The Spring Creek Project brings together the practical wisdom of environmental science, the clarity of philosophy, and the transformational power of the written word and the arts to envision and inspire just and joyous relations with the planet and with one another.
Our organization offers residencies at two locations in Oregon—the Shotpouch Cabin in the Oregon Coast Range and the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest in the western Cascade Range. We also host campus and community events and programs in Corvallis and virtual events online.
Shotpouch Cabin Residencies
- The 2023 Environmental Writing Fellowship and Residency: Oregon's Climate Forests. The Spring Creek Project, in partnership with the conservation nonprofit Oregon Wild, is inviting a writer to spend a year exploring, researching, and writing about the critical issue of forest conservation in Oregon and its impact on the climate emergency.
- The Graduate Student Research and Writing Residency is offered to Oregon State University graduate students who are engaged in a writing and/or research project that aligns with the mission of the Spring Creek Project, such as a thesis or dissertation project, independent study, or internship in the humanities or environmental sciences. The one-week retreat is offered during Summer, Spring, and Winter breaks. Faculty members are invited to nominate graduate students in the humanities or environmental sciences.
- The Spring Creek Project Faculty Residency is offered to Oregon State University faculty members who are engaged in a project that aligns with the mission of the Spring Creek Project.
H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest Residencies
- The Long-Term Ecological Reflections program hosts Fall and Spring Writers-in-Residence Programs at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. The resident writers live at the Andrews Forest for one to two weeks, interact with the scientists, explore the forest, and write. Writers are asked to visit several Long-Term Ecological Reflections plots, long-term research plots or other places of ecological interest, and to contribute their written reflections to The Forest Log.
Our open submissions are listed below.
Emeritus is an 80-foot-tall sculpture by Seattle-based artist John Grade. Inspired by the form of an absent tree and made of more than 100,000 parts of salvaged wood and cast resin, Emeritus was pieced together and suspended among the Giant Sequoias in OSU’s Memorial Union quad over 6 days in October 2022. More than 200 campus and community volunteers helped with the installation.
Superficially burnt areas of Emeritus evoke the Sequoias’ complex relationship with fire. And the sculpture is illuminated at night, offering a different experience from a daytime viewing. During its time on campus, to learn about life in the trees, researchers are collecting data on the ecological conditions via dendrometer studies of trunk expansion, bioacoustic monitoring, and eDNA sampling. In December, Emeritus will leave us to be reconfigured and re-installed near treeline in Alaska, in a “drunken forest” experiencing the effects of thawing permafrost.
We invite you to visit the sculpture in the NE section of the MU quad at least once—day or night or both, alone or with others. Stick around a while. After your visit, create and send us a thoughtful response to the sculpture, a related theme, or any aspect of your experience in the grove using the form below. The only parameters here involve submission formats and max length—all varieties of expression are welcome. You may choose to allow your piece to be considered for publication in the final Field Report that will be compiled in fall 2023. You may also choose to remain anonymous if your piece is selected for publication. If you have any questions, or would prefer to submit via email, just write Joy at joy.jensen@oregonstate.edu. Thank you in advance—we couldn't make this happen without you!
We welcome responses in:
- Art: paintings, sketches, drawings, prints, photography, collage, maps, etc. *Note: for 3-D (sculpture, textiles, glass, pottery, woodwork, etc.), please submit a video or photographs of your work.
- Writing: notes, poetry, questions, short essay/reflection, dialogue, lyrics, etc., max 2 pages.
- Graphic short: any combination of image and text (comic, narrative, nonfiction, nature journal-style, etc.) from a single panel to 1 page.
- Audio: original music, spoken word, conversation, etc., up to 2 minutes in length.
- Video: film short, animation, performance, dance, etc., up to 2 minutes. You may instead link to video posted on another platform (e.g., YouTube, Vimeo).
- Other: So you have something to share that doesn’t quite fit in the above? Email joy.jensen@oregonstate.edu and we’ll make a way.
Images: 300dpi PNG or JPG files preferred, but not required.