Events/Meetings Page

2008 OBA meeting dates and locations are as follows:

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Most Recent Meeting Minutes

Meeting Minutes July 20th, 2008:

The Oregon Bamboo Association (OBA) kicked off summer with a great meeting in Medford on July 20th. Present were OBA Board Members Gib Cooper and Tom Taylor, as well as OBA Members Galyn & Rosemary Carlile and Suzie & Travis Curtis. The meeting commenced with a special motivational moment by Suzie Curtis, followed by her story about how she caught the bamboo bug. Here is the tale:

“A year and a half ago I really didn't know anything about bamboo. If I only knew how my world would change! In March 2007 my husband and I took a trip to visit relatives in Maui. We drove along the beautiful Road to Hana, making many stops along the way to admire the scenery or hike to a hidden waterfall. On one of these stops, we pulled over next to a bamboo grove. We started hiking through it – and it was the MOST AMAZING thing in the world! The floor was so clean, with only bamboo leaves and no weeds or bushes. The culms we so shiny and round and beautiful. I was instantly fascinated by this amazing plant so unlike any other.
When we arrived back in Oregon, I immediately got online and started browsing. The very first thing I learned is that lucky bamboo is NOT bamboo. I was so thrilled to discover that there were I wide variety of species of bamboo that would grow in my climate zone. I first ordered a Vivax plant online, as well as Ted Meredith's book Bamboo for Gardens. That book is amazing; I have now read it cover to cover several times, each time picking up something new.
I was so excited to discover Gib Cooper's bamboo nursery, Tradewinds Bamboo Nursery, in Gold Beach, Oregon. I showed up there one day, not realizing that his is mostly a mail-order business. I simply said, “I found your nursery online and wanted to see it!” Gib, bless his heart, was wonderful, and even though I'm sure he had plenty of better things to do, he gave me a tour of all his different bamboo species all around his property, and explained a lot of interesting things about bamboo to me. I will never forget the hospitality he showed to a brand-new bamboo enthusiast. Thank you, Gib. :)
Needless to say, in the next few months I accumulated a small collection of a variety of species of bamboo, mostly from Tradewinds. I now have 33 different species in my backyard (which is not large, and now quite full of bamboo). My wonderful husband built an elaborate sprinkler system to help take care of the bamboo, as well as a greenhouse for the winter.
One of my favorite things to do is walk around my bamboo, and search for new shoots, and just admire the sheer beauty of the plants. I hope to always be involved with preserving this amazing plant, as well as introducing it to the public as a friend, not a foe. This is one bug that I'm so glad I caught.”

Gib Cooper made a few demonstrations regarding his new-found fascination for Chusquea as a bamboo for building. When Chusquea and P. Vivax Aurea were compared side-by-side, the Chusquea held up much better when nails were driven though it, with very little splitting at all. The same went for cutting and splitting the culms. The conclusion was that Chusquea was a very good bamboo for projects.
The meeting ended with a special guest, Kalo, from the Tierra Seca Chapter of the ABA. Kalo, from the Santa Barbara area, had been involved with bamboo projects before, including building bamboo housing in Thailand. He was currently in the Rogue Valley Area undertaking a construction project for the Mystic Garden Party in Ashland, Oregon.

Thank you everyone who attended the July 20th meeting, and the OBA looks forward to seeing you next time!

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