Severe trouble ahead, community suggestions to get through

Here ya go.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/

Great info on self sustainability.

Science Chic wrote: In case anyone's interested, there are some good starter classes at the various JeffCo rec centers.

That's very good info, I will check that out, SC.

But I think it is important to have things like this right at our community level. Why? Because if things get worse, it is important to have built networks of people who have skills and/or are taking positive steps to help themselves in a bad situation. And it's important to build those networks BEFORE things fall apart.

Learning a self-sufficiency skill is important, but even more important is building a self-sufficiency community. A lot of people who have these skills tend to have (stupid) romantic visions of toughing it out as lone wolves. My guess is nothing would make you more vulnerable in a frayed society than trying to do that.

You more or less need same mindset people/community to be successful.
we have a large family and we all practice self sustaining. Gardening, leatherwork, reloading, archery, fishing, etc etc.
There are those "grasshoppers" in the community that offer nothing but want a share of what others have. so they are foder, and not worhty.

On another note if the SHTF so to say, you will see a mass exit of mtn folk to the city not the other way around.

AspenValley wrote:

Science Chic wrote: In case anyone's interested, there are some good starter classes at the various JeffCo rec centers.

That's very good info, I will check that out, SC.

But I think it is important to have things like this right at our community level. Why? Because if things get worse, it is important to have built networks of people who have skills and/or are taking positive steps to help themselves in a bad situation. And it's important to build those networks BEFORE things fall apart.

Learning a self-sufficiency skill is important, but even more important is building a self-sufficiency community. A lot of people who have these skills tend to have (stupid) romantic visions of toughing it out as lone wolves. My guess is nothing would make you more vulnerable in a frayed society than trying to do that.

It is an interesting exercise simply to see the responses and thoughts expressed by various individuals. What we have is the integration of some people from both sides of political debates. Indeed we get to see people in a different light as political posturing is put aside for the common good, namely knowledge and skills needed to make the best of life in anticipated difficult times. I'm typically a lone wold in many things, preferring to rely largely on myself first and foremost. I'm smart enough to realize there are lots of highly talented people out there from whom I can learn a lot and vice versa. I also believe as AL so astutely points out it is more important to have a self sufficient community than a few self sufficient lone wolves. Together there is greater strength than the strongest of self sufficient individuals.

Martin Ent Inc wrote: You more or less need same mindset people/community to be successful.
we have a large family and we all practice self sustaining. Gardening, leatherwork, reloading, archery, fishing, etc etc.
There are those "grasshoppers" in the community that offer nothing but want a share of what others have. so they are foder, and not worhty.

On another note if the SHTF so to say, you will see a mass exit of mtn folk to the city not the other way around.

I expect you are right about the SHTF scenario. Then again, it's in times like that you can get some real surprises. People you thought you expected to flee, stand and fight and vic versa. I'm certain thing will sort themselves out quickly enough when and if the time comes. Meanwhile, we get to know a lot more about one another and through it grow closer as a community. BTW, it is always interesting to see who really pulls their weight and who just offers lip service. I have our immediate community as a live example. there are the doers and the talkers.

Early in our lives we had to depend on no one but ourselves. I guess the Great Spirit had a vision for us.

Martin Ent Inc wrote: You more or less need same mindset people/community to be successful.
we have a large family and we all practice self sustaining. Gardening, leatherwork, reloading, archery, fishing, etc etc.
There are those "grasshoppers" in the community that offer nothing but want a share of what others have. so they are foder, and not worhty.

On another note if the SHTF so to say, you will see a mass exit of mtn folk to the city not the other way around.

I don't quite agree that to have a successful community everyone needs to be of the same mindset. Community, by definition, is a collection of individuals. Individuals are going to have differing ideas. What is necessary, I suspect, is a common goal or vision that is strong enough to cause people to subordinate their own desires and beliefs in support of that goal.

Actually, an unwillingness to do that is what has gone wrong with us as a nation, and it has spread down to the local level. Having a strong extended family is certainly helpful, but it is not enough. There has to be a strong community as well, no family alone can do it all.

I do agree with you that there are some who would be sitting around waiting for FEMA to rescue them in a bad situation. And when FEMA didn't show up, they would expect their neighbors to rescue them. And when their neighbors didn't rescue them, they might very well try to take by force what they think they were due. Although I think people of that mindset are fewer than many imagine.

I also agree with you that in such a situation, there would likely be more people moving down the hill than the other way around. Which is probably for the best. This area, beautiful as it is, cannot support that many people. The climate and soils just don't allow for a large population.

Science Chic wrote: Martin, if the SHTF, I'd think it'd be the other way - people would move out of the city and to areas where they can grow their own food, get their own water, etc. A friend of mine told me about this great book once that kind of covered that scenario, and I can't for the life of me remember the title right now. I'll email her and ask. Basically the conclusion was that if modern society broke down, those living in cities would be hardest hit - no food being delivered to grocery stores means starvation or mass exodus. Cities would empty post-haste.

I don't think so SC. It is much easier to garden in Denver than at our elevation. Winters are not as cold in Denver as they are up here and they generally have less snow to contend with during the winter months. Help is also a lot closer in the city than up here for medical needs and emergencies. No, I think we would see a population decrease up here. The plains might get more city folk, but I don't think the mountains would.

PrintSmith wrote:

Science Chic wrote: Martin, if the SHTF, I'd think it'd be the other way - people would move out of the city and to areas where they can grow their own food, get their own water, etc. A friend of mine told me about this great book once that kind of covered that scenario, and I can't for the life of me remember the title right now. I'll email her and ask. Basically the conclusion was that if modern society broke down, those living in cities would be hardest hit - no food being delivered to grocery stores means starvation or mass exodus. Cities would empty post-haste.

I don't think so SC. It is much easier to garden in Denver than at our elevation. Winters are not as cold in Denver as they are up here and they generally have less snow to contend with during the winter months. Help is also a lot closer in the city than up here for medical needs and emergencies. No, I think we would see a population decrease up here. The plains might get more city folk, but I don't think the mountains would.

I agree with you, PS. How many of us have friends who are "scared" to come up to even visit us in the winter? And it's definitely much more difficult to raise food here than at a lower elevation. I also think that at least in the early stages of a societal breakdown (maybe decades) people tend to congregate where there is a chance of getting whatever aid/relief might be available. And that means in cities. Most city people would be totally clueless trying to "live off the land". Heck, in my observation most of the people who live here NOW would be clueless if the power grid went down and the trucks stopped rolling to Safeway and King Soopers.