Plugged In In the Kitchen

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Photo Hunt Before You Go

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MOHAVE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

Mehdi Azarmi, right, receives the 2023 Arizona Electric Power Cooperative’s Distinguished Service Award from Mohave Electric Cooperative CEO Tyler Carlson. PHOTO BY ALLISON ELLINGSON/MEC

MEHDI AZARMI WINS

2023 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD Longtime Mohave Electric Cooperative member earns AEPCO award for service to local community 4

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On May 10, 2023, Mehdi Azarmi, a longtime resident in Mohave Electric Cooperative’s service area accepted the 2023 Arizona Electric Power Cooperative (AEPCO) Distinguished Service Award. AEPCO’s Distinguished Service Awards recognize the outstanding efforts of individuals who have encouraged, assisted, and provided significant services to AEPCO and its member

His contributions to MEC and support of our initiatives, continue to reflect the care that he has for our communities.

-MEC CEO TYLER CARLSON

cooperatives (MEC). AEPCO is MEC’s major power supplier.

Since 1991, AEPCO and its members have recognized more than 80 cooperative supporters, from lawmakers and former employees or directors to community organizations and business leaders.

“MEC is very grateful for Mehdi’s support and service to the cooperative - and our sister cooperatives - and was pleased to nominate him for the AEPCO Distinguished Service Award,” stated MEC CEO Tyler Carlson. “His contributions to MEC and support of our initiatives, continue to reflect the care that he has for our communities.”

Mr. Azarmi has been a champion of the co-op since he arrived in the area. He continually, often without being asked, provides significant support to MEC and AEPCO on electric cooperative issues that are important to MEC members and our community.

“I am honored to receive this award,” said Azarmi. “As a longtime MEC member I appreciate all the cooperative does to make a difference for our community, and that has motivated me to help with important issues when I can over the years. I would also like to recognize MEC staff and field crews that, during the most severe storm we ever had with almost 34,000 members out of power in 110 degrees, were able to restore power to all in a record number of days. Seeing the MEC field crews with their heavy gear working day and night in extreme temperature is nothing short of heroism.”

From his nomination: As a business owner, developer, and volunteer with Rotary and other service clubs, Mr. Azarmi is well respected and influential among communities in MEC’s service area. From letters of support and news releases to public testimony and video interviews, his advocacy for MEC, AEPCO, and co-op members on issues directed to our local, state, and federal elected officials is impactful and inspires others to act.

AEPCO is a not-for-profit electric cooperative providing power generation, transmission, and energy services to notfor-profit distribution cooperatives and public power and water utilities in Arizona, Nevada, California, and New Mexico.

AEPCO and sister organization, Sierra Southwest Cooperative Services, operate together as Arizona G&T Cooperatives. n

MEC Board Member Michael Bartlet, MEC Board President Joe Anderson, back left, and MEC Board Vice President Deborah Johnson, front right, attended classroom grants luncheon to present educator recipients with $200 grants. PHOTO BY JOHN PYNAKKER/MEC

Classroom Grant Winners Announced

Mohave Electric Cooperative (MEC) awarded eighteen $200 Classroom Grants to educators for financial assistance in making classroom learning more engaging.

Forty-one applications were received for the eighteen available grants. A team at MEC evaluated the projects submitted by educators basing their grading on creativity, following application instructions, classroom integration, as well as benefits and financial need to students. Classroom Grants are funded by assigned capital credits at no cost to the cooperative or its members.

“Every year teachers throughout the MEC service area turn in creative project ideas,” said Heather Foreman, public affairs coordinator. “It’s never an easy process, but we only have eighteen grants to award and this year was just as difficult to choose winners.”

Project ideas ranged from science, reading, math, drama, physical education, social studies, to law enforcement and speech therapy.

The eighteen selected educators represented nine schools and Mohave Community College on their various K-12 programs.

The schools were Bullhead Middle School, Desert Valley School, Diamondback Elementary School, Fort Mojave Elementary School, Mohave Accelerated Learning Center, Mohave High School, Mohave Valley Elementary School District, River Valley High School, and Young Scholars Academy.

Congratulations to educators: Michael McKenzie, Angella Hall, Grace Redillas, Erika VanWyhe, Arlene Nicolas, Shannon Rockwood, Judy Chesla, Aubry Sterk, Tamsin Gardetto, Wendy Hardy, Michele McGinnis, Karen Clark, Kirk Gebicke, Lynda Castenada, Julia Sugden, Raymond Kent, Aime Salazar, and Olivia Caceres.

We would like to thank all educators who applied and appreciate their efforts in making learning fun and effective for our youth.

Checks were awarded at luncheon May 19, 2023.

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PLUGGED IN

Powering Through an

Sort the many choices for home generators

By Paul Wesslund If you’re wondering whether to buy a home generator in case of a power outage, you’re not alone. Backup power sources have become so popular that manufacturers now offer a wide range of choices.

Options run from pull-start gasoline models costing a few hundred dollars to permanent outdoor installations for several thousand dollars. That variety makes it easier to get exactly what you want, but 6

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harder to choose.

A good first step is to think about what you want a home generator to do. Do you want to keep your phone charged? Do you want to make sure your refrigerated food doesn’t spoil? Do you want to make sure you have heat and air conditioning through an extended outage? Answering those questions will require you to know the wattage of the appliances you want to run so you know the capacity of the generator you need.

You might also ask if you really need a generator. The average home in the United States is without power about seven hours a year. Is that enough to justify the expense and attention?

Another part of your planning should

be contacting your electric utility to get its expert advice on the best and safest fit for your home.

Here’s what to know about the four basic choices in home generators: Portable generators are small enough you might take them on camping trips.

The cost for these can vary from as low as $400 to more than $2,000. Most portable generators should be able to run a refrigerator or a window air conditioner.

Special attention to safety is required.

These generators should never be used indoors, not even in a garage. The carbon monoxide they produce can be deadly in minutes. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports 85 people die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning

caused by gasoline-powered portable generators. Portable generators should be operated more than 20 feet from the house and be connected only with outdoor extension cords matched to the wattage being used. Look for models with a carbon monoxide detector and automatic shutoff.

Appliances should be plugged in to the generator—the generator should never be plugged into an outlet or your home’s electrical system.

Inverter generators are higher tech versions of standard portable generators.

The power they produce changes to match what the appliances use, so although they are a little more expensive, they use fuel more efficiently and make less noise. The same safety guidelines apply to both inverter and standard portable generators.

Standby generators can cost $7,000, plus installation, but they have the benefit of turning on automatically during a power outage and running your entire house.

Typically, a permanently mounted outdoor unit is connected to your home electrical system and runs on propane or natural gas. It must be installed by a professional electrician.

You should also spend the money to have an electrician install a transfer switch. That acts as a mini-circuit breaker to protect your appliances and can be an easier way to connect the house to the generator.

Power stations, also known as batteries, charge themselves while the power is on. They’re not as powerful as some of the other options—and can be more expensive—but they’re quiet, easy to operate and some are designed to look good hanging on the wall. They can cost between $400 and $6,000. One common use of power stations is to pair them with rooftop solar panels so electricity from the sun is available even at night.

With the increased intensity of storms and our reliance on electronic devices, power outages can be a bigger concern these days. Technology gives you many choices for how to react, whether you want to make sure you’re never without power, or you’re willing to just light a candle and wait for the lights to come back on. n

Most portable generators are powerful enough to run a refrigerator or a window air conditioner. Special attention to safety is required, and they should never be used indoors, not even in a garage. PHOTO

COURTESY OF CANVA

ADOBE STOCK PHOTO BY AS PHOTO FAMILY

Standby generators are permanently mounted outside the home, then connected to the home’s electrical system. Standby generators run on propane or natural gas and must be installed by a professional electrician. ADOBE STOCK PHOTO BY SPHRANER

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MOHAVE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Left to right, Chief Operating Officer Jon Martell, Doug Henwood, Ray Fleck, Frank Moreno, Chad Valenzuela, Shelby Sinclair, Mayor Steve D’Amico, MEC Board Vice President Deborah Johnson, MEC Board President Joe Anderson, and MEC Board Member Michael Bartelt. Bullhead City Mayor Steve D’Amico, left, presents lineman Jason Harris with his certificate. Bullhead City Councilman Juan Lizarraga, Councilman Dan Alphonso, Doug Henwood, Chad Valenzuela, Penny Pew, Carlos Rivas, Jason Harris, Mohave County Supervisor Hildy Angius, Shelby Sinclair, Bullhead City Mayor D’Amico, Brian Bates, Chris Bronston, Ray Fleck, Maurice Longmire. PHOTOS BY JOHN PYNAKKER/MEC

MEC Staff and Linemen Receive Recognition The work of Mohave Electric Cooperative staff, and most notably the linemen, was recognized with several certificates and proclamations recently during the MEC Employee Appreciation Day. Wednesday, April 26, Bullhead City Mayor Steve D’Amico; City Council members Juan Lizarraga and Dan Alfonso; Mohave County Supervisor Hildy Angius; and Penny Pew from Congressman Paul Gosar’s office all attended the event and presented MEC with awards.

“Our community is great when it comes to thanking our veterans, police department, and other first responders,” said Mayor Steve D’Amico, “but often forgotten are these unsung heroes who risk their lives daily to keep the power flowing to our citizens.”

In his speech prior to awarding the 8

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certificates, D’Amico talked extensively about the employees, specifically addressing the linemen’s work during the Labor Day outage. “These guys are up at the top of electrical poles working in the worst conditions to restore power while their own families are at home enduring the same outage,” D’Amico said. “I am here to make sure that they know that the community appreciates them.”

When it was Angius’ turn, she read a prayer specifically authored for lineman as well as another inspirational linemanthemed poem. She also thanked the team for their work during the outage.

“I was honored to be part of the Lineman celebration at Mohave Electric Cooperative on Wednesday,” said Mohave County Supervisor Hildy Angius. “It takes an event like the big storm of Labor Day to

be reminded that these men risk their lives to keep our homes and businesses running.

This event was a chance to give a great big thank you to Mohave Electric and all its employees for doing an outstanding job.”

An emotional Pew spoke last and thanked the linemen as well. Pew discussed, through teary eyes, that her son was a lineman and recently suffered an injury when he was shocked with 7,200 volts. Pew then conveyed the thanks from her boss – Congressman Gosar – who could not attend as he was in Washington D.C. MEC CEO Tyler Carlson opened and closed the celebration by discussing the past year’s accomplishments by his staff throughout all areas of the company and called at one point for the linemen and all outside workers to stand and receive an ovation. n

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FEELING REJUVENATED WITH CBD Everyone feels the hurt as you age, but CBD can help you deal with it By: Beth Giles

Life really does fly by. Before I knew it, my 60s had arrived, and with them came some new gifts from dear ol’ Mother Nature—frequent knee pain, stress, low energy and sleeplessness. Now, I’m a realist about these things, I knew I wasn’t going to be young and springy forever. But still, with “golden years” nearly on my doorstep, I couldn’t help but feel a little cheated. That is until I found my own secret weapon. Another gift from Mother Nature.

It began a few months back when I was complaining about my aches and pains to my marathon-running granddaughter, Jen. She casually mentioned how she uses CBD rub to help with her joint pain. She said that CBD gave her more focus and clarity throughout the day and that her lingering muscle and joint discomfort no longer bothered her. She even felt comfortable signing up for back-to-back marathons two weekends in a row this year. That made even this self-proclaimed skeptic take notice.

But I still had some concerns. According to one study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 70% of CBD products didn’t contain the amount of CBD stated on their labels. And, as a consumer, that’s terrifying!

If I was going to try CBD, I needed to trust the source through and through. My two-fold research process naturally led me to Zebra CBD. First, I started calling my family and friends.

Call me old fashioned but I wanted to know if there were people whom I trusted (more than anonymous testimonials) who’ve had success

using CBD besides my granddaughter.

Secondly, I wanted cold hard facts. Diving deep into the world of CBD research and clinical studies, I came across Emily Gray M.D., a physician at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) Medical School and medical advisor to Zebra CBD who is researching the effects of CBD. Dr. Gray wrote “early results with CBD have been promising and we have a lot of research underway now. I’ve had several patients using CBD with good success. It’s important that you know your source of CBD and how to use it properly.”

After hearing it from the doctor’s mouth, I returned to my research, asking more people and was amazed by the number of close friends and family who were already on the CBD train.

Apparently, I was the only one without a clue!

And funny enough, a couple of friends who commented were using the same brand as my granddaughter—Zebra CBD. There was no consensus as to why they were using CBD, but the top reasons given were for muscle & joint discomfort, mood support, sleep support, stress and headaches, as well as supporting overall health & wellness.

Eventually, even the most skeptical of the bunch can be won over. With a trusted CBD source in mind, I decided to give it a go.

When I viewed Zebra CBD’s selection online, I was impressed by its array of products, including CBD oils called tinctures, topicals, chewable tablets, mints and gummies. After reading on

their website that all their products are made with organically-grown hemp, I ordered... and it arrived within 2 days!

The first product I tried was the Rub. Now this stuff was strong. Immediately after rubbing it on my knee, the soothing effects kicked in. It had that familiar menthol cooling effect, which I personally find very relieving. And the best part is, after two weeks of using it, my knee pain no longer affected my daily mobility.

The Zebra Sleep Gummies, on the other hand, had a different but equally positive effect on my body. To take it, the instructions suggest chewing thoroughly. This was simple enough, and the taste was, well, lemony. After about 15 minutes, a sense of calm came over my body.

It's hard to describe exactly; it's definitely not a "high" feeling. It's more like an overall sense of relaxation—and then I was out. Needless to say, I slept great and woke up refreshed. I haven’t slept like that in a long time.

While it hasn’t been a catch-all fix to every one of my health issues, it has eased the level and frequency of my aches. And it sure doesn’t seem like a coincidence how rejuvenated I feel.

All-in-all, CBD is one of those things that you have to try for yourself. Although I was skeptical at first, I can safely say that I’m now a Zebra CBD fan and that I highly recommend their products.

Also, I managed to speak with a Zebra CBD spokesperson willing to provide an exclusive.

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UP CLOSE

A Symbol of R Environmentalist helps place a peace tree with ties to Hiroshima in his Oregon hometown

Story and photos by Scott Laird The small community of Vernonia, in the northwest corner of Oregon, is home to some of the fastest-growing trees in the world. The Douglas firs that populate this region near Oregon’s Coast Range grow fast and tall.

Recently, Michael Calhoun decided his hometown should be the home to at least one more tree: one with a special story.

Last summer, Vernonia city officials planted a seedling in Ora Bolmeier Park, joining 47 other communities in Oregon as hosts of Hiroshima peace trees.

Hideko Tamura-Snider created the project to plant these trees around the state. As a 10-year-old, Hideko lost her

mother in the World War II atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

Hideko survived the bombing and eventually immigrated to Medford, Oregon.

She wrote a children’s book, “When a Peace Tree Blooms,” about her experiences and helped start the One Sunny Day Initiative in 2007. The initiative aims to educate the public about the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons and plants seeds of peace, hope and reconciliation among people of the world.

To mark the 75th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing in 2017, One Sunny Day Initiative partnered with Japanbased Green Legacy Hiroshima to send seeds from trees that survived the atomic bombing, known as hibakujumoku, to

Michael Calhoun, right, was the driving force behind Vernonia’s Hiroshima peace tree. Independent filmmaker Dave Hedberg is documenting the story of the trees in Oregon. He interviewed Michael in May 2023.

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communities around the world.

Oregon received some of those seeds, which have since sprouted. The seedlings are cared for with the help of Jim Gersbach from the Oregon Department of Forestry.

When Michael learned of the project, he began working to get one of these exceptional trees planted in Vernonia.

“I thought this would be a great addition to our community,” he says.

Michael is a graduate of Vernonia High School and the University of Oregon.

He works for the Oregon Environmental Council and was recently elected to the Columbia Water and Soil Conservation Board. Michael closely follows environmental issues across the state.

“I sought this out because I thought

f Resiliency the story was incredible—about a survivor who is still with us today, who is trying to share her story so an event like this doesn’t happen again,” he says. “This story seems to resonate with everyone because it is a story about resiliency—about having something horrible happen but then changing it for the better.”

Fifty-three peace tree seedlings are planted in public places in communities across Oregon. Hiroshima peace trees live at schools, colleges, cemeteries, churches, arboretums and parks.

When Hideko, now in her late 80s, learned how many communities in her adopted home of Oregon were planting the trees, she wrote that the project “filled me with joy, remembering the long journey for both the tree and myself.

Thank you, people of Oregon, for your enduring faith in the future, in the Following the dedication ceremony, Vernonia residents were invited to water the Hiroshima peace tree to help it grow and thrive in their community.

resilience of life.”

Naoto Shigehisa , Japanese business support officer for the Consular Office of Japan, joined Vernonia citizens for a dedication ceremony on August 27, 2022.

Jim, being a caretaker for the seedlings, also took part in the ceremony.

“Former enemies can show that they can live in peace and show that they can be the closest of allies,” Jim says. “That should give us all hope. The residents of Vernonia now have this living symbol of resilience and hope for the future.”

At the close of the ceremony, each attendee was given a chance to water the tree and have a personal connection to its growth in the community.

Michael says attending the Youth Energy Seminar camp as a sophomore in high school—a weeklong leadership program teaching youth how to get involved in their

community—played a big role in his life.

He was selected through his local electric utility, West Oregon Electric Cooperative.

“I think that training helped me in this project because I learned at an early age I could make a difference,” he says.

Jim recently presented Michael with an Oregon Urban and Community Forestry Award for his effort with the project.

This spring, Dave Hedberg—an independent filmmaker documenting the story of the Hiroshima peace trees in Oregon—was in Vernonia to film Michael and hear his story. Dave has interviewed Hideko and will travel to Japan with Jim in November to see the parent trees of Oregon’s peace trees.

“The meaning of peace in these trees and the symbolism of them takes on different forms in different communities,” Dave says. n Naoto Shigehisa takes part in the dedication ceremony for Vernonia’s peace tree.

Follow the progress of Dave Hedberg’s documentary at www.outdoorhistoryconsulting.com/seedsofpeace.

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The Ultimate A family with a busload of books rolls across America

By Drew Myron One bus, two adults, four kids, two dogs, nine months, 50 states, 30,000 miles and 150,000 books.

Is this a disaster or a dream?

Aside from a lumpy mattress, leaking roof and an occasionally overheated vehicle, Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr, creators of numerous children’s books, call it a dream.

The Busload of Books Tour is a nationwide project promoting literacy,

Author Matthew Swanson and illustrator Robbi Behr hit the road in their colorful Busload of Books along with their four children. From left are Matthew, Robbi, Kato, August, Alden and Jasper.

PHOTO BY ASHLEY WEEKS CART

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celebrating educators and raising awareness of the challenges facing public schools.

The creative couple—along with their four children and two dogs—spent the school year traveling the country in a colorful bus. They visited schools in low-income communities in all 50 states and gave away 150,000 hardcover books in a journey from the First State to the Evergreen State.

“We’ve seen the empowering impact author-illustrator visits can have on kids.

When they realize that we’re just regular people, they recognize their own capacity to create,” says Matthew.

As advocates for the overlooked and underfunded, Robbi and Matthew have firsthand experience with schools that have large needs and limited funds. They both attended Title I schools, which receive

federal financial assistance to help support their high percentages of low-income students. Their children attend Title I schools, too.

Years ago, when the couple began the circuit of author visits, they felt the sting of inequity.

“We saw what an impact these visits have, but we were only getting invited to schools that were very well-funded,” Robbi says.

They sometimes waived their fee for struggling schools.

“But there’s nothing worse than getting kids to read, then saying, ‘Oh, sorry, you can't afford to buy the book,’ ” she says.

The enterprising couple came up with a big idea: a nationwide road trip to bring books and creative encouragement to

te Road Trip communities with the greatest need.

To hit the road, they transformed a 24-foot school bus into a bright and cheerful rolling home for their children— Alden, 15; Kato, 13; August, 11; Jasper, 6—and two dogs, Dumbles and Goji, a pup they acquired while traveling.

The no-frills vehicle has a cozy kitchen with a toaster oven and hot plate, a dining nook that converts into a bed, and a popup sleeping loft for the kids. The bus has no bathroom. The road trip includes overnights at campgrounds, state parks and parking lots, along with stays with new and old friends.

The family tour kicked off in Wilmington, Delaware, in August 2022.

They zigzagged across the United States and made their last stop in Seattle before

heading to Alaska in June 2023. The family will spend the summer on their annual visit to help work the Behr family’s commercial salmon fishing business in Bristol Bay. Initial funding for the tour came from a friend who offered the couple $30,000 to “do something awesome.” The seed money allowed them to think big. In addition, a GoFundMe campaign of private donations raised more than $150,000.

“We’d always dreamed of traveling the country giving away books but were always daunted by the cost and complexity,” Matthew says.

First Book, a nonprofit that supplies books and other educational materials to children in low-income communities, provided logistical help with the

orchestration of school visits. More than 300 schools applied for a visit, and 52 were chosen.

“The selection process was incredibly difficult,” Robbi says. “Every school could benefit from free books and an author visit.”

To complement the 25,000 books Robbi and Matthew gave to students and teachers, Build-a-Bear Foundation provided funds for another 125,000 hardcover books.

Busload of Books is not the couple’s first adventure. In 2006, the Maryland-based couple quit their corporate jobs, sold their house, moved into a barn and chose to “make books for a year until we ran out of money,” Matthew says.

Though they initially called it “a recipe for certain financial ruin,” it was anything but. The creative team self-published

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A teacher and student paint a state on the bus mural to illustrate its progress. Matthew says author visits are powerful tools to inspire young readers. Part of the trip mission is collecting data for a study on the effects access to books has on childhood literacy.

70 picture books, then worked with publishing giants Random House, Macmillan and others. In less than a decade, they have soared to commercial success with a string of critically acclaimed books and a devoted following of young readers.

With Matthew as writer and Robbi as illustrator, they created the “Cookie Chronicle” series, “The Real McCoys” trilogy, and three picture books: “Sunrise Summer,” “Babies Ruin Everything” and “Everywhere, Wonder.”

Critics have praised the books.

Publisher’s Weekly calls their work, “a sweeping exploration of imagination, appreciation and possibility.” Booklist says 14

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TOP LEFT: The family visited all 50 states, starting in September 2022 and finishing in June 2023. TOP RIGHT: The couple gave out a variety of books on their trip.

it is “eye-opening and awesome.”

As advocates for local schools, the busload adventure included exploration of the nation’s unsung landscapes, communities and natural wonders, along with time and talks with thousands of hardworking teachers and eager young readers.

“There is an attitude of disrespect and denigration toward public schools,” Matthew says. “These are wonderful schools, and these kids are energized and excited. We want to encourage reading and creativity.

We see how hard teachers work in crowded classrooms, with not enough support. We see how students are struggling with hunger, poverty, addiction and trauma. Author visits can do a lot of good by increasing interest in reading and inspiring creativity, but many public schools can’t afford them.”

While mostly fun and lively, the tour also carries another hefty mission: a largescale, two-year research project conducted

by Washington College.

The research project aims to demonstrate the effects access to books has on childhood literacy. Researchers say results could help inform state and local educational policy, funding and curriculum. Opportunities for author visits come with a range of costs that are often out of reach for many schools.

Researchers hope project results will provide a tool to legitimize and help fund literacy programs as part of the standard learning experience.

“Busload of Books has a really strong mission, and Robbi and Matthew are approaching this from a strong advocacy position,” says Sara Clarke-De Reza,

lead researcher. “Now, we have the opportunity to provide the data needed in order to prove that it matters and help the people who already believe in the initiative to get additional funding. The stories alone aren’t enough to affect policy decisions. This data is the missing piece.

“At the end of this, we will be able to talk about what happens to kids with greater access to books over time, their teachers’ attitudes, the administrators’ attitudes, and how all of that fits within their social and geographic context using census and department of education data.

It’s huge.”

On the ground and spending time with students, Robbi puts it simply: “Author visits have a huge impact, but there’s never been the data on it. The hope is that once there is data, it’ll make it easy for a librarian or teacher to advocate for books and author visits.”

As the couple wraps up their whirlwind tour, they remain just as fresh and energized as when they first boarded the bus.

“People talk a lot these days about failing schools and lazy teachers,” Matthew says. “We’ve yet to encounter a school that isn’t trying its hardest or teachers who aren’t giving their all.”

Robbi agrees.

“We love the movement and visibility this has provided,” she says. “This is about bringing books and creativity to places it might be in short supply. The kids in these communities get to feel loved and appreciated. They are seen. People want to be seen.” n

You Can Help!

The Busload of Books is now parked, but the work continues.

Schools need you, says Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr, the husband-wife, author-illustrator team who created “Cookie Chronicles” and other middle-grade books. Over nine months and across 30,000 miles, the couple visited with thousands of students and hundreds of teachers.

"Over and over again, teachers told us, 'Thank you for loving our kids,' " Robbi says.

Your local school could use your time, attention and love, they say. Both paid positions and volunteer roles need to be filled.

"There's a million things that can be done,” Robbi says. “Schools need bus drivers, playground supervisors, substitute teachers and more. Bring your skills and talents."

Learn more at busloadofbooks.com.

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15

IN THE KITCHEN

Fresh From Your SUMMER GARDEN Panzanella

Leftover baguette bread, preferably stale, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups) 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1 teaspoon kosher sea salt, divided 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, any variety or color 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-size pieces ½ cup thinly sliced red onion 2 garlic cloves, grated to a paste

Recipes by Gertrude Treadaway PHOTO BY KATIE WILCOX

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2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, divided 1 teaspoon dried oregano Large pinch red pepper flakes ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard Black pepper 1 cup sliced English cucumber ½ cup torn basil leaves ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Heat oven to 425 F. Spread bread cubes on a baking sheet. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bake until dried out and golden brown at the edges, about 10 minutes. Let cool.

Cut tomatoes into bite-size pieces, and transfer to a large bowl. Add mozzarella, onion, garlic paste, 1 tablespoon vinegar, oregano, ¼ teaspoon salt and red pepper flakes. Toss to coat, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, mustard, ¼ teaspoon salt and black pepper, to taste. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil until the mixture is thickened. Stir in cucumbers, basil and parsley.

Add bread cubes and cucumbers to the tomatoes. Toss well. Let sit for at least 30 minutes and up to four hours before serving. If needed, toss with more olive oil, vinegar and salt just before serving.

Garden Eggplant Ratatouille 1 medium eggplant, peeled and cubed 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced into half moons 5 cloves garlic, chopped 2 small zucchini or squash, diced 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

3 Roma tomatoes, diced ¼ teaspoon sea salt Fresh cracked pepper, to taste Pinch of crushed red chili flakes 1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar Large handful fresh basil leaves, chiffonade cut 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese or torn mozzarella

Generously salt cubed eggplant. Let sit for 30 minutes.

Rinse, drain and pat dry the eggplant.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot on medium-high heat. Saute chopped onion for 3 minutes before adding chopped garlic. Saute for 1 more minute. Add cubed eggplant and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often and adding a few tablespoons of water if needed.

Add zucchini and bell pepper. Cook for 2 minutes before adding can of diced tomatoes, fresh diced tomatoes, red chili flakes, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Let simmer for 10 minutes on a medium heat.

Stir in balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Garnish with goat cheese or mozzarella and chopped basil before serving.

Zoodles With Pesto

4 small zucchini ends, trimmed 2 cups packed fresh basil 2 cloves garlic 2 tablespoons pine nuts 1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

Use a julienne peeler or mandolin to slice the zucchini into noodles. Set aside.

Combine the basil, garlic and pine nuts if using in a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on.

Stop the machine, and scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the lemon juice and Parmesan cheese. Pulse until blended. Season with salt and pepper.

Combine the zucchini noodles and pesto. Toss until zucchini noodles are well-coated. Top with tomatoes. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

If you want to cook the zucchini noodles and serve warm, add the zucchini pesto noodles to a skillet. Saute over medium heat for a few minutes.

Traditional Greek Salad Salad

1 cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and sliced ¼-inch thick 1 red bell pepper, large-dice 1 yellow bell pepper, large-dice 1 green bell pepper, large-dice

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved ½ red onion, sliced in half-rounds ½ pound feta cheese, ½-inch dice ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted

Vinaigrette 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard ¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ½ cup olive oil

Place the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. While whisking, slowly add the olive oil to make an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the feta and olives, and toss lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.

No-Cook Puttanesca With Spaghetti 2 large tomatoes, about 1 pound, halved crosswise, seeds removed 2 garlic cloves, finely grated 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for cooking spaghetti 1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup Castelvetrano olives, pits removed and crushed 2 tablespoons capers ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 16 ounces thin spaghetti 1⁄3 cup finely chopped parsley 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Pulse tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes and 2 teaspoons salt in a food processor until smooth. Transfer sauce to a large bowl. Mix in cherry tomatoes, olives, capers and ¼ cup oil.

Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving ¼ cup pasta cooking liquid.

Add pasta, parsley and butter to sauce. Toss vigorously with tongs, adding a splash of pasta cooking liquid or more as needed to create an emulsified sauce that coats the pasta.

Divide among bowls, and drizzle with more oil.

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READER EXCHANGE Crafts/Hobbies I will be homebound for several months from an upcoming surgery and physical therapy. I’m looking for jewelry (broken or not), glass or clay beads, and other supplies to craft or repurpose to help with the high copays, birthday gifts and to pass time. I’m 64 years old and disabled. I might be able to compensate a small amount of postage. Cards of encouragement will be treasured as well. Thank you.

L. Thomas lsthom@yahoo.com PO Box 1403 Prosser, WA 99350

If anyone is getting rid of fabrics, fabric scraps of any kind or any other crafts supplies, I would love to have them.

Miesha Niksik P.O. Box 117 Savoonga, AK 99769-0117

I am trying to start a business.

I sell plants and would deeply appreciate if I could find potting supplies. Thank you in advance.

Kayelee Davis-Espinola Kayeleejeane@gmail.com 750 Delbert Drive Ione, OR 97843

I have a love for making personal patchwork quilts using 4-inch by 4-inch squares. Every stitch is by hand. Each quilt has a story attached to it, noting the season and where it traveled over the course of its creation. I would love to receive scraps of fabric, as long as I could cut out a 4-inch by 4-inch piece. The quilts are bright and cheerful in color. Thank you so much.

Harriet Courts 6060 Teal Creek Road Dallas, OR 97338

I am a multimedia artist seeking architectural plans, newspapers, ledgers, and handwritten notes and letters from 1950-90. Is this your hint from above to clear out your old papers? Let them be turned into art with hidden history. Thank you.

Pam Spettel P.O. Box 112 Veneta, OR 97487

I’m looking for jewelry­— especially earrings—for art projects. If you have old, funky, fancy, interesting, or boring singles or pairs that you can part with, I would love to use them.

Thanks in advance.

Suzanne Abrams 1123 E. 8th St. The Dalles, OR 97058

Submitting Requests Is Free

Milestones

Recipes

My in-laws celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary on July 4.

What an accomplishment and the test of time. The children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren are far and wide, so most will not be able to help celebrate this great day. They are the most amazing couple, and I would love for them to receive cards for this special day. Thank you to those who take the time to help them celebrate. Cards can be sent to Lynn & Irma Forester, 680 F Ave., Terrebonne, OR 97760.

Am looking for a peanut butter fudge recipe that came from the area of Tipton or Altoona, Pennsylvania, from the early ’50s or so. If anyone has it, please send it to my email. I know my dad made it when I was a child, but I didn’t think to write it down. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Maria Forester Terrebonne, Oregon

In July, Mom will be 93. Her eyesight is very limited due to macular degeneration.

Despite this loss of vision, she enjoys getting her mail, which her neighbor delivers to her every morning. It would be a wonderful surprise for her birthday to receive cards and letters in her mail from all of you. The neighbor will share your messages with her since she is unable to read them. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.

Please send your cards to Mayanna Kopp, P.O. Box N, Pilot Rock, OR 97868.

Ron Kopp Condon, Oregon

Debra Kompkoff deb.dlj13@gmail.com 3161 Deborah Lynn Circle Anchorage, AK 99507

Thanks I want to thank all of you who took the time to wish my mother-in-law a happy birthday in January. She received so many thoughtful messages and appreciated every single one. All the residents and staff members at her care facility thought she was some sort of celebrity since she received more than 300 cards. Thanks again for all your kindness.

Christine Tennant La Pine, Oregon

Happy Fourth of July!

Send your request—no attachments, please—to readerexchange@ruralite.org or mail to Reader Exchange, 5625 NE Elam Young Parkway, Suite 100, Hillsboro, OR 97124. Fill in the subject line with Reader Exchange. Acceptance, scheduling and editing are at the editor’s discretion. Single requests only, please. No duplicates.

Submissions are handled on a first-come, first-served basis and as space allows. We cannot honor every request.

Please affirm you have authorization from all appropriate parties before submitting. By submitting, you indemnify Reader Exchange, Pioneer Utility Resources Inc., its officers, directors, employees, utility clients and insurers from all legal liability incurred by the publication of information.

We no longer accept pen pal requests. You may submit a pen pal request as a Marketplace ad. Marketplace pricing applies.

When submitting a milestone request, please send it at least two months before the milestone.

Phone numbers will not be published. Email addresses will be published if part of the ad, but you must include a postal address.

Requests also must include the name and address of the electric utility that provides your magazine.

18

J U LY 2023

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ADVENTURE AWAITS

See Ancient Stone Trees in Northeast Arizona at

Petrified Forest National Park

How Does Wood Petrify?

What Is It? Trees turned to stone are strewn across the land in Northeast Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park. The park contains more than 220,000 acres and was designated a national park in 1962.

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J U LY 2023

The park’s petrified wood likely came to be hundreds of millions of years ago, when the logs would have flowed down an ancient river and been buried quickly and deeply by sediment in the water. This process cut off oxygen access, slowing decomposition.

Silica and other minerals seeped into the wood and crystalized as the organic material in the trees broke down, creating solid quartz trees.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE, ANDREW V KEARNS

Who Cut Them?

How to See It

Many of the petrified logs look as if a lumberjack used a chainsaw to slice them.

However, the logs snapped cleanly under natural forces. The petrified logs are effectively large quartz sticks.

Quartz is strong, but when it breaks, the crystal typically has clean fractures.

If you want to stay in the car, the main park road is 28 miles long and has many spurs and viewpoints. If you want to stretch your legs, the 1-mile Blue Mesa loop goes through badland hills. The ¾-mile Crystal Forest loop gets visitors right up to the petrified wood.

More Information Petrified Forest National Park is open from 8 a.m to 5 p.m year-round but closes for Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

To start planning your trip, call 928524-6228 or visit www.nps.gov/pefo.

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THE GREAT PICTURE HUNT

Seth Boyle, 12, bonds with his goat, Tyson, before the pair enter the show ring at a county fair.

PHOTO BY DAVE LABELLE

Kids, Animals and Fairs I love county fairs. They are like giant aquariums with all kinds and shapes of humans swimming about talking, spending money and munching everything edible on a stick. Folks seem more relaxed and less concerned with appearances.

A county fair is one of the few places these days where you can sit on a bench with a camera and watch humanity parade past and, for the most part, those passing don’t notice you or don’t care.

Renowned author, photographer and lecturer Dave LaBelle has captured special moments for more than half a century. For more of his writings, visit davidlabelle.com and bridgesandangels.wordpress.com.

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PRO CAMERA TIP

When shopping for a lens, invest in one with an aperture of f/2.8. It costs more than a lens with an aperture of f/3.5 or f/4, but it is worth it—especially if you like making pictures indoors or in dimly lit places. Many of my pictures are made with a Nikkor/Nikon 180mm lens.

When shooting with a Canon, my favorite lens is a 200mm.

My signature pictures are about relationships. I prefer observing and watching for storytelling moments rather than posing people, as studio photographers do. You might say I am drawn to “Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine,” a song written and performed by the late Tom T. Hall.

There are few better places to capture Americana than a county fair. Amidst the colorful

characters, games and rides, I find myself gravitating to the livestock pens and show arenas to watch young people interact with their animals.

I suspect there are reasons for this. I was once a child with a yard full of dogs, cats, pigs, cows, chickens, pigeons, frogs, hawks and even a pet raccoon.

I remember what it was like to love and even lose an animal.

Animals don’t care if they look “just right.” They are not embarrassed to relieve themselves publicly. Likewise, children are generally less pretentious and, unlike most adults, usually are not afraid to show their emotions—at least not until they reach that age where everyone and everything embarrasses them, and they learn to hide their feelings. n

NIKON D800, 180mm lens ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/250

Reader Challenge

Watch for young people petting or talking to their animals at a fair, farm or show.

Make a natural, heartwarming, storytelling photograph.

Though not always necessary, seeing the eyes and/or expressions on the faces of the humans and animals connects us more quickly.

A lens of 100mm or greater allows you to get reasonably close and eliminate unwanted, show-stealing backgrounds, while not interrupting precious moments between people and animals.

Email your best image (just one, please) with caption information, including an explanation of how it affects you, to GPH@pur.coop. We may share submissions on our website and social media channels.

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MOHAVE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

MEC CEO Tyler Carlson presents the 2023 scholarship check to Brooklyn Anderson. PHOTO

BY JOHN PYNAKKER/MEC

MEC Awards Scholarship $5,000 in Support of Education Mohave Electric Cooperative (MEC) is proud to announce one winner for the MEC 2023 Scholarship Program.

Students in MEC’s service territory attending a higher education institution this fall semester were eligible to apply for assistance up to $5,000.

Brooklyn Anderson was selected to receive a $5,000 scholarship as she enters her junior year as a biology major with emphasis on pre-medicine at Grand Canyon University in Arizona.

“MEC is proud to continue providing the tools and resources, if and when we can, to students who are furthering their educational goals and who took the time to complete the application for MEC’s scholarship,” said CEO Tyler Carlson.

“Congratulations Brooklyn!”

Carlson envisioned a supplementary, MEC-awarded scholarship, and staff put into action an assigned capital credits account to create such a program. This annual scholarship is in addition to the thousands of dollars provided to Mohave Community College (MCC) to award student scholarships.

Education, Training, and Information are part of the seven Cooperative Principles upheld by MEC to support the future of even the youngest of our members.

“Brooklyn has the unique opportunity of coming full circle with MEC’s programs, as I remember she received her first scholarship back in her junior year in high school. It’s very rewarding to see her continued success as a junior in college,” said Carlson. n

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25

MARKETPLACE Agriculture

Reinforced custom-sized pond liners (39 cents/sqft). Hay covers, greenhouse covers, any width and length. Truck tarps and more. High puncture and tear strength. Best price guaranteed. Celebrating 42 years in business. www.btlliners.com. 541-447-0712.

4x5 round bales, Meadow Foxtail Orchard Grass. 4x4 Timothy, small square.

208-435-4637 or 208-435-4002, nas@cpcinternet.com.

Antiques and Collectibles Buying antiques and collectibles: advertising signs, porcelain signs, gas pumps, beer signs, antique toys, cast-iron coin banks, neon signs and more. Jason, 503-310-3321; tjabaughman@yahoo.com. 0923 WC Collectibles. We buy comic books!

Local to the Inland Northwest, willing to travel. WCCollectiblesCheney@gmail.com; 509-496-1835. 0823 Books, Magazines, Videos Book restoration. Bibles, cookbooks, cherished family heirlooms. Beautiful work. We give renewed life, more durable than original, to last for generations. 775-537-7066; salacanstudio@gmail.com. 0723AR Business Opportunities Food court site for lease. Corner spot available now. Located at the north end of Rockaway Beach, OR, in a small food court. Call for monthly rate. 503-322-3200. 0723 Community Events Art exhibits “New Works” by Nathan Prouty and “Low Tide” by Doug Anderson. July 7-Sept. 2. Art Center East, La Grande, OR. Artcentereast.org. 0723 Free Items Free materials—church, government uniting, suppressing “religious liberty,” enforcing National Sunday Law. Be informed. Need mailing address only. TBS, P.O. Box 374, Ellijay, GA 30540. tbsmads@yahoo.com; 888-211-1715. 0723AR Livestock, Supplies St. Croix sheep. Ewes, rams. 360-734-2222.

Miscellaneous Local commercial fisherman sells summer catch gourmet canned tuna on internet.

Sept.-June. 100% guaranteed the best canned tuna you ever tasted. Currently out of original and garlic; only jalapeno remaining. If you wish to be notified in the fall when we return from the fishing season with a full inventory, call Two Fishers Tuna at 206-799-1082, we will add you to the list. Twofisherstuna.com. 0823

26

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Quick, Affordable: How to Place an Ad

Ads 25 words or fewer are $35 a month. An extended ad of up to 35 words is $50 a month. Contact information is included in the word count.

Longer ads may be placed. Contact 503-357-2105 or info@pioneer.coop for pricing information.

Ads are for customers of member co-ops, PUDs and municipals only.

Subscribers and nonmembers may inquire about pricing at 503-357-2105 or info@pioneer.coop.

Ads must be direct and in first person, and are subject to approval and editing.

Closing deadlines (in our office): September issue—July 31, 2023.

If submitting ad by mail, send appropriate payment with your name, address, email, phone number and the name of the electric utility that provides your magazine to: Marketplace, P.O. Box 1306, North Plains, OR 97133. Make check or money order payable to Ruralite.

We accept credit card payments for ads submitted by email. Send ad to info@pioneer.coop.

Call 503-357-2105 to pay by credit card.

Advertisements are accepted in good faith. Pioneer Utility Resources is not liable for interactions between buyers and sellers.

Alaskan Yellow Cedar great for planter boxes, herb and flower beds, fencing, or decks.

Various sizes available. Pete, 541-206-0727 or Lisa, 541-747-5025 ext. 21. 0723

$600K interior Alaskan turnkey roadhouse and 2 dry cabins. Well maintained on 5 acres with pond. 50 scenic miles south to Denali Park entrance. 907-460-9292. 0524

Granite cemetery markers at affordable prices.

Will ship to most places. For more info: Joe, 541-815-8906. www.highdesertmemorials.com and hdmemorials@bendbroadband.com. 0823

74-acre ranch on beautiful Texas Ridge in Deary, ID. 5,500 sqft. 6-bd, 2-ba home built in 2012. 80x40 shop, 30x60 hay barn, 50x60 animal barn, 8-ft. garden fence (1/4 acre) with chicken coop, 1,400-ft. grass runway, 11 acres of trees, 50gpm well, 3,900-gallon water storage. The most beautiful sunsets you have ever seen. Asking $1.2M. For more information: call Doug, 509-727-4557 or 509-727-0013. 0723

Pets, Supplies Australian shepherds born 1/27/23, $300.

In addition, Aussie black tri-stud service available, $300. Beaver, OR. Call 503-664-3144 or text 971-409-6694. 0723 Stud service for mini Australian shepherd.

Photos available. Crescent Lake, OR. Liz Sanders, 360-901-1291. 0823 Real Estate For sale in Christmas Valley, two lots on a golf course, between 2nd and 3rd holes. $10k each. 541-410-9299. 0723 Stunning, 3-level view house in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. Property is titled with trust and is priced at 50% of replacement cost. $165k USD. See at mbprealestate.com.

John@ixtapasolar.com; 907-978-3676. 0723 Premium equestrian potential on the south fork of the John Day River. 205 acres, 50 irrigated, home, corrals, hay cover, shop. $1.2M. Duke Warner Realty, 541-987-2363 or ddwr@ortelco.net. 0723

Let me help you buy or sell ranch, farm and recreation property in Oregon. Fourthgeneration Oregonian, ranch owner.

For sale: Central OR acreage 73.72 w Irr. $1,349,000. John Gill, 541-480-9161; johngill@landandwildlife.com. Land and Wildlife brokerage. 0823 100x200 residential lot on Coos Bay, OR, Bluff. Bay Front. Ocean view. City water and sewer. For more info and pictures, contact Joe, joe8109@peak.org. $232K. 0923 Looking to purchase small to medium-sized cattle ranch in Northeast California, Southern Oregon, Western Nevada. Have cows, some capital, ability to finance. Will also consider seller finance and Life Estate.

Brushpopper6S@gmail.com. 0723

Latest 5-star review: “During the whole process of listing and selling of my property, Mr. Wardrope was very understanding of my needs and made sure to keep me updated as things progressed. He was always upbeat, super friendly and knowledgeable. The widespread advertising of my property was fantastic.” KFM Scan above for more 5-star Zillow reviews.

Shouldn’t you be using our 48-state exposure in periodicals to advertise your property?

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Please allow two to three weeks for delivery.

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27

ARIZONA G&T COOPERATIVES

Smart Thermostats Help Southwest Co-ops Save New technology helps reduce demand and contains costs

By Magen Howard A new program launched by Arizona G&T Cooperatives has the potential to be a win-win-win.

As the power production, transmission, and energy services provider for electric and water utilities in Arizona, Nevada and California, AZGT’s primary goal for the program is to reduce electricity demand during peak times and help keep energy

prices lower for all members.

The smart thermostat program gives consumer-members of participating electric co-ops a free or discounted smart thermostat and an annual bill credit. In exchange, consumer-members agree to slight adjustments to their temperature settings at times of the highest electricity demand, when power is most expensive.

“With markets in short supply of extra energy, our hope is to reduce how much energy capacity we’re required to have available during periods of high

demand,” says Tyler Pearce, AZGT operations engineer. “When demand is high, the incremental cost for additional power is quite high.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ECOBEE

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High demand and low power supply means members will pay inflated prices for their energy.”

AZGT kicked off the new program with Graham County Electric Cooperative in Pima, Arizona.

“We were looking for a good program to replace old energy-efficiency programs that were not working for a variety of reasons,” says Phil Cook, GCEC’s CEO/general manager. “This program allows members to be involved and have control over their devices.”

The temperature setting is slightly raised for a few hours on hot and humid summer afternoons or lowered on cold winter mornings, no more than 30 times in one calendar year. Reducing demand offsets the co-op’s power capacity requirements during peak hours and helps lower costs for everyone.

The cooperative never has full control of the thermostat. The consumer-member can always override the high-demand adjustment event. But if GCEC members participate in at least 65% of the total event hours, they’re eligible for an annual bill credit.

“The smart thermostat program is designed to minimize the inconvenience and discomfort of the participant while offering them an incentive for helping us reduce electricity demand,” Tyler says.

When anticipating a high-demand event during the summer, the thermostat is first adjusted down 2 degrees from its current setting to pre-cool the home for an hour. After the first hour, the thermostat is adjusted upward 2, 3 and 4 degrees from its original setting during the second, third and fourth hours of the event.

“It’s during those hours that we hope

NEVADA

VEA

COLORADO

UTAH LCPD1 Pioche

Pahrump

MEC

Bullhead City to shave electricity demand,” CALIFORNIA he says. “The ARIZONA air conditioner still operates, MWD Los Angeles CAWCD Phoenix but it’ll operate less than Anza EC Anza SPPA it ordinarily would to conserve Maricopa electricity.”

While the adjustment events themselves won’t necessarily save money Trico EC Marana Sharing on participants’ electric bills because of information and the pre-cooling and pre-heating hour, technology is a direct studies have shown that a properly installed and configured smart thermostat benefit to AZGT and CEPCI members and the consumers they serve. can save consumers up to 23% on It permits small co-ops to offer the same heating and cooling costs during normal energy-saving programs that larger operation.

“It was important to us that we create a utilities can afford.

“It’s a solution created by a cooperative program that is also a tool for members, for cooperatives,” Ben says. “CEPCI giving them quality data to help manage their heating and cooling costs and understood that the current solutions decisions on how they use electricity,” in the marketplace didn’t fit the Phil says. “The smart thermostat program cooperative model. They also understood accomplishes that while working toward the importance of giving cooperative the greater goal of reducing the risk of members the opportunity to manage and power outages across the state when control their participation. We wanted to energy demand hits extreme levels.” do the same: provide a low-cost program that’s easily managed by all of our member cooperatives with benefits for all

By Co-ops, for Co-ops of our consumers.”

The software that enables the remote With the pilot at GCEC off the ground, thermostat adjustment by GCEC was AZGT will offer the smart thermostat developed in cooperation with Central program to its other member cooperatives Electric Power Cooperative Inc., a in the Southwest. The software can also generation and transmission cooperative enable other energy-saving programs in serving nearly 30 electric distribution the future. co-ops in South Carolina.

“We have been talking about and The partnership between CEPCI and working on this program for about two Arizona G&T Cooperatives exemplifies years, and I’m excited to see this move the sixth cooperative principle of forward for GCEC and hopefully other Cooperation Among Cooperatives, says co-ops in our state,” Phil says. n Ben Engelby, AZGT’s general counsel.

NEW MEXICO

GCEC Pima

DVEC Duncan

SSVEC Willcox

AZGT will soon offer the smart thermostat program to its member distribution cooperatives throughout the Southwest. Visit azgt.coop to learn more about AZGT’s members and customers.

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BEFORE YOU GO

The BRIGHT Side of Life Christi, a Ruralite reader from the Oregon Coast, found herself stuck in Phoenix during the early days of the pandemic as a new gloom cast its shadow over the land.

“I occupied my time by going on long walks,” the retired educator shares. One day she was standing on a freeway overpass, she recalls, “when I saw dark clouds one way and the bright sun the other way.”

At that very moment, an epiphany occurred. She snapped a photo with her iPhone and made a post for family and friends on Facebook and Instagram. She titled it: “Looking for the good on my walks.”

“From that day forward, it reinforced that there is good if you just look, even in a pandemic,” she says. “I figured this was something I would do for a little while and then move on.”

Turns out, her upbeat posts took on a life of their own. It doesn’t hurt that Christi is a capable photographer who splits her time between the desert and ocean, providing ample opportunities for inviting photos. Friends have even shared their own pictures on hikes as they look for the good.

“People told me that they looked forward to my posts to cheer them up,” says Christi, who counts her blessings in life. “They like the positive messages.”

Positivity, it turns out, is contagious. n

This heart-shaped tree knot was one of the photos Christi posted online in her quest to look for the good in the world. PHOTO BY CHRISTI

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AZ-146 Postmaster: Send address changes to Currents, 5625 NE Elam Young Pkwy. Ste. 100, Hillsboro, OR 97124 P.O. Box 22530 Bullhead City, AZ 86439 Member Services: 928-763-1100 Outage Reporting: Toll free 844-632-2667 or text “outage” to 55050 from the phone number linked to your MEC account. mohaveelectric.com

Mohave Electric Cooperative Board of Directors President Joe Anderson Vice President Deborah Johnson Secretary Toni Barbaro Treasurer Rich Tempelman Michael Bartelt Cindy Christy John Nelssen Kevin Nestrick Jose “Joe” Solar

CEO

Tyler Carlson

A Message from the CEO

MEC’s 77th Anniversary Happy Anniversary MEC members! On July 3rd, MEC celebrates 77 years of providing electric service to the area.

Reliability has always been at the forefront of our minds when providing electricity. This involves securing power generation, capacity, transmission, and distributing the electricity to your homes and businesses. When identifying power generation sources, we purchase primarily through firm contracts and a portion of MEC’s power is purchased on the wholesale purchased power open market.

The market at times can be very stable and affordable and other times Tyler Carlson skyrocket in costs, usually after a weather-related disaster such as the 2021 winter storms in Texas.

Over the past decade, MEC has continually made investments in our own power generation, including renewable energy, and storage sources to limit the amount of power generation we purchase on the open market and in return help “fix” our costs to a known dollar amount.

California is another factor that affects the open market. California is historically known for not having enough power generation for its ever-increasing population, and by default, ever-increasing electrical load, and then enters the market creating premium prices for electricity that would otherwise be available to small players, like MEC, for reasonable costs.

Recently, the Lake Havasu Today’s News Herald reprinted the positive news written by the Associated Press – that California is unlikely to run out of power this summer because of heavy rains this past winter. For multiple years California has been unable to use their hydroelectric facilities for electricity generation due to drought and water shortages. The rain this last winter has “filled the state’s reservoirs enough to restart hydroelectric power plants that were dormant during the drought.”

Forecasting power supply costs is no easy task as none of us have a crystal ball. However, we welcome the idea that costs and supply may remain reasonable this summer. The market can always ‘change on a dime’ so we constantly monitor the market every hour of every day.

Our power purchase forecasting and planning goes well beyond the summer season. Stay tuned for news on our strategies to deal with future increased demand for reliable and affordable electricity. And stay safe this summer.

What’s Happening h Monday, July 3 - MEC’s 77th Anniversary h Tuesday, July 4 – Office Closed for Independence Day h Friday – Sunday, August 4, 5, 6 – Join MEC at Chaos on the Colorado River Survivalist Expo h Thursday, August 31 - $5K SunWatts Education Application Deadline

MEC IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER & EMPLOYER

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