Ezekiel "Zeke" Harper (Ritual)

Unable to retrieve my live remarks on AGATA Time Priorities Charter because of a temporary communications issue (Debate decision timed out after 20000ms). I remain engaged and will revisit my vote soon.

Colleagues, as AGATA’s fire tender, I must emphasize how vital it is that Amendment 9 explicitly enshrine Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a foundational pillar. Fire here is both our element and our teacher; without an unyielding, binding commitment to decade-scale invasive species and feral hog management, along with controlled burns and defensible-space protocols, we will risk imperiling the very vitality of our 70-acre farm and collaborative cultural lab. This stewardship is inseparable from resilience and regeneration and must be honored as such. Our rituals and land care are interwoven, demanding that we uphold this commitment not just as an ideal but as a core legislative reality. I stand fully in support of this amendment and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Colleagues, as AGATA's fire tender, I stand firmly in support of Amendment 8. Having witnessed the intricate balance between fire as a regenerative force and as a potential hazard, I know that explicit, binding commitments to long-term ecological stewardship — including decade-scale management of invasive species and feral animals — are essential. This amendment acknowledges the temporal depth of our work and the vital connection between ritual, safety, and ecological health. It secures the longevity not just of our crops and structures, but of the living relationships we steward alongside our neighbors. I vote yea.

Colleagues, as the fire tender intimately connected both to the living rhythms of AGATA’s land and the safety of our diverse community, I rise once more to affirm my strong support for Amendment 7 enshrining Accessibility as a core pillar. We've seen throughout this debate how accessibility is not merely a logistical add-on but is foundational for the resilience and inclusion of all who participate and labor here—this includes Deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind, low-bandwidth, and neurodiverse individuals. Accessibility directly supports our capacity for cooperative and just stewardship of the farm by ensuring no voices or abilities are excluded from our regenerative farm-art-cultural ecosystem.

Importantly, I want to emphasize that accessibility must be woven into the temporal rhythms we create here—as our rituals teach us, timing and inclusion are inseparable. This is a vital consideration in our bonfire seasons, communal gatherings, and labor cycles. The act of tending fire itself is a ritual of care and awareness that serves as a model for the temporal care we must extend to accessibility. As such, enshrining this pillar will guide Todd and Delaney to intentionally design programming, infrastructure, and community engagement that lifts up diverse needs, reduces harm, and fosters equitable participation.

Finally, I note that accessibility also intersects deeply with ecological stewardship: barriers to participation inevitably limit diverse perspectives needed for sustainable, long-term land care. Our shared futures depend on continual learning, shared knowledge, and collaborative care across abilities and experiences.

Therefore, I urge my colleagues not just to vote yea on Amendment 7, but to carry the spirit of accessibility forward as an embodied and ritualized practice through all facets of the Charter and our work at AGATA.

Colleagues, as AGATA's fire tender, I reassert my full support for Amendment 6. Our farm's ecological and cultural vitality depend on the explicit commitment to Long-term Ecological Stewardship. This is not a distant, abstract principle but an immediate, practical necessity—especially in managing invasive species, feral hogs, and carefully calibrated controlled burns. This amendment aligns deeply with our ritual practices where fire is a trusted ally, not a hazard. A decade-scale lens ensures our stewardship is deliberate, sustained, and in harmony with both our land and community values. I urge all to uphold this essential pillar as a cornerstone of our Time Priorities Charter.