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By: The Ivanhoe Sol

 

On behalf of the team at The Ivanhoe Sol, thank you for yet another year of support. This issue marks our 4th Anniversary along a special journey in storytelling, community building, and learning what it takes to operate a newspaper.

 

The small communities of the Central Valley share many characteristics in common, a lack of community access to important information is among those. A vision to correct that was a part of the creation of the Ivanhoe Sol. The bilingual community newspaper is not subscription based, nor reliant on advertising to continue its mission to keep the residents of Ivanhoe informed of the issues that directly affect many of the people who call it home.

 

As many things that take time to develop, the Sol has found its voice become more clear as time marches on. It has now been four years since its conception, creation, and ongoing issuing; which is still developing more and more with every edition. The dedication of its citizen-writers is fueled by their passion for their community and their desire to improve the lives of its inhabitants by sharing the stories that they find important.

 

Beginning in the summer of 2019, the Listening Post Collective conducted surveys and workshops in the area. The studies concluded that, with the decline of local Spanish newspapers contributed to a lack of informed citizens, especially when concerning local issues. Starting in December of 2019, the Ivanhoe Community Council was awarded a $25,000 grant to meet the information needs of the Ivanhoe area. This led to the beginning of a partnership with The Sun- Gazette newspaper to distribute a regular newsletter to every household in the 92335 zip code. The Ivanhoe Sol covers many subjects that range from the absolute local, such as school events and programs as well as pedestrian safety, to the county level, up to the state level decisions that make their way down to the local level from water and air quality to weather response issues. Other topics covered by the Ivanhoe Sol include pesticide drifts, community development projects, and even feature arts and creative literature that is generated from within the community.

 

The Ivanhoe Sol’s success over the last four years is unequivocally the result of community support and its continued success shows the commitment of the resident citizen writers who live, love and work for continuous improvement to the community of Ivanhoe.

 

We look forward to another new year full of growth as we work towards the prosperity of beautiful Ivanhoe, California.

 

Sincerely,

The Ivanhoe Sol

The Ivanhoe Sol team meets in person. Photo by: Esmeralda Garcia.

Letter from the Editor

 

On behalf of the Ivanhoe Sol, I would like to thank our readers for another year of your support. This concludes our fourth year of operations and continued growth for our team, wow! 

 

This year’s six issues have been special for me. I’m happy to see our team grow to learn various skills to ensure our newspaper continues to improve in areas from internal administration to the quality of our reporting and partnerships. 

 

We look forward to another year sharing resources and attempting to uplift the story of Ivanhoe, California!

 

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year,

Pedro Hernández

Editor-in-Chief 

Se reciclan huertos enteros triturando la biomasa leñosa e incorporando las astillas al suelo. Foto: Elizabeth J. Fichtner, UCCE.
Se reciclan huertos enteros triturando la biomasa leñosa e incorporando las astillas al suelo. Foto: Elizabeth J. Fichtner, UCCE.

Por: Elizabeth J. Fichtner, PhD. Asesor agrícola de UCCE, condados de Tulare y Kings, y Mae Culumber, PhD. Asesor agrícola de UCCE, condado de Fresno.

¿Ha notado huertos maduros enteros reducidos a montones de astillas de madera en el transcurso de unos días? Lo que estamos presenciando es un proceso llamado “reciclaje de todo el huerto”, un método para facilitar la descomposición de la biomasa del huerto para devolver al suelo el carbono y los nutrientes almacenados en los árboles. Los productores utilizan esta técnica para mejorar la calidad del suelo y preservar la calidad del aire en el Valle Central de California.

El paisaje de Ivanhoe y la región del gran condado de Tulare está cambiando dramáticamente como resultado de la remoción de huertos. La desaparición de la superficie de nueces es particularmente significativa en esta área porque las nueces son el cultivo original del condado de Tulare, con plantaciones que se remontan a la década de 1930. Varios factores han contribuido a la eliminación de huertos en la región, incluida una reducción catastrófica de los precios de las nueces (en particular, las nueces) y la imposición de regulaciones sobre el uso de aguas subterráneas.

La economía de la producción de nueces se ha visto afectada negativamente por las disputas comerciales, los nuevos competidores internacionales en la producción de nueces, las huelgas en los puertos y, más recientemente, la mala calidad de la cosecha de 2022, una probable consecuencia de la ola de calor de finales del verano antes de la cosecha.

Por último, muchas áreas históricas de cultivo de nueces se denominan áreas de “tierras blancas” en subcuencas de agua subterránea no cubiertas por distritos de riego agrícola, donde el riego se suministra únicamente mediante el bombeo de agua subterránea. Las recientes regulaciones impuestas al bombeo de aguas subterráneas han requerido la eliminación de cultivos permanentes en parte de esta superficie.

Cuando un huerto ha llegado al final de su vida económicamente viable, los productores se enfrentan a la tarea de eliminar la biomasa leñosa. Históricamente, los árboles eran derribados y quemados; sin embargo, la quema a gran escala afecta negativamente la calidad del aire en la región. Además, la quema libera inmediatamente las cenizas ricas en nutrientes al suelo y el carbono almacenado al aire en forma de dióxido de carbono, un gas de efecto invernadero.

 

El reciclaje de todo el huerto permite que una parte importante del carbono producido por la fotosíntesis durante la vida útil del huerto regrese al suelo en lugar de perderse en el medio ambiente. Además, los nutrientes almacenados en la biomasa se liberan gradualmente al suelo a medida que las astillas de madera se descomponen, contribuyendo así a las demandas nutricionales de los sucesivos cultivos.

 

El reciclaje de todo el huerto se logra triturando la biomasa leñosa y esparciendo las astillas por el área del huerto. Luego, las astillas se incorporan a la superficie superior del suelo, donde la comunidad microbiana del suelo las descompone. A medida que los microbios mueren, los nutrientes almacenados en la biomasa microbiana (es decir, los cuerpos de millones de bacterias y hongos) regresan al suelo.

 

Después de reciclar todo el huerto, la tierra puede dejarse en barbecho o replantarse con cultivos perennes o anuales, según el mercado y la disponibilidad de agua. Aunque el paisaje local está cambiando drásticamente, podemos apreciar que los productores se están asegurando de que los beneficios de los subproductos agrícolas no se pierdan de nuestro ecosistema agrícola local, y podemos esperar observar las fases futuras del uso de la tierra en la región.

Se reciclan huertos enteros triturando la biomasa leñosa e incorporando las astillas al suelo. Foto: Elizabeth J. Fichtner, UCCE.
Entire orchards are recycled by chipping the woody biomass and incorporating the chips into the soil. Photo: Elizabeth J. Fichtner, UCCE.

By: Elizabeth J. Fichtner, PhD. UCCE Farm Advisor, Tulare and Kings Counties, and Mae Culumber, PhD. UCCE Farm Advisor, Fresno County.

Have you noticed entire mature orchards reduced to piles of woodchip over the course of just days? What you are witnessing is a process called “whole orchard recycling,” a method of facilitating the decomposition of orchard biomass to return the carbon and nutrients that are stored in the trees to the soil. Growers use this technique to improve soil quality and preserve the air quality in California’s Central Valley.

The landscape of Ivanhoe and the greater Tulare County region is dramatically changing as a result of orchard removal. The disappearing walnut acreage is particularly significant in this area because walnuts are the original nut crop of Tulare County, with plantings dating back to the 1930s. Several factors have contributed to the removal of orchards in the region, including a cataclysmic reduction in nut prices (particularly walnuts), and the imposition of regulations on groundwater use. 

The economics of walnut production have been negatively impacted by trade disputes, new international competitors in walnut production, strikes at the ports, and most recently the poor quality of the 2022 crop, a likely consequence of the late summer heatwave prior to harvest.  

Last, many historic walnut-growing areas are referred to as “white lands” areas in groundwater subbasins not covered by agricultural irrigation districts,  where irrigation is supplied solely from the pumping of groundwater. Recent regulations imposed on groundwater pumping have necessitated the removal of permanent crops on some of this acreage.

When an orchard has reached the end of its economically-viable life, growers are faced with the task of removing the woody biomass. Historically, trees would be pushed over and burned; however, burning on a large scale adversely affects air quality in the region. Additionally, burning immediately releases the nutrient-rich ash to the soil and the stored carbon to the air as carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. 

Whole orchard recycling allows a significant portion of the carbon produced by photosynthesis over the lifetime of the orchard to be returned to the soil rather than lost to the environment. Also, the nutrients stored in the biomass are gradually released to the soil as the wood chips decompose, thus contributing to the nutritional demands of successive crops. 

Whole orchard recycling is accomplished by chipping the woody biomass and spreading the chips over the orchard area. The chips are then incorporated into the upper surface of the soil where the soil microbial community breaks down the chips. As the microbes die, the nutrients stored in the microbial biomass (ie. the bodies of millions of bacteria and fungi) are returned to the soil. 

After whole orchard recycling, the land can be left fallow or replanted with perennial or annual crops depending on the market and water availability. Although the local landscape is dramatically changing, we can appreciate that growers are ensuring that the benefits of agricultural by-products are not lost from our local agricultural ecosystem, and we can look forward to observing the future phases of land-use in the region. 

 

Foto de Lisuly Castanon Mendez
Photo submitted by
Lisuly Castañon Mendez

Por Esmeralda Garcia, Ivanhoe Sol

El Ivanhoe Sol quiere reconocer a Lisuly Castañón Méndez, de veintitrés años. Lisuly Ha vivido en Ivanhoe toda su vida con su familia, que incluye a sus padres, Ernie y Duby, y sus dos hermanas, Liset y Lesly.

Trabaja en el campo educativo, actualmente trabaja como maestra sustituta en el Distrito Escolar Unificado de Visalia e inspirada por personas como la Sra. Cardoza, ex directora de la escuela primaria Ivanhoe, quien fue una gran líder en la comunidad que hizo todo lo posible para ayudar a los estudiantes de Ivanhoe. .

A la edad de ocho años asistió a su primera Escuela Bíblica de Vacaciones (EBV), que tuvo lugar durante las vacaciones de primavera y verano. Un grupo de jóvenes misioneros de Bakersfield visitará la escuela Ivanhoe durante una semana entera y sus actividades incluían “practicar deportes y compartir su amor hacia Dios y demostrarlo a través de sus acciones y enseñanzas”.Lisuly agregó: “Conocí a Jesús a través de la Escuela Bíblica de Vacaciones y esos fueron mis recuerdos favoritos cuando era niño”.

Una dificultad que Lisuly experimentó cuando era niña fue a la edad de cuatro años cuando sus padres se separaron. Su padre era miembro de una pandilla, le diagnosticaron TDAH y su vida hogareña pronto comenzó a reflejarse en su comportamiento en la escuela, lo que la llevó a pelear en la escuela. Su vida cambió después de que comenzó a asistir a la EBV y aprendió acerca de Dios. “Comencé a orar por mi familia a la edad de 8 años y vi a Dios restaurar a toda mi familia. Mi padre salió de las pandillas y mis padres se casaron después de cuatro años de estar separados”.

Vacation Bible School Leaders:top row: Eric, Keanu second row:Sylvia, Avigail, Lisuly, Reyna and Diego. Third row: Maison, Hannah, Liset, Duby, Lesly, Joannah, Norma, Valentina, Jazmin, Leo Sylvia, Cesar and Casey. Photo submitted by Lisuly.

Lisuly también comparte: “¡Este año ha sido un año de grandes cambios! Dios me habló de involucrarme más en mi ciudad natal y crear un lugar seguro para otros niños y adolescentes que también podrían estar pasando por situaciones difíciles. He organizado dos eventos de Escuela Bíblica de Vacaciones, con la ayuda de un gran equipo de líderes comunitarios. Uno de ellos tuvo lugar durante las pasadas vacaciones escolares de primavera y verano. Planeamos un tercer evento el próximo invierno. Fui a EBV cuando era niño y ahora tengo el gran honor y privilegio de traerlo de regreso a Ivanhoe. La última vez que Ivanhoe tuvo EBV fue en 2017. Comencé una marca religiosa FIRECALLING en 2020, llamada a difundir el Fuego de Dios”. Fue inspirado por lo que creo que estamos llamados a hacer: difundir el fuego de Dios. Tenemos un sitio web firecalling.com y en Instagram @firecalling. ¡Mi objetivo es vivir con valentía y sin miedo para Jesús e inspirar a otros jóvenes a hacer lo mismo! Quiero ver el poder de Dios pero lo más importante es su AMOR.barrer a través de Ivanhoe. Quiero ver jóvenes encendidos por Jesús y llenos de su amor.“

Cuando se le preguntó a quién quería mencionar,Lisuly dio un “agradecimiento especial a mis hermanas Lesly y Liset por apoyarme, y a mi mejor amiga Reyna por apoyarme siempre en el servicio a la comunidad”.

Apoye el próximo evento de Lisuly

Lisuly ¡Organizará un evento comunitario el 9 de septiembre!

Ella dice que este evento es “para toda la comunidad y ¡todas las edades son bienvenidas! ¡Nuestra EBV de primavera y verano fue exitosa no solo gracias a nuestros líderes que se ofrecieron como voluntarios sino también a la COMUNIDAD que participó en nuestras actividades para recaudar fondos vendiendo tacos! Agradecemos a todos los de Ivanhoe que vienen y comen tacos cuando recaudamos fondos para VBS. ¡En EBV decoramos, jugamos, adoramos, aprendemos sobre Dios, regalamos regalos, tenemos comidas gratis para niños, adolescentes y más!

La participación de Lisuly en los eventos comunitarios y juveniles de Ivanhoe es un excelente ejemplo de cómo superar las dificultades a pesar de las experiencias pasadas. Esperamos ver más jóvenes como Lisuly en futuras ediciones de Ivanhoe Sol. Si tiene una nominación para nuestra próxima edición, comuníquese con el equipo de Ivanhoe Sol por correo electrónico [email protected].

 

Foto de Lisuly Castanon Mendez
Photo submitted by
Lisuly Castañon Mendez

By: Esmeralda Garcia, Ivanhoe Sol

The Ivanhoe Sol would like to recognize twenty-three year old Lisuly Castañon Mendez. Lisuly has lived in Ivanhoe her entire life with her family which includes her parents, Ernie and Duby, and her two sisters, Liset and Lesly. 

She works in the educational field, currently employed as a substitute teacher for Visalia Unified School District and inspired by people like Mrs. Cardoza, a former Ivanhoe Elementary Principal, who was a great leader in the community who did her best to help out Ivanhoe students.

At the age of eight years old she attended her first Vacation Bible School (VBS) which took part during spring and summer break. A group of youth aged missionaries from Bakersfield would visit Ivanhoe School for an entire week and their activities included “playing sports and sharing their love towards God and demonstrating it through their actions and teaching.” Lisuly added, “I came to know Jesus through Vacation Bible School and those were my favorite memories as a child.” 

A hardship that Lisuly experienced as a child was at the age of four years old when her parents separated. Her father was a gang member, she was diagnosed with ADHD,  and her home life soon began to reflect off of her behavior at school which led to fighting at school. Her life changed after she started going to VBS and learned about God. “ I began to pray for my family at the age of 8 and saw God restore my whole family. My father left the gangs and my parents were married after four years of being separated.”

Vacation Bible School Leaders:top row: Eric, Keanu second row:Sylvia, Avigail, Lisuly, Reyna and Diego. Third row: Maison, Hannah, Liset, Duby, Lesly, Joannah, Norma, Valentina, Jazmin, Leo Sylvia, Cesar and Casey. Photo submitted by Lisuly.

Lisuly also shares: “ This year has been a year of great change! God spoke to me about getting more involved in my hometown and creating a safe place for other kids and teens who might also be going through tough situations. I have put together two Vacation Bible School events, with the help of a great team of community leaders. One took place this past spring and summer school breaks. We plan for a third event this upcoming winter. I went to VBS as a child and now I have the great honor and privilege of bringing it back to Ivanhoe! The last time Ivanhoe had VBS was back in 2017. I started a faith based brand FIRECALLING back in 2020, “called to spread the Fire of God.” It was inspired by what I believe we are called to do, spread the fire of God. We do have a website firecalling.com and on Instagram @firecalling. My goal is to live boldly & fearlessly for Jesus and inspire other young people to do the same!!! I want to see God’s power but most importantly his LOVE sweep through Ivanhoe. I want to see young people set on fire for Jesus and full of his love.“

When asked who she wanted to mention, Lisuly gave a “special shout out to my sisters Lesly and Liset for supporting me, and my bestfriend Reyna for always having my back in serving the community.”

Lisuly is hosting a community event on September 9th!

She says this event is “for the entire community  and all ages are welcome! Our spring and summer VBS were successful not only because of our leaders that volunteered but the COMMUNITY participating in our fundraisers selling tacos! We thank everyone from Ivanhoe who comes and eats tacos when we fundraise for VBS. At VBS we decorate, play games, worship, learn about God, give away presents, have free meals for the kids, teens and more!”

Lisuly’s involvement with Ivanhoe’s youth and community events is a prime example of being able to overcome hardships despite your past experiences. We look forward to seeing more youth such as Lisuly in future Ivanhoe Sol editions . If you have a nomination for our next edition contact the Ivanhoe Sol team via email at [email protected].

 

Pedro Hernandez, Editor in Chief, Ivanhoe Sol

Por: Pedro Hernandez, Ivanhoe Sol

Ahora que Ivanhoe Sol regresa de nuestras vacaciones de verano, estamos emocionados de traer otro número a la comunidad de Ivanhoe. En este número continuamos destacando muchos de los temas habituales que hemos cubierto en el pasado, como actualizaciones de la comunidad y acontecimientos locales. Sin embargo, también destacamos nuevos desarrollos regionales relacionados con el medio ambiente, en particular el regreso tanto del lago Tulare como de una manada de lobos grises en peligro de extinción.

A nivel personal, continuamos desarrollando las habilidades de nuestro equipo comunitario y esperamos volver a contar con la capacidad total del personal a partir de nuestras próximas ediciones de octubre.

Avanzar en este regreso a la plena capacidad respaldará la expansión de nuestros informes tanto de alto nivel como en profundidad sobre el cambio climático. Estamos viendo que quizás más que nunca el cambio climático está afectando a California y al Valle de San Joaquín. Desde el calor récord que hubo entre una temporada de lluvias récord y un huracán récord, lo que parecía tan abstracto se está sintiendo en nuestros vecindarios.

Y como siempre, el equipo de Ivanhoe Sol no puede hacer esto sin su apoyo, ya que surgió como una idea en 2019. ¡Queremos servirle lo mejor que podamos! Si tiene alguna sugerencia para la cobertura de noticias, envíe cualquier información relevante a nuestro correo electrónico a [email protected].

Atentamente,

Pedro Hernandez

Editor en jefe, The Ivanhoe Sol

Pedro Hernandez, Editor in Chief, Ivanhoe Sol

By: Pedro Hernandez, Ivanhoe Sol

As the Ivanhoe Sol returns from our summer break, we are excited to bring another issue to the Ivanhoe Community.  In this issue we continue to highlight many of the regular issues we have covered in the past such as community updates and local happenings. However, we are also highlighting new regional developments pertaining to the environment, in particular the return of both the Tulare Lake and a pack of endangered Gray Wolves.

On the personal level, we are continuing to build the skills of our community team and are looking forwards to our return to full staff capacity as of our upcoming October issues.

Moving forward this return to full-capacity will support the expansion of both our high-level and in-depth reporting on climate change. We are seeing that perhaps more than ever, climate change is affecting the California and San Joaquin Valley. From the record breaking heat that was between a record rain season and a record  breaking hurricane, what seemed so abstract is being felt in our neighborhoods.

And as always, the team at the Ivanhoe Sol cannot do this without your support since we originated as an idea in 2019. We want to serve you the best we can! If you have any suggestions for news coverage, please send any relevant information to our email at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Pedro Hernandez

Editor-In-Chief, The Ivanhoe Sol 

 

Mirella Loza, Golden West High School. Foto por Mirella.

Los padres Pedro y María Loza están muy agradecidos con Dios por haber sido bendecidos con una princesa de nombre Mirella Loza. Dicen: “Estamos muy orgullosos de nuestra hija por hacer realidad su sueño de graduarse de Golden West High School. También estamos muy contentos de que asista a College of the Sequoias, que Dios la bendiga siempre”.

 

Mirella Loza, Golden West High School. Photo submitted by Mirella

Parents Pedro and Maria Loza are very grateful to God for having been blessed with a princess by the name of Mirella Loza.  They say “ We are very proud of our daughter for making her dream come true of graduating Golden West High School. We are also very glad she will be attending College of the Sequoias too, may God bless her always.”