The alfalfa farm at Deep Springs has begun the process of shifting to organic operation. This spring, farm manager Ben Munger switched to organic fertilizer and seed for the current growing season. First inspections from CCOF (California Certified Organic Farms) will take place this summer and results from that survey will be used to establish protocols for future inspections and a fertility plan going forward. If all goes well, the college farm will be able to sell hay certified as organic by the fall of 2018, commanding a higher and more stable price than afforded by the regular commodity market. The college is also investigating options for switching the cattle herd to 100% organic but needs to find organic alternatives for dietary supplements to prevent bloat. Beyond pricing and environmental improvements, engaging in organic farming provides students hands-on experience with questions of stewardship in this increasingly vibrant area of modern agriculture.

As we approach the 100th anniversary of Deep Springs’ founding in 2017, many alumni naturally want to revisit the campus. We expect a large gathering that will require careful planning so as not to overwhelm the campus community of forty-five. The Centennial Reunion dates have been set for Friday, June 30 – Monday, July 3, 2017. Information about the weekend’s events will be sent with invitations for alumni, their families, and former faculty and staff in late summer of 2016.

Lodging Information

Download the Deep Springs, CA area lodging list.

Go to the Bishop Area website for more information and listings.

A reunion just for alumni from the 1970s (and whatever family members they wish to bring with them) will be held in the Valley over the 3-day Labor Day weekend. Look for invitation and details in the mail this winter.

The college hosted a reunion for alumni and their families from the Student Body of the 1980s over Memorial Day. Some 35 guests came to the Valley for the holiday weekend. All were treated to delightfully wet weather in the desert, with thundershowers every single day. However, spirits were not dampened and many alumni relived their student days by spreading their sleeping bags out in the library. SB officers, as well as several staff members entertained questions from attendees on the current state of affairs at the college, and the group also explored a lengthy discussion down memory lane with historian jack Newell DS’56 as master of ceremonies.

Many thanks to the nearly fifty guests who shared the Valley community over Columbus Day weekend, 2014. Alumni, family members, former faculty and neighboring friends enjoyed a number of activities, including a history presentation by Denis Clark DS’69, Jack Newell DS’56 and Bob Gatje DS’44. Denis showed slides of the original Telluride hydropower plants while discussing their early history and evolution of the educational training for engineers at those remote locations. Bob gave selected readings from his memoir of student days at Deep Springs in the 1940s. Jack also gave selected readings and caught everyone up to date on the impending publication in early 2015 of his history of Deep Springs, The Electric Edge of Academe. Other activities included a group hike to the Druid, a tour of the ranch cattle herd and valley grazing allotments conducted by ranch manager Janice Hunter with SB cowboy John Stuart DS’12, and a fine BBQ dinner provided by the SB cooks and BH Chef Marc Mora. The next “all-class” reunion will be the centennial itself in 2017.