jmross

History

Member for

1 year 49 weeks

Personal Information

Full Name

jesikah maria ross

Bio

Most days my motto could be summed up as: I’d rather be hiking. There is something so rejuvenating and grounding about ambling up mountains, through tall trees, across creeks, and around open spaces. Reboots my system. Maybe it’s a good thing I’m living in the Valley. If I had a place in la Sierra (my dream!) it would be pretty tough to stay at my desk. My connection to the Sierra comes through my great-grandparents, who left northern Italy to settle in Sonora. My childhood memories are filled with snapshots of family camping trips in the high country with my grandparents, who eventually went downhill to start a ranch along the Stanislaus River. Witnessing my family struggle through the years with continuous shifts in water policy, zoning, and small farm economics gave me a healthy respect for the challenges involved in making a living through working the land. Even harder still was watching their rural way of life get demolished with the rapid suburbanization of the surrounding towns. Traffic is horrendous now, and the mom and pop grocery stores are closing in the face of new upscale supermarkets. The changes have been slow but steady. And they haven’t gone unnoticed by the locals. It’s just that many farmers, like my family, weren’t too willing to get involved in public processes or join with groups trying to organize around conservation issues. I’ve seen first hand the impact of not collaborating with others or participating in public life; my family doesn’t trust “those environmentalists” and thinks “government is too big”. As a result, our farm faces extinction as 3000 new homes are being built across the street. All that is to say, I think we can all make a difference in sustaining the quality of life in the places we love by getting involved, speaking out, and joining together with others (especially those different from us) to find a way forward on shared concerns. There seems to be a perfect storm brewing in the Sierra with the intense pressure for development, rapid population growth, climate change, water and air quality decreasing, and traditional economies on the skids. I love the Sierra and aim do my part in preserving the cultural and natural resources of the fabulous “range of light”. Want to join me?