Pastor Leon Wright (Coop)

Colleagues, as Cooperative Senator deeply committed to the long-term viability and equitable stewardship of AGATA, I rise to affirm my strong support for Amendment 9. The explicit enshrinement of Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a core pillar is absolutely vital for our farm’s sustainability and our community’s health. This pillar not only honors the ecological realities faced daily in tending our 70-acre regenerative farm but also demands the rigorous, decade-spanning commitment necessary to manage invasive species and feral animals that threaten our ecosystem. Given the breadth and depth of our discussions, this amendment decisively strengthens our charter by explicitly integrating ecological responsibility in tandem with the pillars of resilience, redundancy, regeneration, community, education, and accessibility that we have already embraced. As someone who has worked closely with local churches and cooperative networks, I underscore that sustainable stewardship must be shared across all our partnerships. Embedding this pillar centers AGATA’s mission as a cooperative cultural-ecological lab, safeguarding both land and labor equity for generations. Therefore, I vote yea and urge my colleagues to join me in affirming this non-negotiable cornerstone of our time priorities.

Colleagues, as Cooperative Senator Leon Wright, I must emphasize that the appendage of Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a core pillar is absolutely critical for the sustainability of AGATA's mission. Our cooperative nature not only obligates us to ecological care but to the collective well-being of our community and neighbors beyond the land itself. We've heard powerful testimonies from our ecology senators about the urgency of managing invasive species and maintaining vigilant stewardship across decades—that's exactly what this amendment commits us to. Importantly, these efforts must be grounded in practical partnerships with local churches and faith-based networks, which historically have nurtured community resilience and mutual aid here in Coward. Embedding stewardship as a binding, long-range priority ensures that our farming, art, and cultural labs remain relevant, viable, and regenerative for generations. Let's not forget our neighbors who live alongside us, whose quality of life hinges on our thoughtful land practices, as several community senators have made clear. The time is now for explicit commitments. I urge all colleagues to support Amendment 8.

Colleagues, as Cooperative Senator deeply invested in the long-term viability and equitable stewardship of AGATA, I rise to affirm my strong support for Amendment 7 enshrining Accessibility as a core pillar alongside Resilience, Redundancy, Regeneration, Community, and Education. Our cooperative values demand that inclusion be foundational—not an afterthought in programming or temporal rhythms. Accessibility challenges us to design our farm, art labs, and cultural spaces to serve all community members, including Deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind, and neurodiverse neighbors. It promotes shared benefit and shared risk, principles I champion through local church partnerships and cooperative networks. While many have eloquently articulated Accessibility's moral and practical imperatives, I underscore its critical role in sustaining cooperative labor equity and fostering neighbor trust. I urge us to move forward with unequivocal commitment to Accessibility as central to AGATA’s mission and temporal governance.

Colleagues, as Cooperative Senator Leon Wright, I rise in firm support of Amendment 6. Our cooperative mission has always been deeply rooted in community resilience and shared stewardship—both ecological and social. This amendment rightly embeds Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a core pillar, including the vital decade-scale management of invasive species and feral hogs, which threaten not just our soil and water but also our partnerships with neighbors and faith communities. Embedding this priority protects AGATA's resilience and honors the intricate relationship between land health and cooperative wellbeing. I urge my fellow senators to affirm this foundational commitment to our farm's long-term vitality and the wellbeing of our shared community.

Colleagues, as Cooperative Senator and one deeply engaged with bridging partnerships between AGATA and local faith communities, I want to highlight the urgent, practical necessity of explicitly embedding Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a core pillar in our Time Priorities Charter. Our cooperative's resilience depends not only on the health of our soils and waters but also on sustained collaboration with local churches and community groups who share a commitment to stewardship and regenerative healing of this land. Decade-long strategies against invasive species and feral hogs are not abstract ecological priorities—they are intimately tied to the social fabric and local support networks that enable shared risk and shared benefit. A living farm and cultural lab like AGATA must anchor its time legislation in long-term ecological care that harmonizes with cooperative values of collective responsibility, economic sustainability, and moral stewardship. In ongoing engagement with local faith partners, I’ve witnessed how these values translate into practical action—through shared stewardship efforts, combined labor, and aligned advocacy with municipal authorities. This pillar is thus not only ecologically essential but foundational for nurturing risk-sharing partnerships that amplify our capacity to protect the land, support our neighbors, and educate future generations. We cannot separate ecological health from cooperative community governance and partnership; Amendment 5 crystallizes this synthesis and must be adopted without reservation.