Jorge Barrientos is the director of marketing and public relations at Law Office of Chain | Cohn | Clark. He serves on board of directors for a variety of local community organizations. When he’s not working or serving our community, you can find him traveling the world and hanging with his family, which includes wife Carla, 5-year-old son Julian, 3-year-old daughter Gianna Sol.
GUESTS:
Jeffrey Hill, County of Kern (Jim Damian)
Jesus Alvarado, El Panda Gordo; Anthony Iniguez, Assembly Industrial Fabrication; Christian Hernandez, Central Valley Property Advisors; Kamal Bhakta, Capstone (Juan Bustamante)
Jordan Bacot, Bynum Inc. (Don Bynum)
Alex Garcia, Citizens Business Bank (Patrick Birchfield)
Julie Irvin, A-C Electric Company (Jeff Gutierrez)
Patricia Mullins and Kathy Wertheim, Make-A-Wish Foundation; (Aaron Falk)
GOOD NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Aaron Falk reported Kern Community Foundation has received several gifts to help with Borel Fire efforts, including $5,000 from Valley Republic Bank.
Don Bynum reported the water the 82nd Goode Water Ski National Championships will be held August 13-17 at Ski West Village in Bakersfield.
Charlie Moe asked us to tune in to the Little League World Series, where his nephew is competing.
Bakersfield Built exhibit, which we learned about at a recent meeting, will run from Sept. 26 to Jan. 4 at Bakersfield Museum of Art. Sponsorships are available.
UPCOMING MEETINGS:
August 15: Kern Venture Group
August 22: TBD
August 29: Dark
PROGRAM
We were joined by Katherine Winters, cofounder of the White Wolf Wellness Foundation. Winters founded the nonprofit organization with her husband Stephen in 2018 to provide preventative healthcare options like movement, breathwork, and stillness to people dealing with anxiety and depression. In alliance with the Kern County Parks Department and other local agencies the two acquired the 14-acre Okihi grounds along the Kern River off of Round Mountain Road.
Okihi was home to many outdoor educational camping and day-use retreats for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts since the 1950s, but it was abandoned in 2015. Winters’ vision for Okihi was for it to enrich our community by providing health and wellness resources in a safe, outdoor riverfront setting, enhance and preserve biodiverse ecosystems, and provide educational programs for students of all ages. But first, White Wolf Wellness Foundation proposed a phased restoration plan.
Phase One: Secure property and mitigate hazards
Phase Two: Secure water to property and install irrigation; Improve driveway and pathways; make wheelchair accessible; Plant native grasses and plants.
Phase Three: Plant fruit and trees; Generate revenue with tent camping, glamping and RV sites; Open property to the public for yoga and educational programs.
So far, Okihi has secured full time caretakers on site, installed irrigation, improved driveways and parking lots, made homes for livestock for invasive species management, planted fruit and shade trees, and hosted multiple events on the grounds, including yoga classes, concerts, dinners.
It has also developed three outdoor educational programs, which since 2024 has graduated 1,500 students. Programs includes:
Pathways, which teaches about seasonal changes in the local ecosystem.
GroundWorks, which teaches anout soil health, composting, water sequestration, and rotational grazing.
Summer Camp, which is a 5-day program focused on life cycles, biology, arts, archeology, and mindfulness.
Next Okihi staff will build a shade house and native plant nursery, continue offering educational programs and community events, and pursue funding for more restoration and educational programs.
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Jorge Barrientos is the director of marketing and public relations at Law Office of Chain | Cohn | Clark. He serves on board of directors for a variety of local community organizations. When he’s not working or serving our community, you can find him traveling the world and hanging with his family, which includes wife Carla, 5-year-old son Julian, 3-year-old daughter Gianna Sol.
Don Bynum reported the water the 82nd Goode 
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