UPCOMING EVENT: Exploring the Roots of Green Politics: Dr. Jared Phillips to Visit PC Theater

The Porterville College CHAP Program is gearing up for an insightful evening bridging history, ecology, and community. Historian and traditional farmer Dr. Jared Phillips takes the stage at the PC Theater on Monday, October 26, 2026, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM.

Dr. Phillips brings a rare and authentic perspective to his academic work as a fifth-generation Ozarker. Alongside his wife, Lindi, he runs an old-fashioned Ozark farm on the western edge of the Arkansas Ozarks, utilizing draft horses to manage heritage sheep, hogs, and forage. When he is not tending to his land, Dr. Phillips teaches rural development and Ozark history in the Department of History at the University of Arkansas. He has also helped found the Ozarkansas Tool Library and authored Hipbillies: Deep Revolution in the Arkansas Ozarks, with his forthcoming book, Harvesting Hope: How Organic Farming Tried to Save the Ozarks, expected soon from LSU Press.

During his upcoming presentation, titled "Deep Ecology in the Hills: Bioregionalism, Ecological Economics, and the Search for a Third Way, 1977-1990," Dr. Phillips will delve into a fascinating chapter of American environmental history. In the fall of 1980, a group of back-to-the-landers and "hipbillies" near West Plains, Missouri, organized the Ozark Area Community Congress, creating the nation's first bioregional community congress. Inspired by the Californian thinker Peter Berg, these pioneers sought to establish the "Ozark Free State," forging a "third way" that reshaped politics, economics, and land use around the identity of the Ozark bioregion and sparking a movement felt across the continent.

Drawing on rich oral histories and untapped archival materials from across Missouri and Arkansas, Dr. Phillips' talk will unpack the remarkable legacy of the OACC and its enduring influence on green politics and ecological consciousness. All students, faculty, and community members are warmly invited to attend this engaging exploration of grassroots environmentalism and regional identity.

All CHAP events are Free and open to all students, faculty, and community members!

For more information, visit the official Porterville College CHAP website or contact CHAP Coordinator Leslie Keele at leslie.keele@portervillecollege.edu.