Main fundraiser photo

Help an Elf! Backpackers Hostel Dream!

Family, friends and community members,

My partners and I, are opening up a backpackers hostel here in the Exact Center of California! Join us, as we continue to further develop the economy in this beautiful and charming town, here in the heart of the Sierras. This brief intro will seek to share our history, our relevance and our vision.

HISTORY
The Jackass Eco-Hostel is twenty three miles from Yosemite National Park and just seven miles from Bass Lake. As an eco-hostel it'll be the first of it's kind in the Sierra Nevada. Our area offers a panoply of outdoor activities if you like to camp, fish, hike, kayak, climb, bike, snowmobile, and ski, among other fun backcountry adventures.

North Fork, home to the Mono Indians, loggers and ranchers, is a beautiful town that has weathered the years of many changes. It was once a boom town to another era, but now fighting to reemerge as a healthy, sustainable and independent American small town. For nearly one hundred and fifty years, the local economy was based on the logging industry. In 1996, the last of its mills were closed down and the entire town went down with it. Add on the great recession we just endured and the picture was dismal. Bleak at best.

Then in 2011, Scott O'Brian Marsh and his dog, Slim, took a chance and opened Slim's Koffee Shak, a mountain bistro in downtown. The company set out to serve the community with purpose. The business model is based on employee ownership, local organic foods, art, music, community gathering space and sustainable business practices such as composting and recycling. This was the first step in the redevelopment in downtown and soon more was to follow. Scott, joined local organizations such as the North Fork Chamber of Commerce, amongst many others, and began to assess the resources and capabilities of the town. With some time and efforts along with lots of work and planning from the years before, a comprehensive social and economic framework was laid out and the work to rebuild began.

In the few years and by the efforts of many, North Fork now has a new main road into town, a cell phone tower, a new fire station, a visitors center, an online newspaper, several new businesses, more public art, many revitalization projects and aspiring entrepreneurs.

RELEVANCE

What is an eco-hostel? An eco hostel is an accommodation that considers its impact on natural resources and environment, while using sustainable practices and renewable energy. Your financial support in exchange for our rewards will help purchase solar panels to heat our showers and generate electricity, greywater recycling infrastructure, and rainwater harvesting technology. We'll use recycled materials in our construction, we'll compost, and also recycle 70-85% of discarded goods. Of course no eco-hostel is complete without an on-site food garden from which our guests can harvest and prepare food in our beautiful, future kitchen! We're also building our community by sourcing materials and labor from local businesses, and by putting on concerts and events, and creating a space for people to congregate.

The hostel will play an important role in the development of the town's economy. As other downtown businesses open up and the town markets its wide range of recreational and tourism opportunities, travelers will now have a unique place to stay. As it stands now, campsites are the only readily available accommodations in the area.

VISION
We will offer a fun and authentic mountain hospitality experience for international and local travelers. Our facility will include up to twelve bunk beds, two private suites, a communal kitchen with breakfast nook and brick pizza oven, indoor/outdoor showers, a common area, chill spots, adjacent trails, hammocks, an outdoor spa, recreation equipment rentals, adventure tours and other amenities.

We are located in downtown, just a short walk from the historic Buckhorn Saloon, post office, library, market and Slim's Koffee Shak. We will provide information on our natural surroundings such as the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway, National Forest and many lakes. We will do our best to make this a valued and unique experience for all our guests.



IN CLOSING

As partners, we are each raising a percentage of our capital investment through a crowdfunding rewards model. They will be running their own funding campaign. While separate campaigns, they are for the same cause. Together, we hope to obtain $22,000 to finish the work. We have personally invested up to $52,000 to date on this project. With your involvement, we can get over the finish line and get this operation running.



As a financial supporter, you're not only helping to complete the Eco-Hostel, but you'll be playing an invaluable role in the economic revitalization of this beloved-by-many mountain town by facilitating a burgeoning tourism industry, the benefits of which are far-reaching.

We've really just begun, but we'd love to invite our supporters out to North Fork for a good time once we get up and running! Don't forget to share this page with your friends, family and fellow travelers via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or blog. Many thanks folks!


Cheers,
The Jackass Eco-Hostel team!
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Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • $50 
    • 10 yrs
  • The North Fork Studio
    • $150 (Offline)
    • 10 yrs
  • Chris, Romero and Travis
    • $900 (Offline)
    • 10 yrs
  • Joan of Art
    • $200 (Offline)
    • 10 yrs
  • Sherry and Bill Antill
    • $100 (Offline)
    • 10 yrs
Donate

Organizer

Scott O'Brian Marsh
Organizer
Cascadel Woods, CA

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