Missoula Hackathon – A civic source code

While hackathons around the country are often limited to the tech savvy and geared toward commercial projects, the Missoula event http://missoulacivichackathon.org/ prioritized community collaboration.

In Missoula, unpicked apple trees aren’t just a waste of fruit. They’re a black bear’s treat, attracting the animals into city neighborhoods. A local nonprofit runs a program to glean the fruit from backyards so bears won’t, but connecting homeowners with volunteer pickers is a yearly struggle, Ed Weymouth told the half-dozen people who had scooted on rolling chairs over to him.

Weymouth thought he had a solution: an app that could facilitate a local apple-gleaning network.

By Derek Brouwer

Full Story: http://missoulanews.bigskypress.com/missoula/hackathon/Content?oid=2756399