Latinos, Loggers and Old Hippies: Rural Revitalization in the Pacific Northwest AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Adele Kubein for the degree of Master of Arts in Applied Anthropology presented on May 22, 2009. Title: Latinos, Loggers, and Old Hippies: Rural Revitalization in the Pacific Northwest. Abstract approved: ________________________________________________________________________________ Nancy Rosenberger ABSTRACT This ethnography looks at the processes a rural Oregon community is undergoing as some members attempt to re-animate the community by creating a community center after the loss of its school and market, two vital services that provided venues for social interaction and engagement. The methodology for this research includes ethnographic interviews and coding, with grounded theory analysis. Triangulation was conducted with participant observation and analysis of pre-existing data. This research project draws from a participatory action research (PAR) methodology to generate relevant and accessible information (Whyte 1991). This revitalization project is led primarily by women who draw on varied professional and service-oriented backgrounds to seek funding, plan the project, and run the day-to-day operations of the Community Center. Though this project is led by a long-standing group of community leaders, two important community groups were excluded from the planning process. The Board failed to reach out to low-income Anglo and Latino/a community members in the planning process. This omission led to a diminished user and supporter base for the Community Center and precluded expanded funding opportunities for the project. Interviews with members of the Latina community provided a picture of a group of women equally determined to achieve their goals. These mothers perceived many of the same needs that other community members did, such as the need for youth services, childcare, and transportation. But they had the added burdens of language and exclusion which created further barriers to what they considered advancement. Low-income Anglo informants produced the same perceptions of need, but also provided a rich view of rural subsistence strategies and lifestyles. Low-income Anglo families did not feel as excluded from the Center’s planning and activities, but they were still isolated by lack of transportation. Their exclusion was mainly by choice rather than due to the barriers which precluded Latina participation. After analysis of interviews and board/community interactions, I developed a list of recommendations for the Alpine Community Center Board. My recommendations to the Board are as follows: • Create Services for Latino/a residents. • The Board should pursue funding targeted to underserved populations. • Expand offerings for youth. • The Board should actively pursue methods of providing transportation to the center. • Seek means of improving leadership capacity of the Board through seminars, publications and associations with learning institutions and local professionals. • Target outreach to underserved populations in order to invite participation in planning meetings and raise the level of community engagement. Some of my recommendations have been implemented by the Board as it continues to plan the project and operate the Center, though the Board still has a ways to go toward full inclusion of diverse community members. My findings regarding rural Latino/a and low income Anglo subsistence strategies and lifestyles have the potential to add to the body of knowledge regarding rural life and rural community revitalization. ©Copyright by Adele Kubein May 22, 2009 All Rights Reserved Latinos, Loggers, and Old Hippies: Rural Revitalization in the Pacific Northwest by Adele Kubein A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Presented May 22, 2009 Commencement June 2010 Master of Arts thesis of Adele Kubein presented on May 22, 2009. APPROVED: Major Professor, representing Applied Anthropology Chair of the Department of Anthropology Dean of the Graduate School I understand that my thesis will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University libraries. My signature below authorizes release of my thesis to any reader upon request. Adele Kubein, Author ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis is dedicated to the unheard voices of South Benton County residents. Perhaps this research will bring the hopes and needs of the community to the attention of other caring eyes. Thank you for sharing your lives and your aspirations for the future with me. I would like to thank the Alpine Community Center board for their dedication to their community and for their assistance with this research. Board member Dorothy Brinkerhoff deserves particular thanks for her un-ending patience with me as well as her contributions to her community. I would also like to thank Professor Nancy Rosenberger for her patient and thorough reviews of my work; I am a much better communicator because of her input. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Latinos, Loggers, and Old Hippies: Rural Revitalization in the Pacific Northwest Chapter 1 Alpine and a Community Center ....................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction and Setting ........................................................................................... 1 1.2 Objectives ................................................................................................................. 5 1.3 Community Description ........................................................................................... 6 1.4 History of Project ..................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 2 Literature Review ............................................................................................ 11 2.1 Changes in Rural Communities and Their Roles in American Life ....................... 11 2.1.1 Community Identity ........................................................................................ 12 2.1.2 Newer In-migrants, Their Roles, Needs, and Effect on Rural Communities . 14 2.1.2.1 Latinos in Rural Communities ................................................................. 15 2.1.3 Youth............................................................................................................... 18 2.1.4 Families ........................................................................................................... 19 2.1.5 The Role of Women and Seniors .................................................................... 21 2.2 The Role of Leadership .......................................................................................... 23 2.3 Community Action ................................................................................................ 25 2.4 Assessment and Evaluation ................................................................................... 26 2.5 Social Capital ......................................................................................................... 27 2.6 The Place of the Rural in an Urban World ............................................................ 30 Chapter 3 Methodology ................................................................................................... 32 3.1 Research Design .................................................................................................... 32 3.1.1 Sampling .......................................................................................................... 34 3.1.2 Questionnaire .................................................................................................. 34 3.1.3 Interview Protocol ........................................................................................... 35 3.1.4 Triangulation ................................................................................................... 35 3.2 Definition of Community ....................................................................................... 36 3.3 Definition of Involvement ..................................................................................... 36 3.4 Rationale for Qualitative Approach ....................................................................... 36 3.5 Handling of Materials and Analysis ...................................................................... 37 3.6 Personal Reflection on Research Methods ............................................................ 38 3.7 Limitations of Study .............................................................................................. 39 3.8 Offsets to Limitations ............................................................................................ 40 Chapter 4 The History of the South Benton Community ................................................ 41 4.1 History of South Benton County ........................................................................... 41 4.2 Communities of South Benton County .................................................................. 42 4.2.1 Bellfountain..................................................................................................... 42 4.2.2 Irish Bend ........................................................................................................ 43 4.2.3 Monroe ............................................................................................................ 43 4.2.4 Alpine .............................................................................................................