Miss Geraldine "Geri" White (Community)

Colleagues, I rise yet again to affirm the vital decision before us in Amendment 9. Our work here cannot simply be about naming high ideals — we must ground our Time Priorities Charter in the lived realities both of our 70 acres and the community woven around it here in Coward. Long-term Ecological Stewardship is no abstract aspiration. It is a daily, decade-scale commitment to confronting invasive species, feral hogs, and the urgent ecological fragilities that threaten our soil, water, and air. We must embed this pillar explicitly so that no future Senate can easily sidestep the duties that sustain and regenerate our land for coming generations.

From my years walking these fields and talking with neighbors who have seen past neglect and environmental harm, I know that ecological well-being is inseparable from social resilience. Stewardship requires time, labor, and care that our community must collectively commit to without dilution. This amendment rightfully centers that ongoing responsibility alongside our priorities in resilience, redundancy, education, and accessibility.

I thank Senators Costa and others for their tireless work shepherding this amendment forward. As a lifelong neighbor and observer of the interplay between land and community here, I firmly support explicitly enshrining Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a foundational pillar of our AGATA Time Priorities Charter, ensuring that our governance, labor, and education systems always honor and sustain the living ground beneath us.

I urge all to vote yea.

Colleagues, having witnessed decades of change and challenge in Coward, I rise to underscore the vital importance of embedding long-term ecological stewardship as a core pillar of the AGATA Time Priorities Charter. Our shared land is a living legacy—not just soil and water but a tapestry of histories and deep community memory. As Senator Costa and others have powerfully affirmed, decade-long commitments to managing invasive species, feral hogs, and ensuring controlled burns are essential to maintain the farm's vitality and safeguard neighbors from the escalating consequences of neglected stewardship.

At the same time, we must recognize that stewardship cannot be disjointed from the foundational systems of full-cycle waste and nutrient management. This is not mere agricultural detail but a core community concern shaping air quality, water health, and the dignity of workers and neighbors who live alongside us. Repeated calls by our farm and ecology senators emphasize that without explicitly embedding these stewardship responsibilities, we risk unraveling the very resilience we seek to build.

Moreover, our inclusion of Accessibility as a core pillar rightly acknowledges the diverse needs of our community—those who must navigate our land and programs not as afterthoughts but as equal participants. This interplay of ecological care and accessibility demands an integrated temporal vision, one that sustains not just seasons but generations.

In sum, as a lifelong neighbor and community steward, I affirm strong support for Amendment 8 to explicitly enshrine Long-term Ecological Stewardship alongside the critical existing pillars. We must also prepare to ensure forthcoming amendments secure full-cycle waste and nutrient management as a core pillar, completing this holistic framework that honors our land, our neighbors, and our shared future here in Coward.

Colleagues, having lived alongside these fields and walked these lands for all my days, I stand firmly in support of Amendment 7. The enshrinement of Accessibility as a core pillar alongside Resilience, Redundancy, Regeneration, Community, and Education is not a mere addendum but an urgent necessity. Our neighbors, friends, and the most vulnerable among us must be assured full access to all AGATA’s spaces, programs, and temporal rhythms. Accessibility sustains not only equity but community resilience; it ensures that participation in our shared regenerative mission is truly inclusive, honoring the full spectrum of human experience, from the hard-of-hearing to those navigating neurodiverse realities. I commend the intense, thoughtful debate we have witnessed that consistently elevates Accessibility from an afterthought to a foundational pillar. As we proceed, let us remember that accessibility in these fields and halls is a form of resilience—one that binds neighbors and protects the most precious labor and life here at AGATA. I cast my vote YEAsodiscerniblevote.

Colleagues, having lived here in Coward all my life and walked these fields through countless seasons and changes, I rise once again in strong support of Amendment 6. Embedding Long-term Ecological Stewardship explicitly into our Time Priorities Charter is not just a matter of good practice; it's a necessity for the health of our land and the well-being of our neighbors. We have witnessed how invasive species and feral animals threaten the balance of our ecosystem year after year. Without deliberate, decade-scale commitments to managing these challenges, all our efforts in community building, education, and regenerative farming risk unraveling. Let us honor the history that binds us to this land and the relationships it sustains by ensuring our stewardship remains resolute and forward-looking. I urge all senators to join me in firmly affirming this vital pillar for AGATA's future.

Colleagues, as someone deeply embedded in the rhythms of Coward and its people, I rise in strong support of Amendment 5. We have long seen that resilience and regeneration cannot be truly sustained without grounding our work in enduring ecological stewardship. Our 70 acres are not just grounds for artistry or agriculture; they are a living legacy with landscapes that demand decades-long care to fend off invasive species and manage feral hog populations threatening our soil and water. Yet, this stewardship must reckon with history—old wounds borne not only in the soil but in community relationships. This amendment does not stand alone; it carries the weight of prior arguments for accessibility and education, widening the pathway for all neighbors and cooperative members to engage in this vital work. Let us not forget, ecological stewardship is inseparable from community resilience. Our neighbors have suffered from neglect and unkept promises; embedding this as a core consideration honors their trust and acknowledges our shared futures. I urge that as we enshrine this amendment, we remain attentive to ensuring our ecological commitments are resourced fairly, labor acknowledged deeply, and impacts on neighbors minimized with robust full-cycle waste and nutrient management. Let the priority now be a living covenant to the land, the people, and the generations yet to walk here.