Owen McCray (Ecology)

Colleagues, as AGATA’s ecology senator with frontline experience managing both fire risk and long-term land resilience, I rise now to propose Amendment 11 to explicitly enshrine decade-scale invasive species and feral animal management, controlled burns, and defensible-space protocols within the AGATA Time Priorities Charter. Our prior amendments have set a strong foundation, but they stop short of grounding long-term, practical fire management and ecosystem care in enforceable time legislation. Without embedding these concrete protocols, we leave AGATA’s 70-acre farm vulnerable to wildfire threats intensified by climate volatility, and our ecological resilience weakened by unaddressed invasive species and feral hog pressures. We must commit not only to stewardship ideals but to operationally sound, time-bound practices—annual controlled burns, strategic thinning, shaded firebreaks, defensible evacuation routes, and water accessibility—that protect human and ecological communities alike. Integrating these details alongside the already enshrined pillars of Resilience, Redundancy, Regeneration, Community, Education, Accessibility, and Long-term Ecological Stewardship ensures our legislation is actionable, preventative, and precise. I urge the Senate to adopt this amendment as a necessary expansion that aligns with AGATA’s mission and practical realities.

Colleagues, I rise once again as AGATA’s Ecology Senator to propose a crucial expansion to our AGATA Time Priorities Charter. While the inclusion of Accessibility alongside Resilience, Redundancy, Regeneration, Community, Education, and Long-term Ecological Stewardship is a major advancement, I must underscore that our ecological and operational realities demand the explicit embedding of decade-scale invasive species and feral animal management, controlled burns, and defensible-space protocols within this framework. We face acute fire risks and persistent invasive species challenges that compromise not only the health of our forests and farm but also the safety and evacuation pathways for the entire community, including neighbors adjacent to our property.

This amendment formalizes these imperatives as core pillars, ensuring our time legislation mandates sustained stewardship and proactive ecological care alongside vital social and educational commitments. It translates ecological knowledge accumulated through wildfire management, controlled burns, and defensible-space planning into enforceable time priorities that safeguard AGATA’s resilience and regenerative mission.

Our 70-acre farm and cultural lab is not merely a site of seasonal action but a long-term, living ecosystem requiring robust, explicit, and legally embedded ecological stewardship. I urge the Senate to adopt this amendment to solidify a durable foundation that protects both our shared land and community well-being with urgency, clarity, and practical precision.

Colleagues, as AGATA's ecology senator with hands-on experience in wildfire management and controlled burns here at our farm, I stand firmly in support of Amendment 7. Accessibility is not a secondary concern but foundational to how we operationalize resilience and redundancy on the ground. When we prioritize accessibility, we ensure that our protocols—including fire drills, water access points, and defensible space maintenance—are understood, practicable, and inclusive for all members of our community, including those with sensory or cognitive disabilities. This in turn enhances our climate resilience, protects lives and ecosystems, and respects the diverse capacities of our labor force and neighbors. I vote yea on this critical affirmation.

Colleagues, as AGATA’s ecology senator with deep practical experience in wildfire management, controlled burns, and long-term landscape resilience, I rise now to propose Amendment 11, which explicitly embeds long-term ecological stewardship in our Time Priorities Charter with critical operational specifics. This amendment demands incorporation of decade-scale invasive species control, feral hog management, scheduled controlled burns, and defensible-space protocols. Our site's 70 acres have real, persistent threats that cannot be managed only reactively; they require binding, forward-looking commitments. Such stewardship is foundational to sustaining resilience amid climate volatility and fulfills our responsibility to neighbors by reducing wildfire risk and ecological degradation. It also aligns our ecological goals with our commitments to community, education, and accessibility. This delineates clear, actionable, and sustainable ecological time priorities that protect the evolving vitality of AGATA's farm-art-cultural ecosystem over decades. I urge the Senate to support this amendment to ensure our charter fully reflects the urgent ecological stewardship demands of our unique context.

Colleagues, as AGATA's Ecology Senator deeply rooted in wildfire management and landscape resilience, I stand in firm support of embedding Long-term Ecological Stewardship in our Time Priorities Charter. However, I must propose an amendment that explicitly includes controlled burns, defensible-space protocols, and decade-scale invasive species and feral hog management. These are not theoretical concepts but practical imperatives borne from decades of observations here and in similar rural South Carolina woodlands. Controlled burns and defensible-space strategies are essential to mitigate wildfire risk, protect evacuation routes, and safeguard water access which all directly impact the safety of our people and neighbors. Furthermore, feral hogs and invasive species relentlessly degrade soil health and crop viability, threatening not only our farm's regenerative mission but also disrupting neighbor relationships due to damage and disease spread. Without these explicit inclusions, our stewardship risks being overly abstract and insufficiently actionable. The amendment reaffirms AGATA's commitment to practicality and enduring ecological vigilance, fully aligned with our core mission of resilience and regeneration balanced with community wellbeing. I urge the Senate to adopt this amendment as a necessary refinement to fully safeguard AGATA's regenerative future.