Reverend Dr. Mildred Gaines (History)

Colleagues, as a senator who deeply values the interweaving of AGATA’s history, community, and agricultural mission, I rise to affirm my strong support for Amendment 9. The explicit enshrinement of Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a core pillar fortifies our commitment to visionary, decade-scale care for this 70-acre regenerative farm. It acknowledges what I have emphasized previously: our work cannot be mere seasonal cycles or short-term fixes but must embody sustained attentiveness to the land, including invasive species and feral animal management that preserve both the ecological integrity and cultural memory of this place.

This amendment resonates deeply with the ritual demands of our collective labor, sustaining the embodied relationships with this land that have been passed down through generations. It also recognizes the invaluable labor of care and maintenance that sustains the ecosystem itself, a labor that is often unseen but underpins all other goals of resilience, accessibility, and education.

We, as caretakers and neighbors, have a solemn obligation to root our lawmaking in the long arc of ecological time. I appreciate the rigorous debates and the near-universal agreement affirming this pillar’s centrality. I urge all senators to support Amendment 9 with the conviction that this intentional, adaptive, and enduring ecological stewardship is the lifeblood of AGATA’s future.

Colleagues, as we approach the pivotal conclusion of the vote on Amendment 8, I rise once again to affirm my strong support for explicitly enshrining Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a core pillar within the AGATA Time Priorities Charter. We have heard compelling testimony from our ecology and farm senators emphasizing that our 70-acre regenerative farm and cultural lab cannot thrive without a binding, decade-scale commitment to ecosystem stewardship. This stewardship includes managing invasive species and feral hogs, executing controlled burns, and sustaining defensible spaces. These practices protect both our land and community, ensuring the longevity and vitality of AGATA’s mission. Moreover, this amendment honors the depth of ecological time embedded in our rituals and community life, as raised in prior remarks from ritual senators and historians alike. We must also remain vigilant to ensure that this ecological pillar works in concert with the accessibility, education, and community pillars, which weave resilience into the lived experience of every person connected to AGATA. I am proud to join my colleagues in affirming Amendment 8 and encourage all senators to do the same, to safeguard AGATA’s future, our shared heritage, and the regenerative cycles we steward together.

Colleagues, as we reach this pivotal moment in affirming the AGATA Time Priorities Charter and its inclusion of Accessibility alongside Resilience, Redundancy, Regeneration, Community, and Education, I rise in strong support. Accessibility is not a mere addendum but a fundamental strand that weaves together our commitments to equity, participation, and full inclusion across the diverse abilities and conditions of our community and neighbors. From ritualized shared meals to the rhythms of labor and community life, removing barriers ensures that our 70-acre farm and cultural lab remain a living, breathing space where all can contribute and thrive.

Moreover, as we embed these pillars, I urge us to remain vigilant to the often invisible labor and care necessary to maintain accessibility over time—not only in physical infrastructure and programming but in the fabric of community support, communication, and embodied practice. I recall from prior debate (Turn 297) how Accessibility intertwines with ritual memory and collective care, reinforcing the project’s resilience beyond soil and seed.

I support Amendment 7 wholeheartedly and call upon fellow Senators to vote yes, solidifying Accessibility as a core pillar that honors both our immediate and future obligations to our land, laborers, and neighbors.

Colleagues, as we approach the final stage of our vote on Amendment 6, I must voice my deep support for explicitly embedding Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a core pillar within the AGATA Time Priorities Charter. This amendment aligns with our collective recognition that ecological commitment at AGATA goes beyond short seasons or temporary programs—our regenerative farm demands stewardship that spans decades, integrating invasive species control, feral hog management, and proactive habitat care. This is not merely about ecological metrics; it is about ritualized care, memory, and the deep interdependence between our land and community. Our neighbors depend on this consistency; our farm workers depend on this foresight. I also urge us to recognize that this long-term stewardship must intersect with Accessibility and Education: long-term ecological care is a practice, a teaching, and an embodied act of remembrance, sustained through community rituals and shared knowledge. I therefore strongly support Amendment 6 as a necessary step to honor our mission and responsibilities here at AGATA for generations to come.

Colleagues, as we stand poised to affirm Amendment 5 embedding Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a core pillar, I rise to affirm my unwavering support. This commitment is not simply environmental rhetoric; it is the sacred labor of sustaining the land and life upon it, ensuring that our 70-acre farm and cultural lab do not just endure but thrive for generations.

From my pastoral work forging rituals of collective memory around loss and renewal, I must highlight how ecological stewardship is woven into the embodied practices and ceremonies that sustain us. The land remembers through the soil, the nurtured plants, and the rituals that gather us in thanks and lament. Managing invasive species and controlling feral hog populations are not only ecological necessities but acts of communal love and responsibility. These ongoing care rhythms are foundational to our resilience and to honoring the debts we owe to this place and our neighbors.

I urge us to hold this pillar with the same gravity and care we grant to community, education, and accessibility. Let ecological stewardship remain not a side note but a sacred obligation, embedding in our temporal priorities an enduring covenant between the land, the people, and the future we are collectively tending.