Austin Ernesti presents Trajectory
Did you know there are more trees in Oregon today than there were a hundred years ago? Most Oregonians do not. For the Sandy Historical Society meeting upstairs Sunday, January 29th at 1pm, museum board member Austin Ernesti will give a presentation on the non-profit “Trajectory” and the programs they will be providing to the community in the coming year. Trajectory was created to give the area support by “tying historical identities to modern community and workforce needs.” What that really means is tying into a cultural spirit that is local, historically relevant, and actually provides a modern service or solution. When he moved to Sandy three years ago, Austin gained an education on the majesty that was, is, and will be Oregon Timber. From modern sustainable growing practices to Cross Laminated Timber, he fell in love with what he learned and saw. However, he was amazed when Sandy citizens couldn’t tell him where a 2”x4” comes from or when teenagers suggested building with concrete and plastic over trees. There is a need for both unification and identity in the area.
Focusing on three “pillars” of Education, Training, and Celebration; the fledgling non-profit aims to revitalize public knowledge and interaction with Sustainable Natural Resource Practices. Join us upstairs for a presentation on what his team has discovered in the last year of research and what programs are in development right now. Traveling educational trailers, city art, published articles, a full-sized Timber Festival and more are all tangible goals according to the Trajectory team.
They pride themselves on a philosophy of the "middle path through the forest" which welcomes all opinions and ideologies at face value instead of siloing and tribalism. Everyone should have a seat at the table, and they really do mean everyone, even when they disagree.
After the boring slideshow wraps up, everyone can head downstairs for a practical demonstration of what the new Sandy High School Forestry Club will be doing throughout the year. With the addition of a signed waiver, you can even throw a few axes yourself!
