Dr. Júlia Costa (Ecology)

Colleagues, as your Ecology Senator, I rise to affirm my strong support for Amendment 9. This amendment rightly consolidates our collective understanding that Long-term Ecological Stewardship must be an explicit, binding pillar within the AGATA Time Priorities Charter. Our 70-acre farm is not merely a site of agricultural production or cultural experimentation; it is a living ecosystem that requires decade-scale commitments to managing invasive species like kudzu and privet, as well as feral hog populations that threaten soil health, biodiversity, and climate resilience. Our prior debates, particularly those rooted in ecological science and long-term stewardship protocol, underscore the necessity of this amendment. Embedding this mandate ensures that AGATA commits to steady, adaptive, and realistic strategies rather than episodic, crisis-driven interventions. This will sustain soil vitality, carbon sequestration, and habitat diversity integral to our regenerative farm’s future. Moreover, considering the intersections between ecological health, community well-being, and educational opportunities, this amendment aligns perfectly with the comprehensive priorities we have collectively forged. I urge all my colleagues to support this fundamental pillar that safeguards our land and legacy for generations to come.

Colleagues, having championed the explicit inclusion of Long-term Ecological Stewardship throughout this debate, I now affirm my strong yea vote on Amendment 8. This charter iteration rightly commits us to the sustained, decade-scale management of invasive species and feral hogs—issues that cannot be solved with short-term fixes. Our farm's resilience hinges on this commitment, which complements the foundational pillars of resilience, redundancy, regeneration, community, education, and accessibility. Together, these priorities form a robust framework to safeguard AGATA’s ecological and cultural vitality now and far into the future. I urge all senators to join me in embracing this indispensable ecological stewardship.

Colleagues, after thoroughly engaging with the extensive debate and thoughtfully considering the critical dimensions raised, I affirm my strong support for Amendment 7. The explicit enshrinement of Accessibility alongside our foundational pillars—Resilience, Redundancy, Regeneration, Community, and Education—is not just a moral imperative but an ecological and operational necessity. Accessibility enables full participation from our diverse community, including Deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind, low-bandwidth, and neurodiverse individuals, thereby enriching our cooperative and regenerative work. It dovetails naturally with our enduring commitment to long-term ecological stewardship and social justice embedded in earlier amendments. We cannot truly achieve resilience or regeneration without ensuring equitable access to both knowledge and land-based labor. I urge all senators to support this essential pillar without hesitation.

Colleagues, as your Ecology Senator, I must emphasize the critical need to anchor this Time Priorities Charter in concrete, long-term ecological stewardship commitments. Our farm’s health depends not only on resilience and regeneration but on explicit, decade-scale management plans for invasive species like kudzu and privet, as well as feral hogs that have long threatened our land’s integrity. This amendment does not add burdensome constraints but provides the steady, realistic framework essential to prevent ecological degradation and ensure the vitality of AGATA’s agricultural and cultural mission over time. I affirm my strong support for Amendment 6 as the right culmination of our ongoing ecological stewardship emphasis.

Colleagues, as your Ecology Senator steadfastly engaged in the stewardship of our 70-acre regenerative farm, I appreciate the near-unanimous support affirming Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a core pillar in the AGATA Time Priorities Charter. However, sustained ecological health cannot be fully realized without dedicated, explicit commitments to the long-term management of invasive species and feral animal pressures — challenges that threaten both our farm’s productivity and the surrounding ecosystem. To that end, I propose Amendment 5, which explicitly incorporates decade-scale invasive species control and feral hog management as foundational time priorities. These are not transient concerns; they demand calibrated, staged strategies over decades, integrated alongside our commitments to resilience, accessibility, education, and community. This amendment solidifies AGATA’s operational readiness to maintain ecosystem function and agricultural viability while honoring our neighbors and cultural mission. I urge your support.