2009 Speakers

One of the founding elders of the Otter Clan, mark spyder thompson has worked, since the early 1990’s, co-creating mythic themes with political & philosophic principles for enhancing, and improving, human relationships with the Earth and all the species.  Once described by his doctoral mentor as too much an activist for academia, and too much an academic for activism, he is now a retired educator, trained academic, passionate advocate for the arts and for Gaia— remaining focused on the big picture while working day-to-day on the little details of increasing a sustainable human species. Spyder remains captivated and enthralled with the universe of life and sharing ideas in the commons.  In a volunteer capacity, he serves on advisory and executive boards of three Eastern Washington environmental and sustainability organizations, as well as a commissioner on the Spokane Arts Commission.

Nick is a community organizer and ecovisionary activist.  He began his career in the U.S. Navy, unloading toxic wastes from warships and looking for spills in the back lots of bases.  Recognizing that our government was being less than forthcoming, he moved on to the EPA to work with the public, the Congress and other governmental agencies to create accountability for government pollution.  Realizing that our planet was facing equally great threats, he then coordinated Greenpeace’s efforts to address global environmental justice issues.  Lately, his work has been on a more local scale, including brownfield conversions with the cities of Berkeley and Emeryville and on ecosystem restoration/protection programs in Bali, Costa Rica, New Mexico and the Yucatan.

Nicki Scully is an internationally acclaimed author and teacher.  During her first tour of Egypt with the Grateful Dead in 1978, Nicki experienced an epiphany on the top of the great pyramid, and realized her gift in this life time to bring forth the hidden shamanic arts of Egypt.  Drawing on the knowledge gained through decades, she enlightens and uplifts all who study and travel with her. In the late '80s, Nicki founded Shamanic Journeys, Ltd., and has been guiding inner journeys and spiritual pilgrimages to Egypt, Peru, Greece, and other sacred sites around the world.  Nicki lives in Eugene, Oregon, where she maintains a comprehensive healing and shamanic consulting practice. She welcomes you to study with her at her beautiful garden center.

After moving to Eugene, Oregon from the mid-west in the 70’s Paul Engelmeyer worked with the Hoedads Co-operative and others contracting with the US Forest Service throughout Region 6, (Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana).  A diversity of work included, cone collection, tree planting, stream surveys, and four years with the Oregon State University Wildlife Research Unit as tree climber, photographer in the upper canopy of coastal old growth forests on the Marbled Murrelet research team.

Paul Hochfeld is a Fair-Family emergency physician from Corvallis.  His video "Health, Money and Fear" addresses the following questions about our health care non-system.  Why does it cost so much?  What does it say about us?  What can we do about it?  The film is available for viewing at www.ourailinghealthcare.com.

Sam Earnshaw is the Central Coast Program Coordinator for Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF).  He studied Forestry at U.C. Berkeley, graduating in 1974.  In the mid-1980's  Sam and his wife Jo Ann Baumgartner started their own farm, Neptune Farms, and marketed organic vegetables and cut flowers to retail stores, farmers markets and wholesalers in the local area. In 1992, Sam began working as Lighthouse Farm coordinator for CAFF, sponsoring monthly meetings and field tours for farmers, sharing techniques in biologically based farming techniques. Sam's work with local growers in Watsonville, Santa Cruz, Salinas and Hollister through this program has led to CAFF's involvement in land use and water issues on the Central Coast. He is the author of Hedgerows for California Agriculture: A Resource Guide published by CAFF.

Oregon Country Fair –
Sandra was a member of the founding collective of the Oregon Country Fair and participated in the management of the fair for the first 20 years.   A member of the original main camp group that took over management after Bill and Cindy moved on, she was also a founding member of the first Board of Directors and was the first board president.   During this time she worked with the fair attorney, Jill Heiman, to sue Lane County over the right to assemble.  The settlement was part of the down payment to buy the Oregon Country Fair land.  She still attends the Fair every year and works in Trouble shooters (Solutions) booth at registration.   

The Great Peninsula Future Festival Director:  2007 to present

Just five years old when she walked through Boston Commons with her grandmother to go shopping, Saphir Lewis witnessed a "Love-In" and suddenly grasped that "if we all would take care of each other, we could live in paradise, it's that simple." Determined to find or build that vision, she studied with Maharishi at 12, read Ram Dass at 14, and at 18 left home to tour the USA visiting communes to discuss how to build the world we know is possible.

Dr. Sharif Abdullah is an author and advocate for inclusivity and the transformation of society to align with our common spiritual values. As Director of Commonway Institute he has visited over 35 countries and over 100 distinct cultures.  His books include the award-winning Creating a World That Works for All. 

Sharif is an expert in the emerging field of “demos-dynamics” – how human populations interact and change. Sharif teaches groups and individuals how to understand and practice inclusivity – the connection with all beings.

Dr. Abdullah visits Sri Lanka several times a year, to volunteer with Sarvodaya Shramadana as a Senior Advisor.

Sharif’s awards and recognitions include:

·    2009 “Martin Luther King Lifetime Achievement Award”. World Arts Foundation.

Suzi Prozanski, author of the book Fruit of the Sixties, the Founding of the Oregon Country Fair, has attended the Fair since 1984. To document the Fair’s beginnings, she interviewed more than 300 Fair participants and extensively researched archived newspapers files, early Fair records, and other sources. A team from the Fair’s History Crew, headed up by long-time fairgoer Hal Hartzell, also contributed to the project by recording more than 40 interviews during the 2004 Fair. The book intertwines numerous short stories derived from the interviews and research into a compelling tale of the Fair’s founding years.  The book can be found and purchased at the Speaker Store, across the path from the Rabbit Hole Stage.

Steve Bhaerman is an internationally-known author, humorist, and workshop leader. For the past 20 years, he has written and performed as Swami Beyondananda, the “Cosmic Comic.” Swami’s comedy has been called “irreverently uplifting” and has been described both as “comedy disguised as wisdom” and “wisdom disguised as comedy.”

As the Swami, Steve is the author of  Driving Your Own Karma (1989), When You See a Sacred Cow, Milk It For All It’s Worth (1993), Duck Soup for the Soul (1999) and Swami for Precedent: A 7-Step Plan to Heal the Body Politic and Cure Electile Dysfunction. 

Tim Blakley has been an aromatherapist/herbalist for the past 30 years.  In the past he was part owner of the California School of Herbal Studies, created the farm and education program at Herb Pharm and helped create and manage the National Center for the Preservation of Medicinal Herbs.  He teaches at conferences around the world with a focus on Essential Oil Therapeutic Uses, sourcing, conservation, quality and safety.  He presently travels N. America and the world as the aromatherapist/educator for Frontier/Aura Cacia as well as sourcing oils from around the world.  On recent sourcing trips he has traveled to E. Europe, Ukraine, W. Europe, India, Nepal, Australia and New Zealand as well as throughout N. America.  He is the author of ‘Medicinal Herbs in the Garden, Field and Marketplace’.  He lives peacefully on his homestead in Hawaii and absolutely loves to teach. 

Twilly Cannon is a lifelong practitioner and teacher of non-violent direct action. He dates his involvement in the environmental and human rights movement to 1970 when he helped organize the first Earth Day. During his college years at Evergreen he was involved in anti-nuclear and anti-Trident campaigns. He participated in many large-scale occupations of nuclear facilities after college. In 1983 he spent a year doing medical relief in war-torn Nicaragua. Returning to the Seattle, he joined Greenpeace as a volunteer, spent two years captain the Greenpeace ship Vega, and was then named as the national director of Greenpeace’s direct action unit. He went on to work for Greenpeace International, again in its direct action unit.

“V” is an 18 year old senior attending Street Academy High School in Oakland, CA.  At age 7 he became interested in spoken word and a few years later founded his business Nature’s Creations. This unique business is one in which he designs and produces jewelry for both women and men. Among his accomplishments is raising money through that business to travel to Paris where he performed for 3,000 people. He also visited Morocco and lived in France for 2 months studying culture and culinary arts. He is now performing original songs that bring social and political issues of our contemporary times to the forefront. He can be contacted at www.myspace.com/vturf