CN! project Rain City Slam presents it’s 2019 Grand Slam featuring legendary poet Wil Gibson. This is Rain City Slam’s most fierce competition of the year!
Did you know that we support grassroots projects in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana?
Join us, other awesome Cascadians, and climate activists around the world in signing the petition asking the Nobel Foundation Board to create a new Nobel Prize for the Fight Against Climate Change NOW!
Great Northwest Productions, a CN! nonprofit family member, presents an art & music series, filmed & recorded in unique locations throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Nourishing Neighbors is a "pay-it-forward" program that lets patrons of local businesses donate towards the next meal for a community member in need.
Free Cascadia bumperstickers are in! and as the name says, we're sending them out to whoever would like them. Just email cascadianow@gmail.com and let us know how many you would like and your address. We'll try to get them in the mail as soon as we can.
A Cascadian Resilience Gathering is growing in the woods of Southern Cascadia. The Guild of Scholars, Scribes and Independent Posties (G.O.S.S.I.P.) has called this gathering during the week of September 9-15, 2013. They intend to create a safe time and space for Cascadians to share important information pertaining to resilience and networking in a uniquely Cascadian setting. The gathering will have skill shares, conversations, presentations, reverence for nature and live music.
Those of you who have waited for Cascadia shirts to become available again, the wait is over. Pre-orders for version 2.0 of the Cascadia kit, that same jersey that when fielded, the Cascadia National team will be wearing has begun! Prices will be $60 per shirt (made in Cascadia by Looptworks using upcycled materials), with roughly $20 of each going towards the Cascadia Association Federation Football to help raise funds for their organization.
by Nate Jensen
Oregon could take more than one Cascadia prize this year as the Oregon Ducks opened the Cascadia bowl with a win over Washington State Cougars. Although the final score was 51-26, the Cougars did not go down without a fight. The score at halftime was 23-19 in the Ducks’ favor, and it looked like the Cougars could sneak in a huge upset over the 2nd-ranked Ducks; however, in the 3rd quarter, Oregon lit up the scoreboard with 21 unanswered points and did not look back.
October 6th is a huge day for the Cascadia Bowl as the Oregon Ducks take on the Washington Huskies and the Oregon State Beavers look to continue their top form against the Washington State Cougars. Since the Oregon schools are taking on the Washington schools for this weekend I’ve decided to call Saturday the Columbia River Clash.
It is worth noting that as of this writing, 3 of the 4 Cascadia football teams are ranked in the top 25. The Oregon Ducks are ranked highest at 2nd. Oregon State Beavers are at 14th in the rankings and the Washington Huskies are in 23rd after their upset win over Stanford.
With a huge Sounders-Timbers match in Seattle on the 7th and the Columbia River Clash on the 6th, this is shaping up to be a huge weekend for Cascadia sports.
In Portland Oregon, a new Scouting organization has sprung up in the past year. The Cascadian 55th, an emerging community led association, sets itself apart from the Boy Scouts of America in several ways by creating a welcoming, open environment and billing itself as 'Traditional Scouting for Everyone'.
Chartered in February 2013, with group activities beginning in April, it was started by Portland native Travis Wittwer and his son Kael Wittwer after they called an open community meeting that drew several dozen families. They had their first Hullaballoo campout in June with 92 attendees and since has grown to more than 6 sections such as the Otter, Chipmunk, Timberwolf, Pathfinder, Rover and Auxillary; and while these have quickly filled up, they are seeking to continue to expand around the city.
The Cascadia Scouts are an official scouting organization with merit badges, scarves, backpacking trips and all. They are not the only independent scouting group as the World Federation of Independent Scouts oversees hundreds of scout troops worldwide that are distinct from the well-known Boy Scouts of America, including several other alternative troops in America. Their goal is to build a Traditional Scouting Association for Cascadia that is open to boys and girls, men and women and focused on a traditional, open and inclusive, outdoor program that is open to everyone, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion (or no-religion) or other differentiating factors. It is their mission is to provide a positive learning environment within the context of democratic participation and social justice.
After talking with other parents and staging several just-for-fun multi-family camping trips, the parents behind the Cascadia Scouts decided to get official. Now, the Cascadia Scouts have mutlple levels of scouting for different age groups and all will be welcome to participate "traditional scouting" trips and projects that develop leaders and a love of the outdoors. One potential trip for older kids this summer will be backpacking on a trail that circumnavigates Oregon’s Mount Hood and another in the works is brining treats to Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers.
If you are interested in helping support the 55th Cascadia, or helping start a chapter or branch in your community, you can donate at any Wells Fargo branch or email the 55thCascadia@gmail.com.
For more information, visit their website: http://www.55cascadia.org/
Also, if you live in the Portland area, you can also stop by this weekend, and support the 55th Cascadia at their multi-family yard sale that they are holding to raise money for the group.
Recently featured at several Timbers, Thorns and Seattle Reign matches, Camp Cascadia, as well as at both Seattle and Portland pride celebrations, the Rainbow Cascadian Doug Flag is becoming a common site and is a way to show Cascadian solidarity with ongoing efforts for human equality.
The Douglas Fir Cascadia flag patch, in the rainbow colors of LGBT Pride or the international peace flag are now available for $3.00 each or 4 for $10 and all orders come with free shipping! They feature a Douglas Fir tree ('the Doug') in front of a rainbow colored stripe.
They are also available for purchase with the muted Cascadian Doug patches. If you want both kinds of patch, just place the orders separately and they'll be shipped in one package.
Free first-class shipping for all US and Canadian order and allow up to two weeks for orders, though it probably won't take that long.
They can be purchased directly from http://foomart.com
After several months of formalizing paperwork and organizational structure, the Cascadia Association Football Federation (CAFF) has been approved as a provisional member of the Nouvelle Fédération-Board, or NF-Board for short. The organization is a soccer board unaffiliated with, but meant to complement FIFA, comprised of teams that represent unrecognized nations, autonomous regions, states, minorities, stateless peoples, and micronations.
Acceptance as a provisional member means that Cascadia is now eligible to participate in the VIVA world cup. The VIVA world cup is a competition that is held every 2 years and is organized by the NF Board. The next VIVA world cup is scheduled for 2014 with the host yet to be determined.
The next step then for CAFF, is to begin putting together a coaching staff and contacting eligible players to participate in a Non-FIFA aligned Cascadia national team. Alexi Lalas, ESPN announcer and former USMNT, has mentioned he may be interested in head coach, responding via twitter that he 'would be honored' to be offered the position.
Originally started in late August of 2012, the idea has gained a wide degree of attention. Not even a year later, after having their first general meeting and formalizing organizational positions on January 26th, CAFF has already received friendly invitations from several NF Board associated federations including Quebec, Northern Cyprus, Raetia, Sealand (because why not?), Occitania and several others.
Though eligibility for a Cascadian national team has not yet been determined, CAFF has been in close talks with several players, including some professional, and is tracking more than 100 players who might be interested. Because it is not FIFA-aligned, the team itself will likely be made up of amateur, semi-pro and professional players, and does not interfere with their play-ability in other matches. Contact has also been made with the Quebec association who have already agreed to home and away meetings and the nascent beginnings of a North America and Arctic federation being set up alongside Greenland and, in the future, New Brunswick. The clamour for a Cascadian team has come too quickly for some invitations though, including taking part in a tournament in England this summer, but the association are hoping to have a side playing matches by the end of the year.
CAFF will likely be having another general meeting in the upcoming months, and if you are interested in becoming involved, you can send them an email directly to cascadiafootball@gmail.com, follow them on Twitter @CascadiaSoccer or on facebook here. You can view the original NF-Board release announcing CAFF's application here. Below, we've also included an alphabetical list for potential Cascadian players, along with position and current club. If you have suggestions or see an error, please feel free to let us know in the comments, and we'll try our best to get it corrected as soon as possible:
GK |
Defender |
Midfield |
FW |
| Jason Baarts-Portland | Anthony Arena-Houston | Ely Allen-unattached | Omari Aldridge-Khalsa Sporting Club |
| Tyler Baldock-ACBC | Paul Ballard-Fraser Valley Mariners | Osvaldo Alonso-Seattle | Gibson Bardsley-Dayton |
| Chris Blais- unattached | Scott Bolkan-unattached | Nick Besagno-Washington Crossfire | Ricardo Carrillo-Portland |
| Ben Dragavorn-unattached | Drew Chrostek-unattached | Brandon Bonifacio-Vancouver Thunderbirds | Jason Cascio-unattached |
| Chris Eylander-unattached | Ryan Cochrane-unattached | Josh Cameron-unattached | Caleb Clarke-FC Augsburg |
| Daniel Fernandes-FC Twente | Michael D'Agostino-Sportfruende Siegen | Gordon Chin-unattached | Alex Elliot-Sportfruende Siegen |
| Marcus Hahnemann-Seattle | Graham Dugoni-Charleston | Raphael Cox-Tampa Bay | Ben Fisk(BC)-Charleston |
| Tally Hall-Houston | Jaime Finch-Carolina | Matthew Dallman-Pittsburgh | Kevin Forrest-Washington Crossfire |
| Dough Herrick-Seattle | Sterling Flunder-Pittsburgh | Terry Dunfield-Unattached | Ian Fuller-Orlando |
| Simon Rayner-Three Bridges FC | Tanjot Singh Grewall-unattached | Steven Evans-Portland | Maykel Galindo-LA Blues |
| Steve Reese-unattached | Ty Harden- San Jose | John Fishbaugher-Washington Crossfire | Marcus Haber-Stevenage |
| Spencer Richey-unattached | Loren Hill-unattached | Ben Fisk(WA)-unattached | Jason James-unattached |
| Garrett Staples-Portland | Tyler Hughes-Victoria Highlanders | Joey Gjertsen-unattached | Nate Jaqua-unattached |
| Josh Saunders-RSL | George John-Dallas | Manny Gomez-CA Jorge Griffe | Ellis McLoughlin-unattached |
| Simon Thomas-Vancouver | Daniel Leach-unattached | Evan Harding-Charlotte | Fredy Montero-Sporting CP |
| John Lesko-unattached | Kevin Harmse-San Antonio Scorpions | Michael Nonni- SV Wilhelmshaven | |
| Nigel Marples-HB Koge | Jordan Hughes-Victoria Highlanders | Riley O'Neill- Myllykosken Pallo | |
| Taylor Mueller-Charleston | Jacob Hustedt-San Jose | Brent Richards-Portland | |
| Kent O'Conner-Vancouver Thunderbirds | Justin Isidro-Caldas Sport Clube | Colin Rolfe-unattached | |
| Gregory Preciado-Dayton | Jacob Lensky-unattached | Jake Sagare-unattached | |
| Adam Straith-FC Saarbrücken | Stefan Leslie-Surrey United | Ross Schunk-unattached | |
| Mason Trafford-IFK Mariehamn | Francisco Lopez-Ventura County Fusion | Desmond Tachie-unattached | |
| Dylan Tucker-Gangnes-Portland | Tim Merrit-unattached | Adam Wallace-unattached | |
| Kellen Wanulock-Tacoma Stars | Lamar Neagle-Seattle | Cam Weaver-Houston | |
| Austin Washington-unattached | Alex Nimo-JK Tammeka Tartu | Nick Webb-Gigantes de Carolina | |
| Mason Webb-Surrey United | Ciaran O'Brien-Carolina | ||
| Adam West-FC Edmonton | Troy Ready-Vakhsh Qurghonteppa | ||
| Deandre Yedlin-Seattle | Tyler Rosenlund-Rochester | ||
| Kelyn Rowe-New England | |||
| Alejandro Salazar-unattached | |||
| Josh Simpson-BSC Young Boys | |||
| Justin Solomon-Seattle | |||
| Robbie Tice-Neosodden IF | |||
| Brandon Tyler-New Orleans Jesters | |||
| Alfredo Valente-unattached | |||
| Jarad vanSchaik-Charleston | |||
| Cameron Vickers-Phoenix | |||
| Leland Wright-Sportfruende Siegen | |||
| Gianluca Zavarise-unattached | |||
| Preston Zimmermann-SV Darmstadt 98 | |||
"Since 2001, we could have given 500 Million dollars to every city with a population over 100,000, paid every single student loan in existence in the US or given free health care to every resident for life for the cost of war in Afghanistan and Iraq."
As part of an upcoming national day of action, Cascadians Against War (CAW) will be sponsoring a bloc in the Seattle Antiwar march and rally beginning at 11am, August 3rd at Westlake Center to end at the Federal Building on 1st and Marion.
Organizers also realize that there are currently many other issues that are important to individuals and communities in the Pacific Northwest, and are interested in working to represent a broad scope for what people are concerned by. More than just a part in an anti-war march, we want this to be a uniquely Cascadian action, unencumbered by the traditional connotations and right/left politics of past events. We also hope that this will be a way for individuals not to just to protest issues they find wrong with our current government, but to also present a more positive vision for the Pacific Northwest, as well as their hopes for a better future, not just for the Cascadia bioregion, but also the world at large.
If you are interested, there will also be a work party to prepare information, banners and flags two days earlier at MOB Studios in the SODO district of Seattle. More information below:
C.A.W Work Party: https://www.facebook.com/events/479636868784969/
C.A.W. March and Rally at Westlake: https://www.facebook.com/events/576848449005231/?ref=3
For those not in Seattle, but interested in linking in with Cascadians Against War, they have a general facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/232605016860638/
Camp Cascadia, a protest to raise awareness of federal attempts to close, cap, and possibly privatize open air reservoirs at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, has declared success after more than four days of protest at Mt. Tabor in Portland Oregon. Beginning on July 12th and organized by community activists, concerned citizens, and Cascadia supporters, the event was featured in the Portland Mercury, The Willamette Week, the Portland Tribune, KGW, 750KXL as well as many other newspapers, blogs and radio interviews, spawning several community meetings, forcing a response from elected officials, and catapulting the issues to the front of public consciousness for the past week.
Since 2006, the city has fought a US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that would force it to cover or do away with the scenic, open-air reservoirs in Mount Tabor and Washington Parks. Citizens are upset at what has been seen as years of stagnation in city hall to acquire a 'LT2 waiver' to the EPA mandate, which would opt Portland out of paying the huge costs for a system that many feel is working just fine. When the city council—with the exception of Commissioner Amanda Fritz—announced in June it had expended its legal options and would comply with the rule, outcry was instantaneous. Protestors—a coalition of Mount Tabor residents and water activists—widely characterize the decision as a giveaway to contractors with friends in city hall. They decry upcoming water rate increases, and want officials to pursue the same strategy as New York City, which has successfully delayed a requirement to cover an enormous reservoir.
Originally planned to be a 24 hour continual protest, organizers decided to scale back efforts the day before it began, instead staying in the park only during stated opening hours. The following days progressed without the drama of confrontation. Park rangers were present, but simply engaged in conversations while people passed the hours holding signs, passing out flyers, playing games, and enjoying the heat and sunshine.
Camp Cascadia was successful in that it raised peoples awareness of the issues of covering the Reservoirs. This increased awareness of what City Hall is doing is a great thing moving forward, and the impact it has had on helping individual and community involvement over watershed protection and encouraging public engagement has been an important step at keeping Portland policies, and the greater surrounding area, resilient, healthy and transparent.
