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North Fork Develops Framework for a Sustainable Ruralism
By Alison Pernell
In 1994, the mill site in North Fork, California — an unincorporated
town of under 4,000 in the Sierra Nevada — closed, devastating
the local economy and sending the unemployment rate to 16%. Since
that time, North Fork has been working to remediate and redevelop
the abandoned 135-acre brownfield site according to principles of
sustainable development.
 In
whole systems design philosophy, “the problem is the
solution.” In other words, the old mill site is recognized
as a resource that can help enhance the long-term vitality of the
North Fork community. Beginning in 1992, the community initiated
a planning process that has included community input, visits from
the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, and a conceptual
site plan developed by RRM Design Group. In March 2003, the North
Fork Community Development Council (NFCDC) held a Symposium
entitled “Regenerations:
Collaborative Formulas for a Sustainable Ruralism.” The
event brought together representatives from U.S. Department of Energy,
Housing and Urban Development, EcoTrust,
the Global
Academy, Rebuild
America, Sierra
Business Council and many others to discuss how an ecologically
sustainable future is also economically sustainable. The Symposium
aimed to apply these principles to the abandoned mill site and inform
the redevelopment process.
The concept of a conservation economy is not new to North fork.
In 1999, the NFCDC organized a partnership of multiple organizations
to deconstruct numerous buildings on the old mill site. Materials
for the Future Foundation, Madera County Workforce Development Office,
Madera County Department of Social Services and the Carpenters Local
Union 701 trained over 50 participants in basic construction skills
while deconstructing buildings at the old mill site. Tens of thousands
of board feet of lumber and steel were reclaimed, sorted, and stored
for future use. The net result was local employment and skill building,
and the successful reclamation of valuable resources that can be
reused in future projects.
In its heyday, the mill site produced 100% of its electricity with
an on-site biomass electrical generation plant. In keeping with
this historical precedent, a primary goal for reuse of the mill
site is 100% self-generation from renewable sources, including solar,
biomass, or hydrogen sources. Located 25 minutes from Yosemite National
Park, the site will also be developed for a mix of uses that tap
the potential of capturing recreation-based tourism.
The result of the March 2003 Symposium will be a framework for
sustainable rural development that can be used by other small towns
facing similar growth-related and economic development issues.
For more information, visit the North
Fork Community Development Council web site (http://www.northforkcdc.org/)
or the Regenerations:
Collaborative Formulas for a Sustainable Ruralism Symposium
page (http://www.sustainableruralism.org/).
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